Exploring the Future of Chiropractic with ICA President Dr. Joe Betz

In this episode of the ICA ChiroCast, host Dr. Brant Hulsebus sits down with ICA President Dr. Joe Betz for a deep dive into the future of chiropractic and the major initiatives currently shaping the profession.

Dr. Betz pulls back the curtain on what the International Chiropractors Association is working on every single day—from Medicare legislation to international advocacy, from diplomate programs to research priorities, and the exciting development of the new Council on Animal Chiropractic.

They also discuss the ICA’s centennial milestone coming next year and why now is the most critical moment in decades for chiropractors to unite, engage, and support the ICA’s mission.

Key Topics Covered:

• The ICA’s expanding legislative and regulatory work
• Medicare reform and the upcoming ICA-backed bill
• International chiropractic issues and global advocacy
• ICA councils, diplomate programs, and educational initiatives
• Research priorities through the FACTS foundation
• The new ICA Council on Animal Chiropractic
• The ICA’s 100-year anniversary in Washington, D.C.
• Why membership matters now more than ever
• How Knowewell strengthens ICA communications and community

Whether you're a long-time ICA member or someone looking to understand what the ICA does for the profession, this episode delivers straight answers and big-picture clarity.

👉 Learn more or join the ICA: https://www.chiropractic.org

👉 Access ICA community updates on Knowewell: https://www.knowewell.com

If you enjoy this episode, please follow the ChiroCast, leave a review, and share it with your colleagues. More leadership conversations are coming soon.

Transcript

0:14

hi everybody, and welcome to another edition of the ICA Chiro Cast. I'm Brant Hulsebus, and we're recording this to bring to our membership what's going on with the ICA, with our leadership, our direction, and other areas that we're getting involved in. And since we're talking about those areas, what a better guest to have than our president, Dr. Joe Betz welcome. Hey, thank you, Brant. It's good to be here. Why don't you tell us a little bit about where you practice and where you're located. Yeah, I, I practice in Boise, Idaho. I've been here for 24 years now. In practice I have a several clinics and, a handful of associate doctors. And so I've, I've been practicing predominantly chiropractic biophysics technique and so I've been doing that for, for a long time. And graduated from Life University right prior to that. And so I'm a proud Life alum. What brought you into chiropractic? I don't think you've ever told me that. Yeah. You know, it's funny, I don't, I don't have one of those wow moments. It was something where I was in undergraduate and I was studying biology and I knew I was gonna go into. To either healthcare sciences or work as a researcher. because I was always interested in, in research and I went, after I graduated, I actually did medical research for, for a year or maybe two years at the University of Pittsburgh the, through the School of Medicine. And I was working in a. 20 foot by 20 foot lab with no windows, 100% by myself, 12 hours a day. And it was not for, not for me. And so that's when I quickly learned, okay, research maybe isn't the thing I'm gonna do, at least not lab-based research. And so I, I started looking more back into the healthcare disciplines and I had a really good friend that went down to Life University and, and I went down and visited him with. My girlfriend at the time, who's now my wife, and we, we loved Atlanta. The, the energy on Life's campus was amazing. And you know, just talking to him about the philosophy of, of chiropractic was something I, I really hadn't heard before. And so yeah, I, I, decided to go to life. That's kind of my story. That was so, it's that simple. I didn't have one of those miracle things. And like you, I know you came from a big chiropractic family. I wasn't one of those guys either. So. So everything just kinda clicked. That's awesome. So talk to us a little bit about the ICA. The ICA is got a lot of things going on right now, a lot of things going in different directions. I see a lot of growth. What are some of the areas that you're seeing right now in the ICA? That's pretty exciting. Man, you know, it's, it's funny because I, I always tell this story, you don't realize how much is getting done until you. You know, kind of get more and more involved, which is our problem with communication. I think our, our members and the chiropractic profession at large needs to understand more about what we do every day. And when I was, you know, when I graduated, I, I came out to well, first I did an internship with, with Dr. Deed Harrison. And then I, I came out to Boise six months later, and I. two years, I became the representative assembly person for the ICA. So then I started to learn a little bit more, you know, about what the ICA does. because I was on the RA and and then I, you know, was on the RA for a few years. And then I, I got elected into the, into the board, and then I started to learn more. As like a new board member and, and then, you know, I spent years on the board and then I became an executive community member and learned even more like about what ICA was doing. And even from the shift from vice president to president, I started to learn. You know, the true extent of how much work is being done every day. People don't realize the, the amount of the volume of, of contacts we have questions we get from the public and from regulators and, and so forth that we're just al always fielding. So we're constantly engaging with. government officials helping states are reaching out. We had Utah reaching out within the last few days about some issues they're having with some new Supreme Court decisions that are gonna affect the profession. And so we're, we're always working on these things and, and people don't hear about them a whole lot or know how much time goes into it. But it's, it's quite extensive. I mean, right now, probably one of the biggest things we're focusing on and working on is Medicare legislation. And I think most people have. I've heard and are aware that there is a the a CA has a current Medicare bill. ICA has been working on a bill and, and that bill is, you know, we're being. Kind of working on it to get it to drop here soon into the legislature so that it can, we can start opening some more discussion on it and the contents of it and everything. So that's a big arduous process. There's a lot of research that goes into it. You have to deal with legislative council and back and forth with, with editing. And you really have to look for unintended consequences of your language that you may not be thinking of. So there's a lot that goes into that. And that's something that we've been working on over the years, I'd say for the last probably eight years. And it's, it's, I think it's. Bound to make some major traction here. Obviously this session's almost over as I look at my calendar but we're gonna be maybe seeing it happen this, this session where it gets introduced. But obviously with the calendar, I'm not, I'm not too confident anything's gonna actually take place till next year. And so that's one of the big things we're, we're constantly working on. You know, the, the help we. Render to our doctors around the world. People don't hear about either. You know, we're, we're involved in different countries with, with legislation. People have to realize the, the rest of the world's, like the wild west of chiropractic. There's a lack of legislation and, and chiropractic, you know, we think we have problems here with, with. and, and having some influence in government. In other countries, they don't even know what chiropractic is and so they have major, major problems. And so we're, we're fielding requests from doctors around the world quite often. There's a couple different countries that, that I won't. Talk about specifically, but that we're, we're trying to help right now in different ways. So we're always, always working on things. And of course, the ICA is well known for all their educational councils. Like you guys doing the Okay. with the sports council. These are are massive programs. We have the diplomat programs for upper cervical in place and the diplomat program for, for pediatrics and philosophy in place. These are massive programs and, and ICA is kind of at the center of organizing all that activity. It takes a lot of work putting on a seminar and they're putting on, you know, 10, 15 of them a year. And so when you add it all up, that's a massive load of work that the ICA does just to help with education, education, postgraduate education. So those are some of the big things that we're constantly working on. One of the things I just got back from Boston where I went to Chiro Congress and the one thing I kept getting stopped and asked about by people said, because I had my ICA button on and I kept getting asked about this whole thing with animals in chiropractic. Yeah, that's something that the board just this year approved the creation of the Council on Animal Chiropractic, and they're in the of. Developing a curriculum for a diplomate program. So we're really excited about that. I think animal chiropractics, the, it's kind of the last, you know, wild frontier in the United States as far as practice goes, and the scopes of practice in the states are still being shaped and rewritten right now that's happening around the country. And so we're, we're involved in trying to assist in that where we can as well. But the animal chiropractic world is certainly a developing area. Of chiropractic and we're really excited to, to work with the folks who are so involved and, and work so hard in that area to help, you know, kind of further, further along that profe that part of the profession. That'll be awesome to have some regulation there. because I know that people ask me to adjust their dogs all the time and I tell 'em, I don't know the way the dogs facet joints light up. I have no idea what kinda line of drive or correction to do. So it's gonna be really awesome to have, leadership from the ICA step up and create a real program so we can make sure that our pets and animals see the correct chiropractor. I think that's a really cool way to, it's a big step in the leadership that's definitely been void. Well, let's talk a little something about that's up your avenue your area of focus and, and one of your patients I believe is, is in chiropractic Yeah. now, has the ICA been up to any neat research in chiropractic lately? You know, IICA specifically is, you know, we we're probably more monitoring the research than conducting it ourselves. We are, we're so busy doing all the other stuff. We do have a nonprofit research foundation that'll some people aren't aware of the foundation for the advancement of chiropractic tenants and science or"facts", F-A-C-T-S, and, and facts has been around for a really long time. You know, it's funny, I was. And I couldn't find, I was trying to find it, re refind it recently and I couldn't refin the information I was reading, but facts was one of the first recipients of a federal grant for chiropractic in the profession. So when you hear about, you know, the very, very early research into chiropractic, some of the stuff that maybe even initiated the implementation of chiropractic into, into Medicare back in the, in the eighties facts and the ICA were intimately involved in that process. And so we've always had our. pulse on research in chiropractic and, and focus in chiropractic res, you know, trying to help along the profession and guide it. And I think that's really where we come into play. We're working on, you know, grant pro procurement so that we can. Help disseminate money into projects that we feel are, are necessary for the profession. Obviously our focus is on, on the, the effects of subluxation and the correction of subluxation and the impact it has on human health and well now animal health too. And so we're, we're interested in, in that area specifically. You know, my, my personal. Opinion is we've, we've done a lot of research on chiropractic's effect for low back pain and neck pain and, and even headaches. I mean, it's not that it's been overdone, there's still a lot of questions to answer with, with, with those areas. And I understand the researchers are still working on those areas. But we just have neglected the effect that chiropractic is having on, on Whole Person Health. And that's something that we have to foster. And from a. ICA point of view, what we would like to try to do is, is shape the future of of. Demand for chiropractic research and the areas where research needs to be done and try to help influence that. And so that's something that, that we're really dedicated to. And we're hoping, you know, maybe from more of a, you know, instead of a fundraising approach from doctors, we're maybe looking more at a, at a top down approach with, you know, grant procurement, government grants and try to shift the, the discussion in chiropractic more back to health and the effects that. Chiropractic adjustments have on health. So that's, that's really what our goals are. I was the president of the ICAI know I, I meet other chiropractors out in the field. I ask 'em if they're a member of the ICA and they always, they tell me, well, I haven't really joined yet. So, as a president of the ICA, when I meet one of those members, what would your message me to them, why this is the best time to join the ICA? I mean, I see the chiropractic is, is, is at a major, you know, crossroads right now. And we, we have a, an opportunity in chiropractic with the current political climate to. Really changed profession like we've never been able to before. Something that would've taken 30 years before could take two years now. And so because we, we have public perception of, of natural healthcare is, is elevating at a, a very fast increasing rate. And so we're seeing this come from the government Department of Health and Human Services with, with Secretary Kennedy. Discussions that they have. You know, it's kind of funny. I watch some of the, the information they put out and I'm like, oh my gosh, this is stuff that I do in my, my new patient class, you know, like my late lectures. This is how I teach people about health and what health really is. And they're actually talking about it at the government. Le the highest government levels. And so we have this opportunity to seize the moment and so we can't be fumbling around arguing with one another about, you know. Terminology or, or, or, or different things at this vital moment, which isn't gonna last forever. You know, we understand that this window is narrow and so we're working extremely hard to take advantage of this time. And that is our, that's our number one focus right now. And we need support in order to be able to do it from members. And so when we go and meet with, with legislators or, or, or with staff from the various departments in the government. We're always going to be discussing our members and that we are rep representative association. And so we have to have members in order to be able to do this work. And and we need political action committee donations in order to be able to do this work as well. And so the profession's at this crossroads, but the, the way I see it is the, the majority of the profession is kind of sitting back and. Just watching. They don't understand that they have to participate and not like they need to go and attend these meetings or anything, but they need to support the people who are and if they're not, then honestly we're gonna miss the window. We're gonna miss the window if people don't start supporting the organizations that are, are doing this. And obviously the ICAI believe is leading the charge. Awesome. And then we have a birthday coming up too. Correct? Yeah, the ICA is, is turning 100 years old in approximately 11 months from now. So we're, we're very, very excited to celebrate our centennial anniversary. And, you know, chiropractic, the ICA was, was founded in in 1926, of course, by, by Dr. BJ Palmer, and it's the, the longest, continuously running representative organization on international level in the world. And so we're very, very proud of that. And ICA'S always been very. Proud of its history. And so we're, we're planning celebrations for that. And we'll be in Washington, DC next October to celebrate that with a 100th year celebration. And we're really looking forward to, you know, being kind of more engaged throughout the profession throughout the next 12 months with the premise of it being our hundredth anniversary. Of course. So. I'm looking forward to that since there's been a Hulsebus there for 75 of those a hundred years. So that's pretty much, that's gonna be a good time. Well as we wrap this up I always give our guests the final word, so do you have any other last messages you'd like to share that I didn't ask you about? you know, I'd say of comes back to the timing of what we have in front of us right now and really, really strongly encouraging. Doctors who are interested in the future of the profession, and I think everybody is interested in the future of and health of the profession that we, we have a limited opportunity in front of us to. Make true major changes for the good of the profession, which ultimately is, is for the good of the health of the citizens in the United States and and around the world. And so we have this limited opportunity to make a massive impact. But we have to have doctors step up and support organizations. That have the infrastructure and history to be able to go make these changes. That, that is just so important for people to understand. This opportunity will never present itself again in our lifetime or maybe in the next 10 lifetimes. We don't know if we'll ever have an opportunity like this again as a profession. And so, you know not supporting the ICA because you're waiting to see what's gonna happen or what they're gonna do, this is not the time to do that. It's not the time to. You know, sit back and, and let your membership ship lapse. It's time to make sure your membership is active. And that's also an important thing right now for, for ICA members people who are ICA members to understand is we did just switch over our software membership software and a lot of the, the automatic payments that were being done on credit cards, those credit cards have to be reentered into this new system. So I've, I've run into a lot of people who think they're ICA members and they're current, and they have been for, for years and years, and they're actually not, they're lapsed because their credit card lapsed and they missed the messages from the home office about getting them updated. And so even if you think you're a member, would encourage you to call the ICA email membership@chiropractic.org and just make sure your membership is currently active and they've got your card on file for the future renewals. A previous podcast episode Dr. Brian Stenzler and I went through Knowewell website and talked, discussed, and talked about it. It, you know it takes a couple minutes to log in to get your stuff in there, but once you're in there, it's, it's really neat website, the way it's set up and organized in a different communities and different areas. I'm a big fan of it, I'm not gonna lie. I definitely think it's worth checking out. So. Yep. Yep. It's great. Well, thank you for your time, Dr. Betz. I appreciate you and and if you're not an ICA member, this is the best time to ever join and become involved in the ICA. There's so much fun, exciting things are going on. Love to see everybody at our a hundred year party celebration. And if you have questions about what the ICA is up to, you can always reach out to the main office. Basic, you can reach out to anybody on the board or any of your RAs. Your RAs are, be more happy to discuss things with you too. So looking forward to seeing everybody in the future. And if you like this, please like and subscribe and we'll keep coming to you with more information on the ICA, its leadership and some of its partners and things that we're up to. Thanks for tuning in.