The American Chiropractic Association (ACA), during its annual House of Delegates meeting March 17, approved a resolution to adopt clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of low back pain from the American College of Physicians (ACP) and the Council on Chiropractic Guidelines and Practice Parameters (CCGPP). The association seeks to direct its members, payers and policy makers toward shared interpretations of current evidence-based best practices. 

The NYSCA just completed its 2017 Spring Convention at Mohegan Sun.  We had a great lineup of speakers, an exciting agenda at our Board and House meetings, and together we reignited the spark that will lead to a brighter future for NY chiropractors.

Upon learning that Dr. Frank J. Nicchi would retire on August 31, 2017 after 37 years of service to New York Chiropractic College, the Board of Trustees acted to bestow upon him the honorific title of, "President Emeritus" effective with his retirement. According to Dr. Thomas R. De Vita, chair of the Board, this exceptional status recognizes Dr. Nicchi's outstanding and distinguished service to the College, not only during his 17 years as president, but throughout his entire tenure.

On January 18, 2017 the SDRC and two chiropractic U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Certified Medical Examiners (CME) in New York filed an Article 78 against the NYS Commissioner of Education, the NYS Board of Regents, the Executive Secretary of the NYS Board for Chiropractic and the Deputy Commissioner of Education, NYS Office of the Professions over an ostensible change in Department policy that, petitioners claim, “illegally revoked and overturned decades of state policy allowing doctors of chiropractic to perform DOT exams.” Petitioners claim that the Education Department and Board for Chiropractic changed a state policy in an arbitrary and capricious manner without legal authority; without following proper rulemaking procedures and regulations; in flagrant violation of petitioners’ constitutional rights to due process of law, and without any statutory basis in law to make such a determination.

Edited: Gerald Stevens DC, MS, MPH

Four National Champions will be crowned at Life University's Lupo Family Field with action taking place on the pitch May 5-7, 2017

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.

Dear Colleagues,

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.”

What do you need to do to get ready?

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.

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!