By John W. Downes, D.C.
[Editor’s Note: In response to the article “Peak Performers,”
which was published in the September/October 2001 issue, Dr. Stacey S. Conrad
responded with a question regarding chiropractors’ awareness of the current
“travel to treat” laws. Following is an explanation of the issue.]
“Travel to treat” is a concept based upon the premise that professionals
skilled in an area of care are provided with courtesy reciprocity of their license
in order to participate in care of specific athletes for a specific amount of
time.
It is a common practice in health-care disciplines—except chiropractic.
I have contacted several groups and individuals concerned about this issue and
found that, in fact, there is no consistency from state to state. This means
for example, that “technically” I would not be covered by malpractice
insurance if I traveled with a team to Arizona and provided care to members
of that team only.
This is an issue that should concern every chiropractor and chiropractic group
involved in care of athletes.
For your information, I will share a list, created by Dr. Rick Rinzler, that
defines the status of courtesy reciprocity in the United States.
I have not included all the parameters for each state, but Dr. Rinzler did an
excellent job of compiling the information. I would encourage every chiropractor
and chiropractic organization concerned with “travel to treat” laws
to check the current status at www.fclb.org for each state and find out what
must be done to provide professional courtesy in the arena of sports.
Let us know if there are changes in this list, and if you need more information
regarding national organizations concerned about this issue, respond by e-mail
to jdownes@life.edu.
About the author: John W. Downes, D.C., a 1986 Life College graduate, has been
working with competitive athletes since 1991 and serves as director of Life
University’s sports chiropractic department. Inquiries may be directed
to him at Life University, 1269 Barclay Circle, Marietta, GA 30060.
Travel To Treat—Yes
or No A State by State Profile
NO States
YES, BUT MEAN NO States
YES, MAYBE States
YES, PROBABLY States
UNKNOWN STATUS States
© Copyright 2002 Today's Chiropractic