Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court announced it was upholding a key provision found in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) that would allow subsidies to consumers purchasing health insurance in states where the insurance exchange marketplace is operated by the federal government. This latest action by the Supreme Court reaffirms the law's validity and virtually assures uninterrupted implementation of the health reform law signed by the president in 2010.

Get Ready Now with the New CMS Quick Start Guide!

In lieu of holding Summer District Dialogue sessions, the BPR team is going on the road to update interested stakeholders on the status of the BPR project. Roadshow sessions will be held in each District Office beginning in mid-June and ending the first week of July.

The Global Burden of Disease 2013 study was published online in the Lancet. Musculoskeletal disorders account for 20% of disability worldwide and back pain is the biggest single cause of disability worldwide. Neck pain is also a major cause of disability. It has been covered by several news services. You will see that the paper highlights the lack of policies and priorities for these common disabling conditions. For some of the coverage see:

The New York State Chiropractic Association is proud to announce the results of our May 2015 elections. We would like to take a moment to thank our previous incumbents for their hard work and fine efforts in supporting the NYSCA and the interests of Chiropractic in New York.

Life Rugby at the 2015 CRC in Philly!

The New York State Pain Society will be hosting their 2015 Annual Meeting and Scientific Sessions at the New York Marriott Marquis Hotel in NYC June 5-7.  We are pleased to inform you that NYSCA members Dr. Bruce Silber, Dr. David BenEliyahu, and Dr. William Venditelli will be presenting at this event during the Saturday afternoon session "Complementary Options to Manage Pain."

On May 4, in a report issued by the New York State Assembly Labor and Insurance Committees regarding the proposed Workers Compensation fee schedule changes, the Assembly Majority clearly recommended that the new fee schedule not be adopted, as requested by both NYSCA and the Council. In support of their decision to oppose the new fee schedule, the report included specific references to testimony jointly offered by the NYSCA and the Council, who testified at a hearing in the fall, along with other specialty groups. The summary of our joint testimony is on pages 16-17 of the report.  Both Jason Brown, DC, of the NYSCA and Bryan Ludwig, DC, of the Council and testified and raised numerous concerns about the new fee schedule, in particular its proposed linkage to the Medicare fee schedule. The report also specifically cited the testimony of Dr. Brown, detailing many of his concerns and objections. Here is a link to the full report: http://assembly.state.ny.us/comm/Labor/20150504/index.pdf. This is very good news for the profession!

On April 1, 2015, the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) was updated using the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) methodology as required by current law. The SGR methodology required a 21% decrease in all MPFS payments beginning April 1, 2015. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) took steps to limit the impact on Medicare providers and beneficiaries by holding claims paid under the MPFS with dates of service on and after April 1, 2015. In the absence of additional legislation to avert the negative update, CMS must update payment systems to comply with the law, and implement the negative update.