Advertising

All manual osteopaths should make sure the following guidelines are followed:

• An advertisement must be accurate, factual and contain information that is verifiable. It should readily be comprehensible by the persons to whom it is directed.
• An advertisement may:
  • name a specific service, technique and/or product but cannot claim superiority or endorse the exclusive use of such services, techniques or products;
  • offer an initial complimentary consultation.
• Any advertisement with respect to a manual osteopath’s practice must not contain:
  • anything false or misleading;
  • a guaranteed success of care;
  • any comparison to another member’s or other health care provider’s practice, qualifications or expertise;
  • any expressed or implied endorsement or recommendation for the exclusive use of a product or brand of equipment used to provide services;
  • material that, having regard to all the circumstances, would reasonably be regarded as disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional.
• A manual osteopath may advertise his/her fee for manual osteopathy services provided:
  • the advertisement contains accurate, complete and clear disclosure of what is and what is not included in the fee;
  • there are no hidden fees/costs;
  • the manual osteopath does not bill a third-party payor for the complimentary portion of the treatment service;
  • the advertisement expressly states the timeframe to be honoured for any complimentary or discounted treatment service;
  • the advertisement does not limit the offer to a certain number of participants;
  • no obligation is placed on the patient for follow-up appointments as a result of the complimentary or discounted treatment service;
  • the advertisement is presented in a professional manner that maintains the dignity of the manual osteopathy profession.