Chiropractic + Naturopathic Doctor • September/October 2022 • Business talk

In early February 2022, the provincial government introduced bill 88 which would de-regulate Acupuncture in Ontario. The bill 88 would ensure the practice of acupuncture would become public domain and anyone would be able to do it without a license.

To fully comprehend and understand what exactly took place I interviewed Heather Kenny (R.Ac), a registered acupuncturist practicing in Peterborough and Oshawa, Ontario. She is the President of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Ontario Association.

Kenny: Traditional Chinese Medicine Ontario is an association representing TCM-trained professionals in Ontario. Our members are Registered Acupuncturists (R.Ac.’s) and Registered Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners (R.TCMP’s) practicing in Ontario and students in related programs in Ontario schools. We advocate on behalf of our membership to government and to the regulatory College, the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of Ontario (CTCMPAO), we represent the views of the membership to government and other healthcare bodies (extended health insurers) and to the public. We offer a suite of benefits to our members including professional liability insurance discounts, access to extended health and dental policies, educational opportunities/discounts, advertising and networking within the community.

Kenny: Yes it did. You can imagine how shocked the profession was when advised by email from the CTCMPAO that they had been advised by the Ministry of Health that the CTCMPAO was to begin the process of winding up operations and that the profession would be de-regulated. That day was Monday, February 28th, and Bill 88 and Schedule 5 had passed first reading in the Legislature. A group of representing professionals, schools and students came together swiftly and, within hours, we had mobilized our government relations firm, initiated a letter writing campaign, an online petition, and organized a press conference, fundraising and media outreach. Within only three short days, the petition had garnered an astounding 66,000 signatures. MPP’s offices received hundreds of letters from the public on the issue, fundraising topped $10,000, and the story was being covered by multiple media outlets across Canada. By Friday of that week, the Government committed to complete removal of the Schedule deregulating TCM from the legislative Bill. Over the course of the next few days, it continued to become clear that the Government did not consult the CTCMPAO, Associations, Schools, members of the profession, or members of the public prior to introducing the deregulation legislation.

While the profession has garnered commitment from government that deregulation is now “off the table” and that TCMO will be fully consulted on any other changes being contemplated, we remain vigilant.

Kenny: Actually, this highlights the need for cross-professional support, cooperation and education. Through greater understanding and more indepth knowledge of the scope of professionals and application of modalities, all RHP’s can offer benefits and achieve better healthcare outcomes for their patients. And, truly, isn’t that what all healthcare professionals want: Better healthcare for their patients. This also throws into sharp focus that the government must always seek to fully consult with all stakeholders on an issue in order to gain the knowledge and understanding of the possible implications of decisions that are being made.

Kenny: Every single practitioner reading this article simply MUST join their respective professional association; it is not enough to be a member of your regulatory College. And, once you are a member of your association, volunteer your time to the benefit of your profession, become a leader, offer your time for marketing, for public outreach, for government relations, get involved!

Your future depends on it. Be vigilant and also cooperative with other professions, because change is on the way for RHP’s in Ontario, and together we can be successful.

I was in my third year of practice when the Ontario government removed chiropractic from the Ontario insurance healthcare plan. Seemingly, during this time, chiropractors felt little support from associations who should of “went to bat” for them to fend off the proposed government changes. However, on December 31, 2004 chiropractic was delisted from OHIP. There is a lesson here. We should strive to be fully independent of any government or insurance subsidies. We should try to make our practises cash-based so that we can survive based on the value of our clinical results.

Furthermore, chiropractors have a lot to learn from this experience that acupuncturists went through. How is it that their associations were able to collaborate so quickly in order to fight for their practice freedoms? Are chiropractic organizations taking note? They very well should be.

ANTHONY LOMBARDI, DC, is a private consultant to athletes in the NFL, CFL and NHL, and founder of the Hamilton Back Clinic, a multidisciplinary clinic. He teaches his fundamental EXSTORE Assessment System and practice building workshops to various health professionals. exstore.ca.