ARLINGTON, VA - On January 11, 2001, the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) brought together 22 representatives of 15 managed care organizations (MCOs) to meet with its members to discuss issues of mutual concern, and to review an MCO "code of conduct" drafted by the ACA.
This was the first time the ACA held a gathering of national chiropractic network representatives.
ACA speakers included Gary Cuneo (executive vice president); Tom Daly (legal counsel); Patricia Jackson (vice president of professional development and research); and members of the ACA's insurance and managed care committee: DCs John Gentile (chairman), Donald Krippendorf (vice president), and Mario Spoto.
"By working together and keeping the lines of communication open, we can reach our common goal of supporting both the treating practitioner and the patient," commented ACA President Daryl Wills,DC.
Mr. Cuneo, a little less sanguine, added that if the ACA and the MCOs cannot find the means to work together after exhausting all means, a more confrontational approach would be necessary.
Dr. Wills, more conciliatory, added that it was the ACA's hope that this would be the first of many meetings.
Attorney Daly presented the chiropractic networks with a draft of the ACA's "code of conduct" for MCOs. The ACA views the conduct code as a work in progress, and said it would incorporate the suggestions made by the MCO representatives.
The chiropractic MCOs represented at the meeting included: Access Managed Health Care; Alignis; Alternative Medicine, Inc.; American Chiropractic Network, Inc.; American Specialty Health Network; ChiroAlliance Corporation; Complementary Healthcare Plans; Landmark Health Care, Inc.; Managed Physical Network, Inc.; Michigan Chiro/Net Corporation; Prism Health Networks; the Dominion Consulting Group; Triad Health Care, Inc.; and the Collaboration for Healthcare Renewal Foundation.
