IN Chiro Juris cheat sheet

Chiropractic practice in Indiana is governed by IC 25-10 (the chiropractic article) and by administrative rules at 864 IAC 1.0, which the Indiana Board of Chiropractic Examiners administers through the Professional Licensing Agency.

The board consists of five members appointed by the governor; four must be licensed chiropractors and one is a lay (consumer) member, and members serve staggered terms.

Licensure requires graduation from a chiropractic college accredited by the Council on Chiropractic Education (or equivalent approval), passage of the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners examinations, and a jurisprudence examination.

Applications are filed with the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency; the board reviews credentials, and the license is issued by the agency after board approval.

A license must be renewed biennially; renewal requires attestation of continuing education completion, and practicing on a lapsed license is a violation subject to discipline.

Grounds for discipline under IC 25-10 include fraud in obtaining a license, incompetence, gross negligence, conviction of a crime involving moral turpitude, and practice beyond the lawful scope.

The board may impose sanctions including reprimand, probation, suspension, revocation, and civil penalties; the agency's administrative law judges conduct hearings with board review.

Unlicensed practice is prohibited; a chiropractor may not delegate diagnosis or treatment decisions to unlicensed personnel, and licensees must report certain adverse actions to the agency.

Indiana defines chiropractic as the diagnosis and treatment of human ailments by adjustment, manipulation, and other procedures incident to the practice of chiropractic, with the spine and articulations as the primary focus.

Permitted modalities include spinal and extremity adjustment/manipulation, physiotherapy adjuncts such as heat, cold, ultrasound, electrical stimulation, traction, and therapeutic exercise.

Chiropractors may use diagnostic procedures including history, physical examination, and imaging (X-ray); ordering of advanced imaging and clinical laboratory testing is permitted where authorized by board rule.

Chiropractors may not perform surgery, prescribe or administer legend drugs or controlled substances, or perform invasive procedures outside the statutory scope.

Nutritional and dietary counseling and the dispensing of nutritional supplements are permitted; injectable substances are outside the scope.

A chiropractor may not hold out as a medical doctor or use the title M.D.; the title 'chiropractor' or 'D.C.' is reserved to licensees.

Referral to another licensed provider is required when a condition is outside the chiropractic scope or fails to respond to reasonable care.

Scope questions are resolved by the board through declaratory rulings; a chiropractor who performs an act outside the statutory definition is subject to discipline for exceeding scope.

The Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (PLA) provides staff support and administers licensing for the Board of Chiropractic Examiners; board meetings and hearings are noticed publicly.

Renewal is biennial (license cycles run on a two-year schedule set by the agency); renewal notices are sent to the address of record, and the licensee is responsible for keeping that address current.

Continuing education is required for renewal, with the specific hour total and category requirements (including board-approved topics) set by board rule; records must be retained and produced on audit.

Failure to complete CE results in a renewal deficiency, which may lead to a citation, fine, or license suspension until the deficiency is cured.

Disciplinary proceedings begin with a complaint or agency investigation; the licensee receives notice and an opportunity for a hearing before an administrative law judge.

The licensee may be represented by counsel, present evidence, and cross-examine witnesses; proposed findings are reviewed by the board, which issues the final order subject to judicial review.

Sanctions include reprimand, censure, probation with conditions, suspension, revocation, and civil penalties; the agency may seek summary suspension where the public is at imminent risk.

Licensees must self-report arrests, convictions, and disciplinary actions taken by other jurisdictions within the time required by law, and failure to report is itself a disciplinary ground.

Informed consent must be obtained before treatment; it requires disclosure of the diagnosis, the nature and purpose of the proposed care, material risks and alternatives, and the consequences of declining care.

Patient records must be legible, contemporaneous, and sufficient to allow another provider to understand the care; entries should include history, examination findings, diagnosis, treatment rendered, and response.

Records are confidential; release requires patient authorization or a legal exception such as a court order, subpoena with proper notice, or mandatory reporting.

Retain records for the period required by state law and board rule; on closure of practice, patients must be notified and records made available or transferred as permitted.

Advertising must be truthful and not misleading; chiropractors may not guarantee cures, use sensational claims, or imply superiority through unverifiable comparisons.

Testimonials and before/after claims require caution: outcomes must not be presented as typical, and advertising may not misrepresent credentials, training, or specialty board status.

Fee splitting with unlicensed persons for patient referrals and paying for referrals violate professional ethics rules and are disciplinary grounds.

Patient abandonment occurs when care is terminated without notice, reasonable opportunity to arrange alternate care, or referral; proper termination requires written notice and records access.

Board meetings and disciplinary hearings are subject to Indiana's Open Door Law; final orders are public records published by the agency.

A chiropractor licensed in another state may obtain an Indiana license by credential review; the board evaluates equivalency of education, examination, and licensure history.

Temporary or limited permits may be issued by the agency pending full licensure, but practice is limited to the terms of the permit.

The board may issue advisory opinions and declaratory rulings interpreting the chiropractic statute and rules.

Chiropractors may provide school, sports, and employment-related physical examinations and certify findings within the chiropractic scope.

Use of the term 'physiotherapy' by a chiropractor is limited to adjunctive modalities within chiropractic training and does not authorize independent physical therapy practice.

Spinal manipulation under anesthesia or manipulation requiring deep sedation is outside the Indiana chiropractic scope.

Chiropractors may not perform acupuncture unless separately licensed or certified under the applicable Indiana credential.

Complaints may be filed by patients, other licensees, or the agency; the attorney general's office often prosecutes disciplinary cases before the board.

A licensee may enter into a settlement agreement or consent order with the agency, which becomes a public disciplinary record.

Reinstatement after revocation requires petition to the board and proof of rehabilitation and fitness to practice.

Continuing education audits are conducted by the agency; falsifying CE certificates is a separate violation subject to discipline.

A chiropractor must maintain professional boundaries; sexual contact with a current patient is prohibited and is a disciplinary ground.

Billing must reflect services actually rendered; upcoding, unbundling, and billing for services not performed are fraudulent and subject to discipline.

Patient photographs and imaging are part of the record and require the same confidentiality protections.

Advertising through social media is subject to the same truthfulness rules as print and broadcast advertising.