Kansas Chiropractors – What to Watch Out For

You may be an upstanding citizen, treat your patients with the utmost care, ensure you are not practicing beyond the scope of your authority, and provide affordable services to your patients.  However, it takes just one complaint with the Kansas Board of Healing Arts to put your reputation and chiropractic license at risk.  Chiropractors are required to comply with the same rules as medical doctors and other healthcare professionals regarding billing practices, candor to patients, and other ethical matters.  But, there is one very important distinction that chiropractors must be aware of.  Chiropractors cannot represent themselves to their patients as “physicians” in the state of Kansas.

Many chiropractors may not describe themselves as physicians or even use the word “physician” when treating patients.  However, patients may believe that because their chiropractor provides general advice on diet, exercise and what may reduce high blood pressure, that their chiropractor must be their physician.  Chiropractors are aware that they cannot recommend that a patient take one medication or another, but chiropractors can suggest what types of food are known to reduce high blood pressure or what exercises may help with back pain.  Chiropractors may recommend certain herbal supplements that are known to help with certain ailments, but cannot tell patients to take those herbal supplements in place of prescription medication that has been prescribed by a physician.

What You Can Do to Protect Yourself as a Chiropractor in Kansas

While some chiropractors may truly believe they are a type of physician, as many people do, in the state of Kansas, referring to yourself as a physician may very well lead to you professional license being stripped away.  Thus, chiropractors must be very careful with how they communicate their role to patients.  Perhaps making it very clear in writing to patients that you are not a physician under Kansas law will get the message to patients.  But even then, some patients don’t always read what is put in front of them.  It may be necessary to put a sign up in big, bold letters that says you are a chiropractor and cannot be termed a physician in the state of Kansas.  Whatever the method may be, the message must be loud and clear to patients so that any complaint a patient may file with the Kansas Board of Healing Arts will be lacking in proof.

It is unfortunate that chiropractors have to watch every move they make and be worried that anything they say or do may be misinterpreted by a patient, but that is simply necessary to ensure chiropractors will not lose their license for one mishap that really isn’t misconduct.  If you have questions about what conduct may be questionable and how to better communicate with your patients in the best way to minimize the risk of facing complaints, you should speak with a professional malpractice defense attorney.

Contact the Sanger Law Office Today to Schedule Your Free Consultation

Facing disciplinary action is certainly stressful, and the thought of losing your chiropractic license in Kansas over something that you did not even know was wrong is scary.  If a complaint has been filed against you for allegedly representing yourself to your patients as a physician, you need to speak with a professional license defense attorney as soon as possible.  Danielle Sanger of the Sanger Law Office has the experience and drive necessary to defend you in a disciplinary proceeding.  Having been the Assistant Attorney General of Kansas, Danielle Sanger has the capacity to apply her knowledge from a prosecutorial frame of mind, and this enables her to better assist her clients in their fight to retain their professional licenses.  To schedule your free consultation, call the Sanger Law Office today at 785-979-4353.

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