Tuesday, November 6, 2018 was election day in New York. There were many races to watch during these 2018 elections. All four statewide elected officials, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General and Comptroller, were up for election as well as all 213 seats of the New York State Legislature. There were also elections for a U.S. Senate seat as well as all 27 U.S. House of Representative seats in New York.
As a member of the NYSCA, you are eligible for complimentary membership with the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress (F4CP). F4CP is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness about chiropractic care via POSITIVE PRESS.
Following a successful nine-year collaboration between the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) and the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), a new CPT® code for dry needling will soon be available to providers, paving the way potentially for proper reimbursement, national standards and a greater understanding of how this relatively new modality helps patients in pain.
In January 2018, President Trump signed into law the ACA-supported "Jobs for Our Heroes Act." The law includes a provision allowing chiropractors working within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to perform physical exams on veterans needing a medical certificate to operate a commercial motor vehicle.
The NYSCA heard your concerns and has responded to the revised Workers Compensation Fee Schedule.
The following information has been received from Aetna to assist in your transition to the new program.
Please know NYSCA has heard the profession’s voice. We are as concerned as you are and are actively advocating for necessary changes. Of particular concern are the chiropractic conversion factor, the 180-day wording, and impact on specialty practices.
For National Chiropractic Health Month 2018 this October, the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) and its members will encourage the public to move more – to “Move 4 Life” -- to improve and maintain their musculoskeletal and overall health. As part of the campaign, chiropractors will provide information about musculoskeletal health and tips to stay active and prevent injury.
As the second session of the 115th Congress nears the election, members of the House of Representatives and the Senate recently agreed on a comprehensive legislative package to help end the scourge of opioid addiction. The opioid issue, which federal and local legislatures across the country have been grappling with for several years, will soon see more federal dollars being focused on ways to help alleviate the destructive force associated with the addiction.
Government-Mandated Sexual Harassment Policies for Employers go into effect October 9, 2018.
Please be aware that after initial public comment period, the Workers Compensation Board (WCB) has produced a revised proposed fee schedule. There are comments available for review on the State Register and the fee schedule is available for review on the WCB website.
Having reviewed public comments on the proposed medical fee schedule released in June (below), the New York State Workers' Compensation Board will be issuing a revised draft of the schedule on October 3, which will be followed by a 30-day public comment period. Following the public comment period, the Board will review all comments. When final regulations are adopted, the Board will announce an effective date for the new schedule. Please watch for more information.
As you may recall, the NYS WCB proposed a much needed update to the fee schedule. On behalf of the profession the NYSCA and Council responded with formal public comments on the proposed WC fee schedule.
San Jose, Calif.–Sept.11, 2018—Transforming toward a new care model that is patient-centered, comprehensive, collaborative and conservative, the U.S. healthcare system is incorporating chiropractic care as a drug-free treatment approach for the management of spinal disorders.
It’s that time of year again. As you may be aware, every year since its inception, there have been updates to ICD-10 codes. Some years have more changes, others fewer. As of October 1, 2018 the following changes will go into effect:
Members of the NYSCA insurance committee met with Aetna and NIA to discuss the implementation of the new Pre-Authorization Program which went into effect on 09/01/18. We understand that many of you were not notified until late July / early August and could not attend NIA's webinar on August 7, 9 or 16. There has been some confusion regarding different aspects of the program, resulting in our reaching out to Aetna to discuss your concerns.
Note from the NYSCA Insurance Committee:
Please note the following update relative to Aetna's new Prior Authorization Program which went into effect 9/1/18.
As of 09/07/2018 Special Funds Conservation Committee has officially closed down operation. Each patient that was assigned to Special Funds will revert back to the original carrier they had prior to special funds or NCA (Neuman claims administrator). Many patients were notified of this by their designated carrier.
