President's Message
Dr. Brian Arthur
It is a great honour to be elected President of the BCCA by the Board. I look forward to serving our Association as President. On behalf of the members I would like to thank both our outgoing President, Dr. Pat Bickert, and outgoing Director, Dr. Brad Yee, for contributing eight years of hard work and dedication to the chiropractic profession of BC. We appreciate your efforts and wish both of you and your families all the best in your future endeavors. Dr. Yee will be kept busy as a newly elected member to the College Board. Congratulations Brad. I would also like to heartily welcome our two new Directors to the Association Board —Dr. James Cooper (for the interior) and Dr. Gary Lo (for the Lower Mainland).
The AGM this year was another unqualified success. The theme of this year's academic program was the economics and politics of low back pain. Dr. Pran Manga's message was especially instructive and germane. Dr. Manga advises that we must by-pass the government, WCB and ICBC. That it is essential to initiate political action by educating labour, employers and the public about chiropractic outcomes. For many years we have been informing governments of chiropractic efficacy and cost-effectiveness with hard evidence. Yet our effort has not changed the allocation of health care funding in BC. This is not surprising. Given medicine's acquired 'cultural authority,' governments generally have to ask medicine for permission to change health care. Therefore, matching the patient's needs to the best interventions has not occurred. Informed choice, an element of informed consent, is not happening. Yet many of us have patients who work or are involved with human resources at various levels of decision making for either labour or management. It is critical that we talk to them, inform them about choice and about the cost savings of chiropractic care. Or, ask their permission to have your Association write to them. The status quo must go!
At the AGM Friday luncheon, the Honourable Michael Farnworth, past Health Minister and present Minister of Small Business Development, spoke favourably of the 1997 Joint Health (Supplemental) Professions proposal to slightly increase monthly premiums and direct them to the Supplemental budgets. If implemented, this would enable the government to pay the recommended fee schedules of each of these professions. It would also be an initial step towards healthcare reform by removing the financial barrier between matching patient needs to the best interventions. The overall cost savings to the government would be enormous. Mr. Farnworth stated his intention to speak about this proposal to the current Health Ministry, now led by the Honourable Corky Evans. If the proposal becomes a reality, it would be a momentous achievement for the government.
Anthony Vecchio, President of the Trial Lawyers Association of BC also spoke at the AGM luncheon on Friday. His observation about our profession was quite revealing. He stated that while chiropractic is the most capable profession for providing objective evidence of an injury, as well as providing the best care, we are the worst at documenting in our charts both our objective findings and patient outcomes. Our clinical records, as well as our profession, are judged accordingly in any legal proceedings.
Mr Vecchio's observation is correct—chiropractors are the best at diagnosing and managing whiplash-associated disorders. So let's document it. The new whiplash guidelines and report forms should greatly assist practitioners in documenting objective findings and outcomes. We strongly urge all members to complete the Chiropractor's First Report document for every patient and fax it to ICBC. In addition, if ICBC requests a treatment plan from you, use the Chiropractor's First Report to include a diagnosis and other pertinent clinical information. This document takes little time to complete and is a significant investment in our future. We must set the standard for other professions to follow. Remember that the patient is responsible for your fee for filing these reports (soon to be recommended by the Board).
In related matters, we will soon be electing a new provincial government. Most of the candidates by now have campaign managers and are looking for volunteers. We already have one member, Dr. John Gluckman, who is currently the campaign manager for his local Liberal candidate. Be involved. Volunteer your sincere and genuine service on behalf of the candidate of your choice. Remember that it is firstly your integrity as a person and community member, and secondly your profession, that will be recollected by your MLA when chiropractic issues arise in the legislature.
For those of you who did not attend the AGM, or did, but missed the Margo Bates Publicity booth, the format of the BCCA/BCCC web site has been beautifully revamped by Barbara Bell of MBP. The new-state-of-art design and layout is very inviting and interesting. However, it is missing one thing — patient testimonials! Each page of the Public section of the web site has a place for patient testimonials, which we are now requesting from our members. Many of you have testimonials on bulletin boards in your office. We would ask that you fax them along with your patient's written permission to the Association office at 604-278-0093. Only the patient's first initial will be used for accreditation. We will then forward them to Ms. Bell at MBP. We encourage members and patients to check out the revised web site at www.bcchiro.com .
In closing, I sincerely believe without any doubt that our individual efforts in acting locally regarding the politics and economics of healthcare will collectively give our Executive clout when dealing with governments and insurance companies. Give us a mighty fist to hammer at the bargaining table!
I would again like to thank the Board for its support and I look forward to serving the members over the coming year. I wish you and your families all the best for the holiday season.
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