FCER Executive Director Stephen Seater, CAE, pledged that the funds would be dedicated to relevant studies that would be of direct value to the chiropractic practitioner. "We're not interested in discovering what the instant axis of rotation is or any other nice to know kind of trivia," said Mr. Seater. "Instead we plan to fund more clinical trials, practice-based studies, patient satisfaction surveys, and practice pattern studies. These and similar research projects are what legislators, policy makers and third-party payers care about."
"This grant is a challenge to other organizations that serve the chiropractic profession," said Dr. Cianciulli. "When you consider that in 1992 alone, the allopaths received $146 million in grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and $16 million from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation -- just two of the dozens of foundations that support medical research -- you can see that we have a long way to go. A million dollars is a good start, but we're fighting for survival in the managed care arena and we don't have much time."
Dr. McClelland thanked NCMIC on behalf of the Foundation. "We are extremely proud that the board of trustees of NCMIC has the confidence that FCER will see that these dollars, precious to the chiropractic profession, will be optimally utilized. This grant will have a significant impact on the continued development of outcomes research and scientific data that is essential to chiropractic and the public that we serve."
Dr. Cianciulli added: "This is a unique way to serve our profession, to provide insurance protection, and at the same time, be part of developing research that will help doctors serve more people better."
NCMIC, established 46 years ago, is the largest chiropractic malpractice insurer. FCER is currently celebrating its 50th year of leadership in the advancement of chiropractic research and education.
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