Practice Compliance with Massachusetts Laws and Board Rules
This domain tests day-to-day compliance: practicing within the statutory scope, documenting care, obtaining consent, advertising truthfully, renewing the license, completing continuing education, and meeting reporting duties.
Scope and clinical standards
- M.G.L. c. 112, § 89 defines chiropractic; practice must stay within that definition and Board rules.
- Chiropractors may not prescribe controlled substances, perform surgery, or treat conditions outside their training and lawful scope. Refer patients when red flags or non-chiropractic conditions appear.
- Obtain informed consent before treatment and document the discussion of risks, benefits, and alternatives.
Administrative and professional duties
- Renew the license on the Board’s biennial cycle and complete the required continuing education, including any ethics component set by rule.
- Keep accurate, contemporaneous records: history, examination, diagnosis, treatment plan, consent, progress notes, and referrals. Retain records as required by Board rule and statute.
- Advertising must be truthful and not misleading. A “board certified” claim must identify the certifying board; do not guarantee cures or use unsupported superlatives.
- Mandated-reporting duties apply in clinical practice, including suspected child abuse or neglect under c. 119, § 51A and elder abuse.
- Do not delegate chiropractic adjustments or clinical decision-making to unlicensed staff.
Worked example
A chiropractor advertises “FDA-approved spinal decompression that cures disc disease” and a “free exam.” The FDA approval, if any, applies to a device, not to a cure for disc disease; “cures” is an unsupported outcome claim; and the free offer must disclose material terms. The compliant revision states what is performed, avoids guarantees, and substantiates any certification or device claim.
Traps that cost marks
- Treating beyond scope, such as prescribing medication or performing invasive procedures.
- Blank, cloned, or late records that are not marked as late entries.
- Practicing on an expired license or with insufficient continuing education.
- Testimonials or ads implying guaranteed results.
- Failing to report suspected abuse or neglecting infection-control standards.