It is important for our members to be aware of items that might affect your practices. It has come to our attention that some offices that use X-ray equipment may receive an unexpected bill from the New York State Department of Health(NYS DOH). The department has not billed X-ray equipment fees for four years. Note the NYS DOH had hired a new group to improve the billing and payment process which resulted in this error.

Beneficial ownership reporting requirements are back in effect, with a new deadline of March 21, 2025 for most companies. FinCEN will assess its options for further modifying deadlines. For more info, see notice linked below.

FinCEN Notice

Clive, Iowa – February 4, 2025 – NCMIC announces the retirement of Mike Whitmer, Vice President of Corporate Relations, effective April 4, 2025. With over 30 years of business experience, Mike has been an integral part of NCMIC since joining the company in 2001.

Governance elections for the NYSCA Officers and Regional Directors are beginning to ramp up.  Members interested in campaigning for a position on the NYSCA Executive Board or Board of Directors should start planning now. 

The NYSCA offers its members opportunities to serve in a volunteer capacity on a variety of committees and workgroups for the benefit of the profession in New York State.

At the ChiroCongress annual meeting, held on Saturday, November 16, 2024, at the Grand Hyatt Denver in Colorado, Dr. Gerald Stevens was elected as 2nd Vice President of the Congress of Chiropractic State Associations.  Dr. Stevens also continues to serve as a member of the ChiroCongress Cares Board and on the NYSCA Executive Board as the NYSCA Treasurer. 

Thank you to those who attended our recent CMS-1500 webinar for health care providers, highlighting that, beginning August 1, 2025, the Board will require health care providers to contract with an electronic submission partner to submit the CMS-1500 universal medical billing form electronically on their behalf. 

Today, Governor Kathy Hochul delivered her budget address outlining her priorities for her 2025 – 2026 proposed budget. Building on the themes from her State of the State address last week, she continued to focus on making New York a more affordable place to live. She also highlighted a line from her State of the State last week that “Your Family is My Fight.”

Today, Governor Kathy Hochul delivered her fourth State of the State address from the Hart Theater at the Egg in Albany. During the State of the State, the Governor mainly focused on making New York a more affordable place to live. The speech contained numerous policy proposals, and the Governor also released a briefing book containing over 200 distinct proposals organized in fifteen main topics areas, including:  supporting families, helping children thrive, public safety, economic development, housing, health, and sustainability.  We are reviewing this briefing book and will send along proposals of interest.

If you participate with UnitedHealthcare / Optum you may have received notice of the change in the aforementioned prior authorization program.  Based upon the volume of calls, texts, and emails received by the NYSCA Insurance Committee (NIC), there has been several interpretations of the information published by UHC. For more information please access the following link:

UnitedHealthcare Updates

In light of a recent federal court order, reporting companies are not currently required to file beneficial ownership information with FinCEN and are not subject to liability if they fail to do so while the order remains in force. However, reporting companies may continue to voluntarily submit beneficial ownership information reports.

On November 1, 2024, the Board issued a reminder that it will require health care providers to contract with an electronic submission partner to submit the CMS-1500 universal medical billing form electronically on their behalf beginning August 1, 2025.

The 2025 Medicare Fee Schedule has been posted to the NGS Medicare website.

On the Agenda, the official publication of the New York State Chiropractic Association (NYSCA), is published quarterly. It is designed to provide information about the Chiropractic profession and NYSCA activities and initiatives. 

Hello, NYSCA members and friends!

Effective November 16, 2024, the New York State’s Clean Slate Act goes into effect.

We are pleased to announce that registration is now open for ACA Engage 2025, which will take place in Washington, D.C., Jan. 22 - Jan. 25 2025. A luxurious landmark in one of D.C.'s premier neighborhoods, the Omni Shoreham Hotel is the optimal location to host Engage 2025. Join us in the heart of our Nation’s Capitol for an unforgettable chiropractic event.

All Medicare providers and suppliers, including pharmacies, must not bill Medicare beneficiaries in the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) eligibility group for Medicare Part A or Part B cost-sharing. This includes Medicare Part A and Part B deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments.

Read More: MLN Matters Fact Sheet October 2024

Mergers. Acquisitions. Affiliations. Increasingly common and complex. These relationships may have no bearing or influence on our practice and ability to provide high quality care to our patients, while others can have a profound impact. A current affiliation awaiting approval from New York State involves CDPHP and Lifetime Healthcare.