Chiropractors Legal & Compliance
Guidance
Guidance
According to the Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Boards, in 2017 to 2018, there were well over 90,000 chiropractors in the US who actively underwent a number of board exams to be state licensed. And as the managed healthcare system learns to embrace chiropractic treatment better, medical practitioners started experiencing rising numbers of malpractice claims. This has resulted in high demand for chiropractic legal aid.
Our Healthcare Legal Team is one of the few that specially caters to the legal and regulatory demands of healthcare providers specializing in this area, including:
- Musculoskeletal chiropractors
- Traditional wellness chiropractors
- Medical institutions that employ chiropractors
Chiropractic Legal Issues
The following are some of the key legal issues that we work on:
- Practice Formations
- Stark and Anti-kickback
- Fee-Splitting
- Employment Legislation
- Corporate and Business Practices and Compliance
- Employment Agreements
- Chiropractic Practice Restrictions
- Group Practice or In Office Ancillary Services (IOAS)
Licensing and Scope of Practice in 50 States
State licensing boards intend to protect public health and welfare and to ensure safe and ethical practice. This is why the chiropractic practice is regulated in all 50 states and in more than 25 countries worldwide. There is wide adaptation in terms of the scope of practice depending on the state or country. Most states in the US only allow spinal manipulation and very few permit various other procedures like electromyography, lab diagnostics, acupuncture, and the new and advanced treatment called Artrotism.
Based on an interview with Michael Schneider, a faculty member of health sciences of the University of Pittsburgh, released by TIME through Time.com:
“Chiropractic was the original holistic medicine in that it focused on treating the whole person, not just the body part that hurt.” “The controversy comes in when chiropractors make claims about treating non-musculoskeletal conditions”—claims he says have little or no scientific basis.
With all this being said, there are a lot of loopholes in terms of the legal and regulatory footprint of chiropractic practice which is why it such issues are meticulously handled by experienced Healthcare Lawyers rather than your General Counsel or CLO.
Cohen Healthcare Law Group is adept at bridging the gap between the law and the dynamic scope of allied health providers to benefit the rapid growth of this comprehensive functional medicine and integrative medicine sector.
In Office Ancillary Services (IOAS)
This typically refers to health services group practices, which are being regulated by states and by the federal government itself. Some states, for example, require a non-chiropractic physician to be present when DHS services are being given to patients. On top of that, the practice might have to guarantee that the medical practitioner in the practice spends an average of 75% of their professional hours working through the combined practice.
Just like most professions and businesses, chiropractic practices touch on many sections of the law and finding the right lawyer to help with a chiropractic legal obstacle can be arduous, given the circumstances mentioned above.
FAQ
Great! Let us know and we’ll do a conflicts check and then send you an engagement letter. Typically we want to know if we are going to represent you as an individual, or your entity (corporation or LLC); we’ll also want to know your website and some basic contact information.
Review our legal services to see some of the areas we like to work in; check our testimonials, client roster, and experience; read some of our blog posts; check out our Linked In community; or just call or email us to explore. Put simply, we represent health and wellness products, technologies, practices and ventures that accelerate health and healing.
We are very comfortable working with clients via phone and email. You can sign, scan and email the engagement letter, and submit the advance by check or online.
The answer depends on the complexity of the project. Each client’s situation is different. We want every client to receive the best possible advice, and so we want to be in a position to devote as much time as is required to do that. Look to our testimonials, client roster, and experience. We work with our clients effectively and efficiently and build long-term relationships based on mutual trust. We bill hourly and do not offer project or flat fees. Lawyering is an art, not a science – we’re intuitive as well as skilled lawyers.
Yes, like most law firms, we require an advance against fees and costs. Our typical advance ranges from $3,500 – $10,000. We offer our expertise and savvy and work hand-in-hand with you toward your goals. Occasionally, we will offer you a one-hour consult as a way to jump-start our work together, and give you an overview of critical issues, with guidance on the critical business cross-roads you’re facing. We do not take equity or deferred compensation.
Our Firm doesn’t quite “quotes” or answer “how much does it cost.” Through long experience, we’ve found that the answer is pretty much meaningless. Some lawyers and law firms give quotes, but if you read the accompanying disclaimer, you’ll see that the disclaimer basically says that you can’t depend on the quote for anything. In our long experience, “how much it costs” depends on a lot of variables, including:
- What the client is asking for
- What the client really needs
- What the client doesn’t know they don’t know
- What we discover as we dive into the legal research and analysis
- How complicated the problem really turns out to be
- How much client will want to do on their own
- Whether we can find some elegantly simple solutions to sub-parts of the puzzle
- What decisions we make together, and separately, as we explore the puzzle and put solutions and strategies together
In many cases, we might think a project is very complex but then as dig in, we can make executive decisions and recommendations that save the client dozens of hours of lawyer time and tens of thousands of dollars. This happens a lot with our clients. In other cases, the client might think the problem is simple but as we start to review it, the puzzle is much larger; sometimes the client throws in extra facts and complications at the last minute, and that will increase the expense and work; sometimes we’ll give the client “homework” so they can DIY a piece, taking it outside the need for lawyer time.
One thing we do is get our clients frequently on the phone. We find that the Legal Strategy Session often cuts through the fog. Where we need to do a chunk of written legal work, we’ll do so and let you know that’s what we think is needed. Where we can be more efficient with a call, we’ll tell you that as well.
Many clients come us after having wasted tens of thousands of dollars with other lawyers. Read our testimonials. We’re here to provide a lot more value than the retainer—our business model and Firm policy is to provide at least 3-5 times the value back to you. That’s our model and we’re sticking to it. We’re not trying to sell you on a “cheap retainer” or promise of discounts. We’re here to solve a big hairy problem and get you where you need to go, as efficiently and productively as we can.
Typically, assessing feasibility involves legal and strategic advice, which we provide in the 45-minute consult, in a way that is appropriate to the time we have together there.
The only way to know is to jump into the process. If you want to know more about us and how we work, browse our testimonials, look at our client rolodex, or review our experience on our website.
Work with us and find out how efficient and engaged we are with your business. We like to work with clients for life. It is a deep and trusting relationship.
Michael’s bio is online here. He has written books on healthcare law and policy, taught healthcarelaw as a faculty member at Harvard Medical School, garnered NIH and other medical research grants, and published over 100 articles in legal and medical journals. Michael speaks all over the world on healthcare topics.
