Is Your Chiropractor Safe? Accreditor Admits 12% of Chiropractors Are Unqualified
The sole accrediting agency for U.S. chiropractic institutions, the Council on Chiropractic Education, recently admitted to the U.S. Department of Education that thousands of chiropractors were granted degrees from accredited programs that did not meet the minimum requirements for practice; raising patient safety concerns throughout the nation.
Elizabeth, NJ (PRWEB) November 16, 2004 -– The sole accrediting agency for
U.S. chiropractic institutions, the Council on Chiropractic Education, recently
admitted to the U.S. Department of Education that thousands of chiropractors
were granted degrees from accredited programs that did not meet the minimum
requirements for practice; raising patient safety concerns throughout the
nation.
In a vaguely worded open letter dated November 8, 2002, the
agency stated that between 1995 and 2002 its own Board of Directors had been
influenced by outside agencies and that the presidents of an undisclosed number
of chiropractic programs influenced its accreditation decisions. The agency
refused to disclose the exact programs and numbers of students involved, but a
conservative estimate shows that at least 12% of chiropractors practicing in the
U.S.A. are affected.
A complaint submitted to the U.S. Department of
Education by Allen Botnick DC, a 1996 honors graduate from Life University,
documents extensive corruption and abusive practices in the program he attended.
The complaint uncovers an unethical program designed to mislead students into
accepting insurance fraud and that jeopardized patient safety by utilizing false
diagnosis. Dr. Botnick’s complaint included documentation of two students and
one faculty member who died as a result of following the program. Graduates of
this program alone make up 20% of all practicing chiropractors.
The
accreditor initially stonewalled Dr. Botnick’s complaint for eight months but
finally confirmed its accuracy after the U.S. Department of Education found they
were violating requirements for accreditation by not responding. However so far
the accreditor has made no public admission of the problems. Because of the lack
of action by the agency, state boards have failed to remove unqualified
chiropractors from practice. In fact one board, the Georgia Board of
Chiropractic Examiners-comprised mainly of Life University graduates, shelved a
request to investigate the matter.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Allen Botnick
DC
831 Linden Ave, Apt 5D
Elizabeth, NJ 07202
908-345-0856
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2004/11/prweb178574.htm