FORWARD KC - Let's Start With "Why?"
The first annual convention of the Forward Thinking Chiropractic Alliance is taking place at Cleveland University Chiropractic College June 1-3, 2018. For those who don't know what the FTCA "is" or why it should even have an event, I have prepared a primer. After all, we must have, and start with a "why" if we are to go anywhere. So let us proceed.
Why is there a Forward Thinking Chiropractic Alliance?
For years there has been a heavy demand for a group or organization that was aimed towards and focused on the evidence based DC and student. Everywhere you turned, our leaders were often bogged down by slow changing politics and the need to make compromises. There has simply been too much political and financial pressure to stand up and proclaim that anything less than unethical, patient centered, and evidence informed chiropractic would be accepted.
Seeing this demand, the FTCA was formed as an exclusive group. Simply speaking, if you were an evidence based chiropractor, and questioned the status quo of doctor centered care that permeates the profession (especially on social media), you were often shouted down, ridiculed, threatened, immediately removed and blocked from social media groups. Your voice was silenced in social media spheres, with no place to rationally discuss progressive chiropractic. So the FTCA was formed.
Why FORWARD KC?
After a few years of the FTCA forming a direction and a head of steam, eventually members wanted to do SOMETHING. Is the FTCA a political group? Should we form a PAC? No, we didn't feel that was our mission. But we feel that mission is very important and look to support it fully, and support the major players in the political arena who support evidence based practice.
Is it a watchdog group, designed to take down quacks and fraudsters? Not entirely, particularly because that undertaking has very specific challenges that are hard to overcome in order to make it a successful endeavor. We do feel it is important, through public education and even ridicule, to point out the less desirable members of our profession, for the sake and safety of of the public, and of students who are often prey to their products.
As we have gone back and forth over the years, deciding what FTCA is and isn't, certain people have emerged from the fold to show themselves as leaders. FTCA isn't particularly any one "thing", it is an idea. And the idea is that each individual doctor, and the profession as a whole, should look towards the future, and not to the past, if they are to make chiropractic the profession the world truly needs.
So my idea was to promote that through education, and fellowship. To have us all meet in one spot, and to listen to the leaders of this movement who are paving the way for a bright chiropractic future. We're doing this to start the conversation. To place our stake in the sand and say here we are, and this is what we stand for. We want to carve out our niche in the chiropractic marketplace, and let the vendors, the money, know where when and what we are willing to spend our money on. This is the first step in letting the world know that a clearly defined group of evidence based chiropractors exists, and here we are.
Then we'll see what happens after that.
Why Cleveland Chiropractic College?
Admittedly, not a bastion of evidence based chiropractic. There is a simple answer: There is a hungry student base there, and they MADE it happen. The campus has been exceedingly supportive of the idea. And tremendously supportive of their students and the energy the students have put into the event. It is a great facility, a great town, and its in the middle of the USA, easy for travel.
Why these speakers?
Why Leonard Faye DC?
Dr. Faye is beloved across the profession. He is a legend. He was chosen because he has an understanding of the adjustment and its effects that few readily grasp. He also brings us back to a root idea that many young chiropractors seem to be losing generation by generation: the adjustment is a valuable tool, and being a good adjuster matters. It matters a lot. Dr. Faye WANTS to provide a presentation that reverberates throughout the profession, a magnum opus. We are providing the stage.
Why Jeffrey Langmaid DC? Has there been any doctor of recent memory that could communicate the importance, and more importantly the how to of marketing medical professionals better? One thing I wanted to be evident with our event, even though it is "evidence based" I wanted to be clear in saying that marketing, ethical marketing is an essential part of our practice. And being able to speak in a powerful manner with medical professionals is essential for bridging that gap.
Why Brandie Nemchenko DC? Brandie brings an idea to the seminar that needs to be exemplified... Hard freaking work. She is a successful chiropractor who has put in the work to do so. I wanted someone here to tell people that it isn't always easy, it isn't always glamorous, but even though it can be hard, it can also be the most rewarding life possible. Also, as Brandie and I have talked about quite often, there is a lack of female leadership in a profession that would thrive with a strong female presence. Honestly, there are MANY great evidence based female DCs out there, but she is the only one who stepped up and volunteered to speak right out of the gates. We need her to show young female DCs and students what is possible with the right focus and grit.
Why Gregg Friedman DC? Look, no one can do documentation better. Thats it. Gregg brings the knowledge and the party. We are honored to have him in our program. We are lucky.
Why Josh Satterlee DC? I don't know. He slipped in somehow. JUST KIDDING!! Josh has been teaching assessment and rehabilitation his whole career. Josh is proving himself as the expert in bridging the gap from rehab to fitness, on a business level. H's on a mission to make the profession a better place, and to help DCs make more money (they go hand in hand). He's a force to be reckoned with.
Why Jason Hulme DC? Because he is brilliant. Because in the future, if you can't assess, you can't success. And few can do it better. He's professional, and sharp, and will give you what you need, I have no doubts.
Why Cliff Tao DC DACBR? There simply isn't a DACBR in the game teaching field docs better than Cliff Tao. He's even brave enough to go into the strongholds of principled chiropractic to hopefully even teach them the proper ways to utilize and read radiographs. He's the best. Once again, we are honored to have him at our event.
Why Michael Massey DC? Michael knows Medicare inside and out. Nothing scares or confuses DCs more than medicare. Nothing in our practices needs to be improved more than our approach to medicare. An essential patient population that NEEDS our services, we need to do it the right way... walk our walk and talk our talk, and Dr. Massey is going to show us how.
Why Howard Fidler DC? Howie brings passion and experience to the game. Howie has been to the mountain top and has seen success with many great athletes. He's going to share his knowledge involving care of the extremities. Howie is everything, I have a feeling many of you will just want to be around him, something will rub off if you do!
Why Blake E. Kalkstein DC? Because Blake is, as I've named him, a fire breathing dragon. He's unlocked the code of social media marketing, and he wants to show you how too. He gets it. He wins if we all win. We lift each other up in this game. And Blake is a lifter.
Why Kevin Christie DC? Kevin Christie OWNS ethical chiropractic marketing. Owns it. And even he will admit that is essential to have great clinical skills as a DC, they get you nothing if no one knows that you exist or they don't know how to find you.
Why Benjamin Fergus DC? Dr. Fergus has been teaching assessment and rehabilitation across the globe. Making abstract approaches accessible and usable for DCs. He is bright, approachable, intelligent, and will give Drs the tools to succeed.
Why Brandon Steele DC? Brandon doesn't just know research, he knows how to apply it in practice. What good is evidence if it can't be used to help our patients? Dr. Steele is bridging the gaps in big ways, and he's here to help you build those bridges as well. He's also funny. That helps at a seminar.
Why Todd Riddle DC? Todd is a paragon of the rehab arts in the chiropractic profession. Todd also helps DCs bridge the gap, between soft tissue work and motion by way of FAKTR. He also serves as our appointed BBQ expert as we visit Kansas City proper.
Why David Wedemeyer DC? No one, and I mean NO ONE in our profession is as skilled as David in understanding foot biomechanics and orthotic application. David is at the event to show you the value, the application, and the assessment and outcome tools of orthotic implementation in your practice.
Why Greg Rose DC? Whether you know it or not, Dr. Rose is the most transformative figure in evidence based chiropractic. Whether he admits it or not. His understanding of biomechanics and the data sets he has acquired are unparalleled. The scope and meaning of his work span almost all sport. He's a fascinating presenter. He's a stud. He's an enigma. He will blow your mind.
I brought together speakers that i knew would give you CONTENT. Fresh and current content. And not be sales oriented or hold back on you. I didn't choose the same circuit speakers. I chose doers and doctors who are in the trenches. I chose winners.
Why the EXPO TED Talk?
You really have to ask why for a reason to party? The progressive practice expo was created by me as a way to demonstrate and expose the crowd to the many different facets of progressive practice that could not be covered in the original program. Its going to be like a cocktail party, with speakers giving short presentations about the angle of practice or discovery they've made on their own. I wanted this to be a vehicle for anyone, ANYONE to be able to step up to the mic and share something they find important to chiropractic. All attendees are eligible to present. There is an application from available and our final lineup will be announced at the end of March.
Members only party?
Yes, saturday evening there will be an FTCA Website members only party/gala. If you are a member of the FTCA website, you will get an invite. At that event we will make a big announcement about what is next for the FTCA!
Sponsors?
Yes, we will have sponsors and vendors. Many of them know nothing about you evidence based chiros, or that you even exist. They don't know your tastes or preferences. And as such, they dont know sometimes how to make products you LOVE. Imagine telling an EHR software developer what you NEED face to face, vs, hoping someday they'll get it right.
So to answer the question, "why?"... How about this...
Why Not?
Why not come out and join us? This is going to be epic, but its only epic if you're there with us.
http://forwardthinkingchiro.com