Current through April 3, 2024
(1) Any person who
possesses a valid unsuspended and unrevoked license issued by the Board has the
right to use the title licensed chiropractic physician. No other person shall
assume this title on any work, letter, sign, figure, advertisement, or device
to indicate that the person using the same is a licensed chiropractic
physician. The work performed includes offering case management procedures and
recommendations for health care and services to the public.
(2) The scope of practice of a chiropractic
physician shall be as set forth in T.C.A. §
63-4-101 and shall include:
(a) As a portal of entry provider, a
chiropractic physician has authority to make a differential diagnosis that may
include the use of patient history, examination techniques, lab analysis and
analytical instruments for the purpose of determining vital signs and screening
of health status, orthopedic and neurological testing, range of motion and
muscles testing and diagnostic evaluation and/or imaging of the human body that
may be revealed in a state of pathology, as a basis for making clinical
judgments as to the patient's condition, degree or nature of treatment needed
and management and rehabilitation of the human body which is in the opinion of
the provider, appropriate for the restoration and maintenance of
health.
(b) A chiropractic
physician has the authority to perform an adjustment, manipulation or treatment
which may include physical therapeutic interventions to the human frame and/or
soft tissues for the restoration and/or supportive care and/or maintenance of
health.
(c) The chiropractic
physician's responsibility for patient care, case management, and the
protection of the patient includes the authority to make a proper referral to a
particular health specialist for consultation or collaborative care, and also
for treatments, therapeutic procedures, recommendations, recording and
reporting to third-party payers, preparing narratives, giving of depositions
and in-court testimony as an expert witness and determination of impairment
ratings.
(d) The scope of practice
of a chiropractic physician includes such supportive care as nutritional
evaluation, recommendation and supplementation, patient management in their
mental and physical environment, and due regard for patients concerning diet,
hygiene, sanitation and rehabilitation.
(e) The scope of practice of a chiropractic
physician includes the ordering, from a licensed or certified laboratory,
analysis of blood, urine, or other bodily fluids, secretions or excretions, for
the diagnosis and management of the patient.
(f) The Board of Chiropractic Examiners does
not recognize any one document, guideline, textbook, clinical trial or study as
the exclusive endorsement for setting standards of practice.
(3) Spinal manipulation / Spinal
adjustment
(a) Training must be performed in
chiropractic institutions or institutions that specialize in spinal
manipulative therapy. Spinal manipulation is a highly skilled maneuver that
requires adequate training. Four hundred (400) hours of classroom instruction
and eight hundred (800) hours of supervised clinical training are considered a
minimum level of education to properly administer the techniques.
(b) Spinal manipulation must be performed by
hand or with the use of instruments such as Activator, Grostic, Pettibon,
mechanical and/or electromechanical devices.
(c) Manipulation moves the spinal segments
beyond their normal range of motion for the restoration of neurological
integrity, and/or correction of articular dysfunction, but without exceeding
the limits of anatomical integrity.
(d) A differential diagnosis is necessary to
properly establish the indications and contraindications before the
administration of the spinal manipulation/adjustment procedure.
(4) Acupuncture - A licensed
chiropractic physician who practices acupuncture must complete two hundred and
fifty (250) hours of an acupuncture course accredited by an agency or entity
acceptable to the Board and pass the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners
(NBCE) Acupuncture Exam. Prior to engaging in the practice of acupuncture, a
chiropractic physician must:
(a) Request that
an official transcript be sent directly to the Board's Administrative Office
from an accredited acupuncture program demonstrating successful completion of
at least 250 hours training and education; and
(b) Request that official proof be sent
directly to the Board's Administrative Office from the NBCE demonstrating
successful completion of the acupuncture exam.
(c) Upon receipt, the Board office shall
provide a letter to proceed with the practice of acupuncture.
Authority: T.C.A. §§
4-5-202,
4-5-204,
63-4-101, 63-4-102, 63-4-106,
63-4-107, 63-4-108, 63-4-109, 63-4-114, 63-4-120, 63-4-121, 63-4-122, and
63-6-1002.
