Hello, NYSCA members and friends!

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

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.

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.

Starting today 11/18/2024, healthcare providers won’t have access to beneficiary eligibility information on the NGS Medicare interactive voice response (IVR) system. This includes all beneficiary eligibility information that was obtained under Option 1, Eligibility. The IVR will continue to offer the other non-eligibility transactions.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2025, the $15 copayment for the EmblemHealth-GHl portion of the Senior Care Plan will resume. Senior Care members will be required to pay a $15 copay each time they use the health services listed below. Copays are limited to one copay per provider per date of service.

Northeast College of Health Sciences will celebrate Veterans Day and its longtime partnership with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) by providing Veterans with complimentary healthcare screenings at its outpatient health centers in Depew, Levittown, and Seneca Falls, N.Y., throughout November. 

Northeast College Holds Long Island Campus Ribbon Cutting, Brings Chiropractic Education Back to Greater NYC Area

Northeast College of Health Sciences celebrated the official ribbon cutting of its new branch Long Island Campus on Oct. 11, 2024. During the event, local and state leaders welcomed Northeast and recognized the College for bringing chiropractic healthcare education back to the Greater New York City area.

UnitedHealthcare's Prior Authorization requirements for certain Medicare Advantage members (including UHC and AARP) are now in effect.  For more information, and to join us for a lunch and learn next week, please visit the UnitedHealthcare page in the members' only section of our website:

UnitedHealthcare

Every year there are updates to the ICD-10 codes. Listed below please find the codes most relevant to the Chiropractic profession per the cms.gov website. These changes take effect 10/1/2024. 

National Chiropractic Health Month to Promote Musculoskeletal Health for Aging Well

Arlington, Va. – The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) and doctors of chiropractic nationwide will celebrate National Chiropractic Health Month this October with the theme “Plan for a Strong Healthspan.” The campaign will raise awareness of the importance of a strong musculoskeletal (MSK) system for healthy aging and the benefits of chiropractic care.

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. 

Effective August 29, 2024, Humana is requiring prior authorization of certain Medicare Advantage members for chiropractic manipulative therapy rendered on or after August 29, 2024. The NYSCA Insurance Committee (NIC) reached out to Humana over the past week to ascertain whether prior authorization was required for Humana Medicare Advantage members in New York.

The NYSCA continues to communicate with Optum regarding the implementation of the new prior authorization program for AARP and UnitedHealthcare's Medicare Advantage members. We understand many of you have been attempting to determine the impact of this requirement on your practice and the patients you serve.  

In our next session of Your Morning Briefing, Amy L. Hemenway and Anna S.M. McCarthy will discuss how to address employee speech in the workplace. With the country gearing up for election season, and the strong feelings that are often elicited by differences in political opinions or reactions to any number of global current affairs, employers may face the challenge of how to handle conflicts that occur when employees discuss non-work-related topics with each other, wear or display polarizing images or text, or post opinions on social media.

LEVITTOWN, N.Y. -  Northeast College of Health Sciences is pleased to announce that the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE) has officially approved the College to offer a second branch of its renowned Doctor of Chiropractic program at its new Long Island Campus. This is the final official approval required for Northeast College to officially welcome its inaugural class of Long Island-based chiropractic students this Fall.

On Thursday August 1st many of you received UnitedHealthcare's Provider News email.  That edition of Provider News included a section titled 'Outpatient therapy and chiropractic prior authorization required starting Sept. 1'.  Due to the lack of clarity in that email, the NIC reached out to several members of Optum's team Thursday morning and afternoon to obtain more specific information about the new requirement.

In April of 2024, the FTC issued a final rule concerning non-compete agreements.  Once effective, the rule will impose a comprehensive ban on new non-compete agreements with all workers and a ban on existing non-competes against most workers, with a limited exception for senior executives. The rule is set to go into effect on September 4, 2024, although at least four lawsuits have been filed to halt the FTC’s enforcement of this rule.

The National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE) Practice Analysis Survey is now live through Aug. 30. Participation in this survey will contribute significantly to shaping the future of chiropractic practice and chiropractic care.