Palmer College of Chiropractic chancellor responds to Wisconsin Chiropractic Association white paper

October 15, 2014 — Palmer College of Chiropractic Chancellor Dennis Marchiori, DC, PhD, has issued the following response to a recent white paper from the Wisconsin Chiropractic Association on chiropractic scope of care:

October 10, 2014

As chancellor of Palmer College of Chiropractic, I feel compelled to respond to a recent white paper from the Wisconsin Chiropractic Association (WCA) titled, “The Primary Spine Care Physician Initiative.”

The WCA is to be applauded for highlighting contemporary healthcare challenges, including the need to address the huge burden of non-surgical spine-related disorders on the healthcare system. I agree with its position that chiropractors, as primary care professionals for spinal health, are uniquely qualified to fill this role. However, I disagree that prescription rights are needed to effectively fulfill this role. Instead, let’s continue our advocacy that healthcare delivery evolve to embrace our conservative and wellness-based approach.

Palmer recently spent three years researching and carefully crafting an identity for chiropractors as: The primary care professionals for spinal health and well-being.

We also created a practice paradigm that begins: Chiropractic focuses on neurological and musculoskeletal integrity, and aims to favorably impact health and well-being, relieve pain and infirmity, enhance performance, and improve quality of life without drugs or surgery. (For more information on our identity, see www.palmer.edu/our-identity.)

To achieve our shared goal of enhancing public health by addressing the global burden of spinal-related disease, we need an identity, a focus, and a scope of care that honors our tradition, is evidence-based—and is clearly understood and embraced by healthcare consumers. We contend that Palmer’s identity, which includes primary spine care along with wellness, does exactly that—without drugs or surgery.

Sincerely,

Dennis Marchiori, DC, PhD

Chancellor

Source:

Palmer College of Chiropractic