The practice of chiropractic is both a profession and business. Physicians must strive to provide the best possible patient care, which is increasingly difficult in today’s economic climate where payers want more care for less pay. The state expects practicing physicians to maintain steadfast professional, ethical and moral standards, over and above all other considerations, including fees. Regardless, despite the financial challenges, most doctors are driven by a true desire to help their patients. A physician license entrusts the holder with the most valuable commodity of all: the health and welfare of another individual. For that reason, the Medical Practice Act and Rules contain a number of provisions ensuring that licensees place their patients’ well-being as the highest priority.
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) enforces the law and rules that address professional standards. These provisions are crafted in general categories because the legislature cannot anticipate every possible infraction. In most cases, the regulations do not spell out specific illegal acts, but instead, describe conclusions that the physician has failed to meet standards for particular reasons. Thus, in cases where a breach of professional standards is at issue, regulators, and the licensed physician alike must rely on experts to prove whether a particular fact situation amounts to a breach of standards.
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