Doing More and Doing Better, Together.
Doing More and Doing Better, Together.
Interview with Dr. Karlos Boghosian
Dr. Boghosian is the current President of The Federation of Chiropractic licensing boards (FCLB) elected at the 93rd annual congress in May of 2019. He is appointed by Governor Dan Malloy to serve on the Connecticut Chiropractic Board of Examiners and has been serving on that board since 2015. Additionally, Dr. Boghosian serves on the board of Directors of the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE) and is the immediate past Vice-Chair of board of trustees of Sherman College of Chiropractic.
Dr. Karlos Boghosian is the founder and CEO of SoVita Chiropractic Centersa mission driven organization that strives to be America's most patient centered chiropractic institution. SoVita Chiropractic center has multiple locations throughout Connecticut and New Jersey.
Dr. Karlos Boghosian is a 2004 graduate of the University of Bridgeport Chiropractic College in Connecticut.
Dr. Boghosian is a member of the board of trustees of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Hartford and under his guidance SoVita Chiropractic Center is an active and engaged community partner. Dr. Boghosian is a member of St. George Armenian Church in Hartford. Fluent in four languages, Dr. Boghosian is an extraordinary lecturer and has delivered lectures worldwide including Canada and China. He is passionate about helping every woman, man and child achieve their full health potential through natural and life enhancing chiropractic care.
TAC: How has the role of the Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Boards (FCLB) contributed to the evolution of chiropractic across the USA?
FCLB’s mission is one of public protection and support for licensing boards. A by-product of helping member boards ensure the protection of chiropractic patients is the promise of public safety and public trust. That promise underscores chiropractic as a recognized and vital healthcare option.
TAC: How has the Covid-19 Pandemic influenced the various boards across the USA?
The COVID-19 Pandemic has affected every sector of our beloved profession from regulation, education, licensees’ processes, and patients. It demanded an immediate response, widespread alertness, and tactful innovation in a pressing manner. Chiropractic licensing boards have adapted and risen to the challenge by following state guidelines and remaining accountable to their respective jurisdictions’ government. Provisions for continuing education and license renewal deadlines, telehealth regulations, and online C.E. modifications are among the many licensing oversight issues confronting the boards.
TAC: Do you see the opportunity for Chiropractic Assistants to have an emerging role in the future’s conservative health care?
Absolutely. Chiropractic assistants are health care professionals and an essential part of the team. Their commitment to serving patients and supporting chiropractors during the pandemic affirms their crucial role and deserves our applause as they’ve proven themselves healthcare heroes. In the United States currently, twelve regulatory boards have statutory authority over chiropractic assistants. As more jurisdictions consider regulatory oversight, we must ensure C.A.s are appropriately trained to a minimum standard of care, regulatory knowledge, and practical skills to carry out the healthcare decisions of the supervising D.C.
"Beyond quality and effective patient care, I have learned that practice growth can be accelerated when specific business principles and axioms are respected and applied"
TAC: Is there anything they can be doing during the COVID practice to help ensure patient safety?
Guidelines from the CDC and state health authorities are the best direction at this time.
TAC: Should chiropractors expect to have portability across the USA in the future, between states?
Jurisdictional portability is an emerging trend that all healthcare professions are exploring. Various models streamline licensure for practitioners who wish to provide care across state lines - all with a unique set of benefits and concerns. Many boards currently have temporary licensure rules, and we are regularly surveying and discussing opportunities with our member boards. The biggest hurdle - out of many - is determining how to implement it without compromising patient safety. Also, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to the introduction of federal legislation that addresses portability during a declared emergency:
• Equal Access to Care Act (S.3993) - Put forward by Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN)
• The TREAT bill (S.4221) - introduced by U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Roy Blunt (R-MO)
Although these bills differ in significant ways, they are intended to allow licensed health care providers to practice in any U.S. jurisdiction, including providing telehealth services during a public health emergency. The FCLB is monitoring both (S.3993) and (S.4221) for further development.
TAC: Are you currently practicing?
Yes. I have been practicing in Hartford, CT, since graduating from the University of Bridgeport College of Chiropractic in 2004.
TAC: How would you describe your practice and patient population?
Helping our patients realize their full health potential through chiropractic care and spreading wisdom about living healthy lives is the best way to describe my practice. We appreciate and celebrate knowledge and vitality - two core elements in our brand name, SoVita (which comes from the Greek root “Sophos” for wisdom/ knowledge and the Latin root “Vita” for life/vitality). These core elements and a system-based practice model have resulted in a nurturing, educational, and family-oriented clinic environment in multiple SoVita locations. Our doctors care for patients ranging from newborns to the elderly. In our clinics, patients seek chiropractic care not just to relieve symptoms, but also to improve function, whether they are athletes, expectant mothers, or corporate executives.
TAC: How do you see chiropractors thriving without being dependent on the insurance-driven model?
A dedication to quality patient care, exceptional clinical skills, and personalized care recommendations focused on patient goals in an inclusive environment are the cornerstones of any successful and compliant practice.
Beyond quality and effective patient care, I have learned that practice growth can be accelerated when specific business principles and axioms are respected and applied. It is those same principles that not only benefit the patients, but the doctors, team members, and of course, the chiropractic profession as a whole— ultimately ensuring outstanding patient care results from leveraging doctors’ clinical skills while also focusing on operational efficiencies and streamlined processes. These are some of the crucial elements that could create clinic environments where patients realize the value of chiropractic care and choose direct payment options.
TAC: What are some of the recent accomplishments of the FCLB that you would like to highlight?
As our nation was confronted with COVID-19, the FCLB’s forward-thinking decisions led us to actions aimed at maintaining our image of confidence while providing much-needed support to our member boards, their licensees, the profession at large, and the public they serve.
When COVID-19 gripped the nation, we took an immediate and timely stance to affirm Doctors of Chiropractic as essential healthcare providers. Taking immediate action, the FCLB contacted many governors and state officials to assert the importance of access to chiropractic care - not just for existing and acute patients, but also for relieving the growing burden on emergency departments at this critical time. Following FCLB’s advocacy efforts, multiple states re-evaluated their chiropractic facilities’ position, ensuring that chiropractic care remained accessible to patients. The FCLB website was transformed into an all-inclusive COVID-19 resource center with updated links and information readily available to member boards and licensees.
On March 28, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security CISA formally identified chiropractors as essential care providers. While this was a significant step forward, serving patients and ensuring license renewals for chiropractors amidst a global pandemic revealed an entirely new set of challenges.
"We are now proactively sharing actions with all of our member boards so that they can make informed decisions about licensure without waiting for predatory behavior to be discovered in their jurisdiction".
To ease the minds of patients and support the state boards’ efforts to help chiropractors’ communicate with patients, the FCLB created further resources for use by boards and chiropractic professionals. These resources included detailed steps for state boards and chiropractors to understand their specific state requirements, restrictions, and advice when re-opening clinics or serving patients.
We encouraged member state boards by advocating for licensing extensions and bolstering the FCLB’s Providers of Approved Continuing Education (PACE) program to encourage more online continuing education credit completion versus in-person classes and seminars. Each state board dictates the level of distance learning they will allow, with some states not adopting online learning at all. In these cases, FCLB encourages distance learning, and accommodations were made to the PACE program.
Despite the global pandemic, our signature Providers of Approved Continuing Education (PACE) program observed a record-breaking year since its inception, with course attendance more than doubling from the same time last year. PACE is designed to instill confidence in course quality through oversight from chiropractic education and regulatory review experts. PACE provides reliable and scientifically sound educational updates, helps chiropractors remain current on licensing and new, practical clinical protocols, and helps practitioners avoid isolation through peer-related educational activities. The updated and effortless system to search the course database helps doctors with multiple licenses get C.E. approved in numerous jurisdictions.
In June 2020, the Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Boards’ response to the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic was published in JMPT. The descriptive report was published in conjunction with The Council on Chiropractic Education, the Association of Chiropractic Colleges, the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners, and the National Chiropractic Mutual Insurance Company.
Additionally, we updated the CIN-BAD system, which tracks board actions across jurisdictions. We are now proactively sharing actions with all of our member boards so that they can make informed decisions about licensure without waiting for predatory behavior to be discovered in their jurisdiction.
FCLB’s certified chiropractic clinical assistant (CCCA) program has seen an enormous increase in applicant diversity across all jurisdictions and beyond the twelve states that currently have mandates in place. CCCA graduates have increased to thirty-one states across the country.
Our delegate body has adopted eight resolutions in the past decade, each addressing significant issues. In 2017 “The chiropractic pediatric practice” resolution was adopted, affirming the Doctor of Chiropractic is trained to evaluate patients of all ages, and chiropractic care is safe for infants and children. In 2019 “Action steps to combat the opioid prescription drug epidemic” resolution was adopted.
“Importance of radiographic imaging in chiropractic care” and “Nervous system as a necessary inclusion in chiropractic practice” are other resolutions that have been submitted for adoption and will be considered by the delegate body at our 2021 annual congress.
TAC: Any other words for our readers?
The chiropractic profession has risen to face an enormous challenge in recent months. The presence of greatness in every aspect of our profession is inspiring. Our shared passion and purpose, our commitment to service, and our belief in our work’s justness binds us together and gives us the strength to preserve.
Chiropractic is a story of opportunity, where we deliver consistent value and a unique style of drug-free-natural healthcare. We create healthy communities, reduce healthcare costs, are part of the solution to the opioid crisis, create jobs, and pay taxes. It’s impossible to match the billions of dollars that other industries spend to promote their projects, but we can match them with our voices and actions. Chiropractic influences the U.S. healthcare industry as well as the U.S. economy. Chiropractic should be growing at a quicker rate, much faster than it’s been in the past 125 years. Now we can blame the outside world or take a good look at our actions. Let’s make promoting chiropractic, committing to clinical research, and protecting the public the profession’s top priority.
You may contact Dr. Boghosian [email protected]
