Could This Happen In NY?

Edited by Gerald Stevens DC, MS, MPH

As Governor Cuomo delivered his State of the State addresses, one of the issues again highlighted was workers compensation reform. As you know, this impacts your patients and your practice. The NYSCA, working with the NY Chiropractic Council, has recently met with the WCB to welcome its new Chair and discuss the issues facing the chiropractic patient. NYSCA's WC Committee will continue to address the issues we face.

As some of you are aware, there are some changes coming to the Optum Health / UnitedHealthcare program which may impact your practice. The NYSCA Insurance Committee has responded to dozens of calls to assist our members in understanding these impending changes. A summation of our knowledge to date, as already conveyed to many of our members, has been posted in the members only section of NYSCA.com.  

The United States Bone and Joint Initiative (USBJI) and Bone and Joint Canada are dedicated to increasing research of musculoskeletal diseases.  The USBJI has developed a grant mentoring program to provide early- career investigators an opportunity to work with experienced researchers in our field to assist them in securing funding and other survival skills required for pursuing an academic career.

HASBROUCK HEIGHTS, NJ – October 25, 2016 – The Foundation for Chiropractic Progress (F4CP), the voice of the chiropractic profession, is pleased to announce that it is teaming up with Congress of Chiropractic State Associations (COCSA) to launch a ‘PR 101 Crisis Communications Kit.’ Set to launch on Tuesday, October 25^th, 2016, the kit offers State Associations effective guidelines for managing crises - from negative publicity and attacks on the profession to the misrepresentation of information regarding the safety of chiropractic care.

“This crisis communications kit represents the input and guidance of crisis management professionals who counsel companies and individuals nationwide in preparing for events and responding effectively,” says Sherry McAllister, DC, executive vice president, F4CP. “The guide will help State Associations to mitigate the potential for damage or avoid serious negative repercussions.”

Dear Colleagues,

The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) requires CMS to remove Social Security Numbers (SSNs) from all Medicare cards by April 2019. A new randomly generated Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI) will replace the SSN-based Health Insurance Claim Number on new Medicare cards for transactions like billing, eligibility status, and claim status.

What do you need to do to get ready?

There are thousands of code changes going into effect on October 1. Here is a list of the 70 or so that are most relevant to chiropractors. All of this information, and a whole lot more can be found in our brand new 2017 ICD-10 Coding for Chiropractic book. Order your ChiroCode book today and get a free cheat sheet!

National Chiropractic Health Month 2016 Kicks Off Oct. 1

This October, doctors of chiropractic across the country will raise public awareness of the availability of non-drug options for pain treatment as part of National Chiropractic Health Month (NCHM) 2016. The campaign, a response to the U.S. epidemic of opioid overuse and abuse, will use the theme and hashtag #Chiropractic1st (Twitter, Facebook) to encourage the use of chiropractic and other conservative forms of pain management, where possible, before the use of prescription opioid pain medications. A toolkit is available online at www.acatoday.org/NCHMtoolkit for anyone who would like to participate.

Online toolkit provides resources, guidance on participating in this year’s campaign

Seneca Falls:  Dr. Thomas R. De Vita, chair of the Board of Trustees of New York Chiropractic College announced today that President Frank J. Nicchi, DC, MS will retire on August 31, 2017 after 36 years of service to New York Chiropractic College, with the last 17 as president. Under his leadership, the College evolved from a single-purpose college preparing doctors of chiropractic, to become a premier institution for the education and training of natural healthcare professionals and academicians.

The CERT program’s review of claims for chiropractic services has consistently yielded high improper payment rates. The majority of chiropractic services claims were the result of insufficient documentation, such as: