July 3, 2014 — The first Dr. Chester A. Wilk Award for Courageous Legal Action on Behalf of the Chiropractic Profession was awarded to Vincent Buttaci at the International Chiropractors Association 88th Annual Meeting banquet. ICA President Michael S. McLean, DC, FICA, presented the award.
The award is named for Wilk, who was the organizer of the landmark case against the American Medical Association (AMA) for their illegal antitrust policies boycotting the chiropractic profession. The case was won in 1990 after a 15-year struggle in federal court (895 F.2d 352).
The ICA was the only national association supporting the suit during its first two critical years, and the organization continues to be at the forefront pursuing such advocacy in defense of chiropractors around the world.
McLean said this “award is given, not only for the body of legal work of this talented attorney, but specifically for the vigorous and successful representation Mr. Buttaci has provided ICA members.”
Buttaci effectively works to right the wrongs on behalf of chiropractors in the United States as a national leading healthcare practice attorney. His emphasis is on representing healthcare providers in post-payment actions instituted by government or insurance carriers.
The award was presented to Buttaci on June 20 in Overland Park, Kansas. He said he was “honored to be the first recipient of this award and is excited in championing the doctors of the International Chiropractors Association, the leading defender fighting to provide the right of freedom of choice in health care in the U.S. and the world.”
Pictured left to right: ICA President Michael S. McLean, DC, FICA, and Vincent Buttaci
