House Bill 873 Introduces Change for The Chiropractic World

Chiropractic services are becoming increasingly popular over the last few years and with the opioid crisis now fully exposed, the care provided by chiropractic physicians without the use of drugs or surgery is even more important than ever for those that suffer from chronic pain. The standards set by the state are usually reevaluated every few years ensuring the highest quality of professional education that requires graduates to meet rigorous standards of competence that integrate with mainstream healthcare. A new bill (House Bill 873) has been introduced that would ultimately open Florida’s statutes to allow competition in chiropractic education accreditation however some professionals are saying that it will eliminate the requirement of chiropractic educational programs to meet the national standards met by all other chiropractic programs in the country.

Currently, there are three programs in Florida leading to the Doctor of Chiropractic degree following a rigorous course, which takes about eight years upon high school diploma completion. These three programs meet the national standards set by the Council on Chiropractic Education, which since 1974 has been federally recognized as the chiropractic accrediting agency.

The current requirement in 49 of 53 U.S. jurisdictions (all 50 states, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and District of Columbia) is for students to have graduated from a CCE-accredited college in order to qualify for the license to practice. Of the remaining four jurisdictions, two of these also require graduation from a CCE-accredited college, along with other requirements such as approval of the state board. The argument that chiropractic educators have against this bill is that it would open the door for sub-standard chiropractic college programs and licensees.

However, the same argument as made when the Legislature moved to allow competition in accreditation for traditional doctors and nurses. That bill passed, ridding the traditional healthcare system of an educational monopoly. While the Florida Chiropractic Association may stand against the bill, the Florida Chiropractic Society emphatically supports the idea of increasing competition in Florida.

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