The Joint Commission has revised its pain management standard to include chiropractic services.

Clinical experts in pain management who provide input to the Commission’s standards affirmed that treatment strategies may consider both pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic approaches. Services provided by doctors of chiropractic(who were recognized in 2009 as “physicians” by the Commission) and acupuncture are now included in the standard of care for pain management, effective January 1, 2015.

The new standard also advises organizations, when considering the use of medications to treat pain, to weigh both the benefits to the patient, as well as the potential risks of dependency, addiction and abuse of opioids.

The change should enable the chiropractic profession to help more patients who might not previously have been informed of non-drug approaches to pain management by their health care system or doctor.

The Joint Commission, an independent non-profit organization, accredits and certifies more than 20,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States, including every major hospital. For more information, read the article here. To learn more about the Joint Commission, visit their website.