UPFRONT | News ICA wants Forbes ’ apology for “outrageous, prejudicial” article The International Chiro-practic Association (ICA) has called out as “outrageous and prejudicial” a recent Forbes online magazine article criti-cizing U.S. Medicare spending on chiropractors. In a letter sent to Forbes , ICA’s general legal counsel James Turner called the online article, written by Forbes con-tributor Steven Salzberg, arro-gant and ignorant. “The arrogance, ignorance and above all, prejudice dis-played in Mr. Salzberg’s essay is rare in this day and age of universal availability of infor-mation on any subject from any source via the Internet,” Turner wrote in his letter to the editor. “To ignore the mass of safety, clinical and cost-effectiveness data on chiropractic readily available to anyone bothering to search clearly indicates the inten-tions of this individual – to maliciously smear and to discredit for reasons that only he can explain. This organiza-tion would certainly have been happy to assist in any such search and we wish to go on record as making the re-sources of the ICA available to any Forbes writer should there be an interest in an ob-jective, balanced review of any chiropractic issue.” In his article, published in Forbes’ website on April 20, Salzberg cited the $496 mil-lion U.S. Medicare paid for chiropractic treatments in 2012 as “egregious waste,” pointing out chiropractors are “not medical doctors” and claimed chiropractic “belief” in subluxations has “no scien-tific basis.” Salzberg’s comments about chiropractic elicited reactions 10 Canadian Chiropractor June 2014 ISSUES from the chiropractic commu-nity defending its practice and citing numerous scientific evi-dence of the efficacy of chiro-practic care. “This recent outrageous and prejudicial attack on the chiropractic profession re-quires an exceptional re-sponse,” said ICA president Dr. Michael McLean. “At-tacks on our profession from critics and competitors are commonplace and predictable but this recent piece titled, New Medicare Data Reveal Startling $496 Million Wasted on Chiropractors, and written by Steven Salzberg, is so out-rageously misleading and hurtful that we feel all of our legal options and protections must be explored.” ICA is “especially shocked” by the highly prejudicial asser-tions about the risks associated with chiropractic care and the author’s “choice of outdated, misleading references for which compelling data to the contrary exists which clearly documents the exceptional safety and clinical effectiveness of chiropractic procedures.” In his letter to the editor, Turner indicated the ICA was deeply disturbed by the nega-tive characterization of all chiropractic expenditures in the federal Medicare program. “What is particularly offen-sive, indeed outrageous, is Mr. Salzberg’s characteriza-tion of chiropractic expendi-tures in Medicare as ‘waste.’ This is especially the case as Medicare is not welfare but a program into which all work-ing Americans are obliged to pay all their working lives. In this program, Medicare ben-eficiaries are entitled to choose the care pathway and services that they feel best meet their individual health care needs. The irrefutable fact that over many decades millions of Medicare benefi-ciaries have chosen chiroprac-tic care as their preferred means to address their per-sonal health issues is the best and most compelling evi-dence of the need for and ef-fectiveness of these unique services. To presume to dis-miss those millions of Ameri-cans as foolish and misdi-rected, because of their choice of chiropractic, showcases the malicious, prejudicial agenda of the writer in glaring and, once again, outrageous terms,” Turner wrote. McLean says ICA’s re-sponse was not just to “express outrage” over the article but to “seek redress through every possible means.” The ICA wants Forbes to allow the chiropractic commu-nity the opportunity to present the true facts on chiropractic’s safety and effectiveness. It also hopes to get an apology from the publication, said Turner in his letter. “We would happily accept both as a means to right what we feel is a demonstrable wrong done to our members and, ultimately, to the patients they serve,” said Turner ICA has urged all doctors of chiropractic and chiroprac-tic organizations to express their thoughts on the article directly to Forbes. “ICA also urges all within the chiropractic profession to bring to our attention any prejudicial attack on the pro-fession,” said McLean. “ICA will forcefully respond with the facts.” -Mari-Len De Guzman Alberta invests in family clinics PROVINCIAL The Alberta government is spending $45 million on starting up nine family care clinics. Health Minister Fred Horne said these new clinics will be part of small community networks where many health professionals team up to give patients several services. As well, the province is providing $32 million to primary care networks to improve hours and offer more same-day appointments. The clinics will be in Edmonton, Calgary, Peace River and central Alberta, adding to three already running. Horne said the goal is to divert patients away from hospitals by keeping them healthy so they don’t need acute care. He said about five per cent of people use 65 per cent of Alberta’s health-care resources. “Every time we admit a patient to hospital for a complication of something like diabetes that could have been treated or maybe even prevented in the community, that’s actually a failure of the health-care system, not a success,” Horne said. Former premier Alison Redford had promised to build 140 clinics during her election campaign. “I think that was a very ambitious, perhaps overly ambitious, target,” Horne said. -The Canadian Press www.canadianchiropractor.ca
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