February 3, 2001 Dear fellow Chiropractor, Many of you know me, many of you do not. My name is Dr. Rod Justice and I'm a chiropractor practicing in Peachtree City, Georgia. Like most of you, I received the latest epistle from Dr. Terry Rondberg concerning Chiropractic America and Garrison Pomeroy. As I have worked with Garry on various projects, I contacted him for his side of the story. My sending out of this email was not solicited by him but he has given me permission to share it. His response to Dr. Rondberg's letter follows and Dr. Rondberg's original letter follows his response. Before I present his response, please allow me the opportunity to assert that in all the time I have known Garry (approximately 4 years now) I have known him to be a ceaseless supporter and promoter of chiropractic, more so than many chiropractors I know. He has shown over and over to be a man of character and integrity in all personal and business dealings that he and I have had. I am proud to call him my friend. I have no desire to get into a letter writing contest with anyone over this issue. If you have an opinion either way, I'm not trying to change it in the least bit and I apologize for the intrusion into your time. I'm simply responding to what I feel is an unwarranted attack on a friend. If you could pass this along to any other chiropractors on your email list, I would appreciate it. Thank you. Dr. Rod Justice ______________________________________________________ __ Dear Rod, Thank you for forwarding this to me, it is important to me that you have my response to Rondberg's questions although I do so with disdain for the activity of defending myself against his pettiness and lies. First, Rondberg was contacted by me in March of 1994 and was asked for his support of my idea which was, as he said, to begin a public relations and ad campaign that would be cheap for all doctors yet reach millions in popular magazines. He absolutely refused to support the project unless I promised him 2 percent of the gross income from Chiropractic America. I refused to do so but was convinced by him that without his support he would not only not support the project but without his support I could never do what I saw as a critical step for the future of chiropractic. I settled on paying him 1.5 percent of the company gross income monthly as well as paying for a full page ad in his paper. I paid him his 1.5 % every month for four years and ten months as well as paid for advertising. Although in fairness he did give me a discount on the full page ad off the rate card as he does for many. For over two years we did run full page ads and well over 1000 television and radio commercials on national cable and syndicated radio talk shows. Additionally, we did set up a telephone platform that is still set up today to route callers to doctor's offices. However at that time in history managed care cost the project many members as they did not see how advertising could help them if they were not listed in Provider Books and that is where the doctors decided to spend there money...in HMO applications. There wasn't much I could do about that except wait for that farce to show itself and the doctors to realize that I may be right. As Terry said, it is a great idea and I made it happen. I could not, however, sustain it without the profession's support. Not only was it what the profession needed, it still is. But that is not why he supported the program. He supported the program because he could make 1.5% of Chiropractic America's income on mine and the membership's sweat. If I was successful he would make out great if not he still got the membership's money while it lasted. I was given a column in order to express myself and share my knowledge of the principles of advertising and PR. I never really got his full support because whatever the new thing was, whatever new deal he was able to make, that is what he would promote. In hindsight, I realize his credibility and the credibility of his paper to the profession at large was not there and therein lies some of this effort's failure to date. Months and years passed. Each month I wrote a column in his paper and had a full page ad. The whole point of the column was to update the profession on what Chiropractic America was doing and accomplishing. But by his letter one would summize he never really read what I said in my column, again pointing to the fact that he cared little as long as he was getting his money every month. All he had to do for a full report on what we were doing and accomplishing was to read the column. The truth is and back issues will demonstrate, that we did run the full page ads and we did make it known in my column. Additionally, Mark Victor Hanson was in television commercials that ran nationally nearly everyday for two years. This too was published in my column as well as the ongoing strong desire to do more, to hire a national PR firm, to do PSA's etc. I never advertised in his magazine that I was running ads when I was not and I never suggested I was. However, I clearly stated over and over that I wanted to do so much along those lines but needed the individual chiropractors to do so, if only I could get chiropractors as members in numbers adequate to support the dream. Eventually, by 1997 the membership numbers dropped regardless of what I did due to the economy of the profession. I figured, "run full page ads in PEOPLE, NewsWeek, Better Homes and Gardens etc. and the profession would join the effort in droves...instead the few we had quit. Terry knew all of this because he got checks reflecting the gross income every month. All he had to do for a full report of our membership was a little 2nd grade math. So, I decided that I would wait out the storm and stick with my dream of having chiropractic be part of the natural health care revolution. I built the very first chiropractic website for the membership and offered individual websites in the nation's only advertised website. I could no longer afford full page ads or television but I could afford to give a value that would hopefully attract enough doctors so that I could resume the full page ads. You know this because I negotiated with you your In Touch Newsletter for the membership as one additional incentive to join. Regarding 1000 members...we had 1000 members for one month, every month thereafter the numbers declined. Although we were advertising and did have the telephone direct connection working, the profession had a major dip in it's economy and we felt it from a macro perspective. Anything that was deemed not essential, the individual practitioners eliminated from their expenses. Wrongly, Chiropractic America was determined non-essential by most doctors. I still say that a national PR and ad campaign is essential for the growth of the profession. That is why I have stayed at it so long and worked so hard to try and convince the profession that it is essential that the public understand what chiropractic is really about. That is what I wrote and Terry published every month for 4 years and ten months. Anything that I had to say regarding what we were doing or not doing, and why, is historically obtainable through the back issues of Terry's Journal. Regarding doctors complaints about getting new patients...their answer was to complain and quit. No one, including Terry, has heard more grumbling than I, yet I believe I am right and I believe every other business and national service, especially in healthcare, if you do not inform, educate, intrigue and make what you do necessary to the public they will ignore you and you will not grow or change the public's perception. Regarding renewing contracts. Yes the contracts automatically renew, it has been that way since day 1 and is that way today. However there has never been a doctor who has "quit" or givin up on the idea that I have sued or forced to honor the contract. There has not been one lawsuit against Chiropractic America from any doctor. Chiropractors that have been unhappy at the results have blamed me when they really should be upset that their colleagues did not support the idea in bigger numbers. Yes, I admit I should have quit long ago, yet I still believe that I am right and that the profession will see enough value in what we offer to join. Value added is all I have to attract doctors so that we can do what I have set out to do and in fact change public perception and opinion and subsequently increase utilization. That is the only way to the hundredth monkey, and that is what is missing. You can do all the research in the world yet if the public does not know about it, what good is it? You can have the health care answer for millions and millions of potential new patients but if they do not understand what you do or you do not tell them, what good are you doing outside of your existing patient base? Now I have a couple of questions for Dr. (not practicing) Rondberg: How many times did you ask me to denounce the ICA and my relationship with them? I feel that my lack of signing on with your 'Jihad' against the ICA is the most likely motive for your attack on me and Chiropractic America. As a result, I have simply become one more in the long line of chiropractors and chiropractic supporters/promoters that you have decided to "expose". I only wish you would spend as much time trying to make your own candle burn brighter rather than try your best to blow everyone else's out. Chiropractic can ill afford to have many more candles blown out. The more candles we can light, the more glow there is for all of us to bask in. I have sued the state of New Jersey in Federal court and reversed very bad legislated laws that for years have harmed chiropractors. Have you ever sued any state government to change laws detrimental to the practicing chiropractor? Have you ever sued anyone other than your own colleagues? I have gone before the Florida Board of Chiropractic Examiners and changed unfair laws restricting advertising and prevailed against all odds, have you faced any boards to make the practice of chiropractic easier and marketing fairer for your colleagues? I have recently fought and sued to overturn unfair personal injury laws that seriously affected the profession and have set a profound precedent against the profession's economy all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States. Although we ultimately lost to the 800 pound Gorilla we took on, did you contribute in any way to that effort? Have you ever gone to the Supreme Court of the United States for your colleagues? I have fought to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals to reverse a bad law that victimized chiropractors and their patients resulting in, as was reported on Dateline, the reversal of these laws in 17 states. Have you, Dr. Rondberg ever gone to that extent for those that you "report" to? I have run full page ads in national magazines such as PEOPLE, NewsWeek, Womens Day etc., advertising the benefits of chiropractic. Did you ever contribute one penny to that effort? Have you ever run a television ad campaign or contributed to one with your income from your insureds or advertisers? What is your monthly income? How many vacations do you take and where do you go? How did you afford to buy your new homes, one for you one for your daughter and son-in-law and justify not financially supporting a public relations campaign for chiropractic? What is your insurance underwriters rating and how many companies have dropped you or made it finacially impossible for you to compete? What have your efforts been to increase public awareness of chiropractic and it's cost and health benefits to society? Do any of your political efforts solve the practice problems coped with everyday by your readers? How many articles have you had published in mainstream newspapers about the benefits of chiropractic care? Have you ever paid for or contributed to a national radio campaign or contributed to a long term campaign uninterrupted for a period greater than a year? Do you think that constantly bashing and fighting with your colleagues and friends of chiropractic from your bully pulpit will have any lasting positive affects on society and the profession at large?? Why do you feel it productive to create such dissension within your profession? What do you feel you will achieve? I'll be the first to agree that someone needs to shake things up once in a while. But at the point that it becomes simply an exercise in unrestrained ego and self-interest, nobody wins. It needs to stop. Again, if there were 1000 chiropractors paying $100.00 per month we could change the world. Until this occurs people like Dr. Rondberg will keep the profession's attention away from the prize with their antagonism, negativity and detrimental, seemingly worthless political activities. Garry Pomeroy ______________________________________________________ __ >X-Sender: wcanews@home.com >From: World Chiropractic Alliance >To: John Justice DC >Date: Tue, 16 Jan 2001 18:45:18 -0800 >Subject: Investigating Chiropractic America >Reply-To: comments@wcanews.com >Organization: World Chiropractic Alliance > >As you may have noticed, The Chiropractic Journal no longer >publishes the "Chiropractic >America" column written by Garry Pomeroy. > >There is a good reason for this -- the World Chiropractic Alliance >has unconditionally >withdrawn its support of Chiropractic America and is launching an >investigation >into the company. > >When Chiropractic America was formed, its founder Garry Pomeroy had >a great idea: >an aggressive public relations campaign. He planned to run several excellent >print ads in major magazines like Time and Newsweek. > >He talked about "PSAs" -- public service announcements -- which >would be broadcast >on television and radio and teach the public about subluxation. > >He discussed plans for a national toll-free number which would route calls to >member doctors closest to the caller. > >It was just what the profession needed and the WCA was proud to >support the program. > >Months passed. Then years. Periodically, the WCA would request an >update on the >Chiropractic America's progress. Invariably, Pomeroy said the response wasn't >as good as he had expected, and there wasn't enough money to proceed yet. > >However, not long ago, I started hearing some disturbing reports from doctors >who said they felt "cheated" by Chiropractic America. Several said they'd been >members for years but hadn't gotten a single new patient from the >program. Others >said they'd never seen even a small ad about chiropractic in any magazine. > >Worse yet, according to another doctor, Chiropractic America used his credit >card information to renew his membership without his authorization. > >As I started to hear more grumblings from doctors around the >country, I contacted >Pomeroy and demanded an accounting of Chiropractic America's >progress and policies. > >Pomeroy failed to provide any evidence that the ad campaign was still in the >works, pointing instead to other "benefits" of membership such as >free web space >and help with practice newsletters. > >I found this hard to accept. After all, at one point Pomeroy had >complained that >he had been unable to recruit more than 1,000 members, far below his >expectations. > >However, at $100 per month, that 1,000 members would equate to >$100,000 per month >-- $1.2 million per year! You can do a lot of advertising and public relations >with a million dollars a year. The World Chiropractic Alliance >accomplishes far >more with far less! > >Last fall, I called Pomeroy to ask about this situation, but had to wait until >he returned from a vacation in Paris to get through to him. Then, when we did >connect, I got the same excuses about how few doctors were joining and how he >was having to offer other "benefits" to lure them in. > >Unsatisfied with this response, I severed the WCA's relationship >with Chiropractic >America and pulled Pomeroy's column from The Chiropractic Journal. > >Until a more thorough investigation is conducted, there's no way I can be sure >whether Chiropractic America's failure is a case of a good idea ruined by poor >management, or outright deceit. > >That's why I'm asking all doctors who have had any dealings with Chiropractic >America to contact the World Chiropractic Alliance and tell us about >their experiences. > >Specifically, we need to know: > >** Have you received any new patients as a result of your membership >in Chiropractic >America? > >** Have you seen any national chiropractic advertising by Chiropractic America >in any newspapers, magazines,etc.? > >** Do you feel your investment in Chiropractic America has had any value for >the profession? > >** Have you had any billing disputes with Chiropractic America and >how have they >been resolved? > >** Do you feel Chiropractic America is fulfilling its mission to >provide a national >public education campaign? > >Please send this or other information about your experiences with Chiropractic >America to: World Chiropractic Alliance, 2950 N. Dobson Rd., Suite >1, Chandler, >AZ 85224. Please include your name and contact information. Since >all responses >may be published in a future issue of The Chiropractic Journal, >anonymous letters >will be discarded.