January 30, 2009 — In early 2008, the ACA was informed that Tufts HealthPlan had a policy that did not allow coverage for spinal manipulations for children and Tufts cited an American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) resolution as the basis for their policy. In a letter dated Feb. 8, 2008, the ACA contacted Tufts to communicate concerns with the policy and to report that no AAP resolution regarding spinal manipulation for children actually exists.
In response, Tufts HealthPlan informed the ACA that their policy was based instead on research and that they would not change their policy. After submitting an additional letter noting more concerns with Tufts policy, the ACA called upon the Council for Chiropractic Guidelines and Practice Parameters (CCGPP) to review and comment upon the policy. Drawing upon research, in a July 23, 2008 letter, CCGPP provided Tufts with extensive information demonstrating the invalidity of Tufts’ claims that chiropractic care for children is unsafe.
In response, Tufts reported that they would continue to enforce their policy disallowing chiropractic care for children. At this point, the ACA has felt it necessary to take this issue to the Massachusetts Attorney General and the ACA has provided the Attorney General with its concerns regarding Tufts in a letter dated Jan. 9, 2009.
The ACA has strong concerns with the duplicity of the information received when inquiring about the basis of Tuft’s policy, and concern that due diligence was not performed in the development of their policy. The ACA takes very seriously reports of infringements on the scope of practice of doctors of chiropractic and will continue to fight for the preservation of coverage of treatment methods that benefit chiropractic patients of all ages. We anxiously hope that the Attorney General will investigate Tuft’s practices of policy-setting as they apply to all types of care in order to assure the quality and safety of treatment all patients receive. Please look for updates regarding this issue in the Week in Review.
Source: American Chiropractic Association, www.amerchiro.org
