Wilk vs. AMA -- a Retrospective
Wilk lead counsel, George McAndrews: "In many ways the victory in the lawsuit was a victory for my dad, for what (the medical profession) did to him and others in chiropractic at that time."
Jerome McAndrews, DC: "It became a victory for chiropractic on all fronts because DCs proved themselves to be viable business people and professionals."
Wilk plaintiff, Michael Pedigo, DC: "Much of what I have achieved has been influence by their contributions."
Nearly 20 years after attorney George McAndrews filed an antitrust suit on behalf of chiropractic plaintiffs Wilk, Pedigo, Bryden, and Arthur against the AMA and a number of related medical societies (Wilk et al. vs. AMA et al.), Palmer West students, faculty, and guests had the opportunity to hear a presentation given at the Santa Clara Convention Center by some participants in that historic, monumental 14-year legal battle.
On hand to give their perspectives on the lawsuit's impact on the chiropractic profession were attorney George McAndrews, Dr. Jerome McAndrews, and Dr. Michael Pedigo.
"In many ways the victory in the lawsuit was a victory for my dad, for what (the medical profession) did to him and others in chiropractic at that time," said attorney George McAndrews. Mr McAndrews, who continues to practice law and is retained as the ACA's general counsel, noted that chiropractors no longer face the acceptance problems they had in the '30s, '40s, and '50s,' but that chiropractic has "an aura of lingering 'weirdness' because we speak our own language ... 'straights,' 'mixers,' or the concept of 'innate intelligence,' or 'above, down, inside, out.'"
Mr. McAndrews told the students they were entering a remarkable profession, the "only health care profession with room for growth." He encouraged the students to contact employers without benefit plans, and to develop their own managed care networks.
Jerome McAndrews, DC, president of PCC for eight years who helped establish Palmer West in 1980, is the vice president for professional affairs for the ACA. His leadership role in chiropractic education and professional associations contributed to the chiropractic's victory in the case. He told the gathering that the AMA's discrediting of chiropractic was motivated more by potential economic loss than by their questioning of chiropractic efficacy. "(The AMA) interfered with the free flow of goods and services (involved with chiropractic) across state lines," he said. "It became a victory for chiropractic on all fronts because DCs proved themselves to be viable business people and professionals."
Dr. McAndrews, in referring to his brother, attorney George McAndrews, said: "I love my brother, especially for what he did for the profession. He took on Goliath, and won." Dr. McAndrews, whose immediate and extended family includes 26 DCs, encouraged students to build professional bridges and become more integrated with traditional medicine, or "lose these potential patients to the physiatrist, physical therapist, and other professionals who work more cooperatively with MDs."
Dr. McAndrews also emphasized the growth opportunities for chiropractic, and the need to capitalize on the research that is demonstrating the efficacy and cost effectiveness of chiropractic.
Dr. Pedigo, the only Wilk plaintiff to speak at the assembly, said he was honored to take part in the program at Palmer West.
Dr. Pedigo is well acquainted with honors, having been named "Doctor of the Year" by the ACA, CCA, and ICA. Dr. Pedigo is the president of the California Chiropractic Assoc., and a clinician in private practice the past 25 years.
"I had to close my office, and I wouldn't do it for just anyone," Dr. Pedigo commented wryly, referring to the McAndrews brothers. He applauded their contributions to the profession, and added: "Much of what I have achieved has been influence by their contributions."
Twenty-six students from Cleveland Chiropractic College of Los Angeles (CCCLA) will be listed in the 1996 edition of Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. The students join an elite group of students from more than 1,800 institutions of higher learning in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and several foreign nations.
The honored students are: Jeanne Ames; Amy Andrews; Romel Axibal; Jamie Bassel; John Bergman; Larita Blackwell-Gibson; Chris Erickson; Martha Garcia; Tracy Guthrie; Lisa Hannifin; Barry Hatch; Keith Henry; Joonhan Kang; Drorit Kernes; Sharon Latter; Carlos Pacini; Lauren Papa; Roberta Rendon; Anthony Riello; Jennifer Righi; Yariv Rothman; David Shapiro; Sean Thompson; Sharaine Thompson; Danielle Tompkins; and D'Anira Wiseman.
Many relevant diagnostic signs are not performed deliberately by the examiner or by the patient at the examiner’s direction. They are observed as the patient reacts to their condition. Fortin’s finger sign, Minor’s sign, and Vanzetti’s sign are three examples of this principle.
On Feb. 1, 2024, two more legislators – John R. Carter (R-Texas) and Robert “Bob” Good (R-Va.) – co-sponsored the Chiropractic Medicare Coverage Modernization Act of 2023, bringing the co-sponsor total to 155, two more than the total achieved over the entire two-year congressional cycle in which identical legislation last appeared (2021-22).
While working at the Lovelace Medical Center in Albuquerque, N.M., one of the primary care physicians stated that imaging every patient prior to receiving chiropractic was not medically necessary. It was at that point I reconsidered the need for the imaging of every patient to avoid malpractice.
