In July, the chiropractic profession lost one of its best friends. Rob Sherman, former Ohio State Chiropractic Association (OSCA) executive director and legal counsel, passed away peacefully at his home after living with lung cancer for several years.
Many of you may not realize Rob's contributions to the advancement (or perhaps even survival) of chiropractic in the '80s and '90s.
Rob worked tirelessly in the reorganization of the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation (BWC) a decade ago. The BWC, reeling from out-of-control costs, faced a decision to be privatized or shift to a managed care system. Both paths seemed to lead to the elimination of chiropractic services. Rob and a core group of DCs spent countless hours in meetings with other stakeholders and leaders within the BWC to create a hybrid state/private system with chiropractic services intact as an available benefit to injured workers.
Rob also worked tirelessly at the national level, forming the National Association of Chiropractic Attorneys to help the profession face the constant challenges from competing provider groups and the insurance industry. He worked with such chiropractic luminaries as Dr. Louis Sportelli, Dr. John Triano and David Chapman-Smith to author dozens of books and articles about legal, business and ethical aspects of chiropractic practice.
After resigning as executive director of the OSCA in the mid '90s to create his own consulting and executive training company, Rob continued as legal counsel for the OSCA for several years. We are deeply saddened at his passing and know we will never see another friend with the skills, personality and vision of Rob Sherman. God bless you, Rob.
Dr. Ronald J. Farabaugh, past chairman of the CCGPP, been in practice since 1982, and has published on chiropractic guidelines and case management. Recently, he was elected to the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE) as a Councilor-Category 2, representing clinicians. In 2015, he was positioned as the National Physical Medicine Director for Advanced Medical Integration Group, LP. He is also the founder/owner of www.chiroltd.com, an evidence-based, patient-centered, practice-management company dedicated to assisting DCs establish a more evidence-based office and referral mindset.