Published Treatment Guidelines

What is the ICS stance on published guidelines for frequency and duration of treatment, such as the “Official Disability Guidelines” (ODG)?

Although the Illinois Chiropractic Society understands the need for various guidelines as one factor determining frequency and duration of treatment, physicians are bound by law and professional ethics to evaluate each case on its unique facts.  Therefore, the ICS believes physicians must do what is in the best interests of each patient and that proper treatment of a patient should not be hindered or determined based solely on published guidelines.  In fact, ODG specifically addresses the use of its own “guidelines” in the following statement found in several sections including the copyright section:

“These publications are guidelines, not inflexible proscriptions, and they should not be used as sole evidence for an absolute standard of care. Guidelines can assist clinicians in making decisions for specific conditions and also help payors make reimbursement determinations, but they cannot take into account the uniqueness of each patient’s clinical circumstances.” 

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Chiropractic Physicians should use their education, training, clinical expertise, the individual patient diagnosis, and determinations, along with a wide variety of research and guidelines when determining the proper treatment for their patients.