Pain in the neck: Chiropractors, WorkplaceNL contract dispute gets worse

A contract dispute between Newfoundland and Labrador chiropractors and the provincial workers' compensation authority has injured workers caught in the middle.

The Newfoundland and Labrador Chiropractic Association had been negotiating a contract with WorkplaceNL for two years, but the group says things recently took a turn when members received notice from the authority that it would not be negotiating any more, and that new fees would be set by the board, instead of through a contract.

New fee imposed, not negotiated

WorkplaceNL says negotiations had stalled, so chiropractors will get a fee increase of up to 10 per cent for services and reports effective Nov. 1. The association's CEO, Dr. Darrell Wade, says the problem is chiropractors aren't paid the same as physicians for reports.

"There are two primary-care providers within this system that can certify workplace injury right now, and it's written right on the WorkplaceNL website, and it declares that they're chiropractors and physicians, so for them to say that the reporting requirements are different for chiropractors and physicians is completely false."

But the big issue for chiropractors, says Wade, is not the discrepancy but the new fee being imposed rather than negotiated.

In response, the association has said it won't treat injured workers on a WorkplaceNL claim, which it had been doing despite the lack of contract.

Dennis Hogan, CEO of WorkplaceNL, said patients shouldn't pay out of pocket for treatment.

"We would pay chiropractors for that treatment directly, and under legislation, workers are not able to pay for that directly," he said. "Chiropractors are not able, under the legislation, to charge those individuals if they are injured workers."

Hogan said the authority pays fees well above the national average for services for injured workers, and despite what the association says, reporting requirements for chiropractors are not at the same level as for physicians.

Six chiropractors currently under contract

Hogan also says the authority will help injured workers find a chiropractor still under contract or look for other treatment options.

But Wade notes that of the association's 69 members in the province, just six are still under a Workplace NL contract. He says with about 25,000 chiropractic visits a year, those six simply won't have the capacity to handle patients from all the other members.

Workplace NL estimates there are about 650 active claims for chiropractic services.

Both sides say they're still willing to negotiate. No talks are planned.