ACA to Chiropractic Licensing Boards: Help DCs Improve Documentation

The American Chiropractic Association today announced that it has sent a letter to state chiropractic licensing boards urging them to ramp up continuing education programs aimed at improving Medicare documentation and reducing the number of claims errors. In a letter dated April 4, ACA President Glenn Manceaux, DC, noted that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is scheduled to issue a special report to the U.S. Congress in 2009 detailing the results of the Medicare Chiropractic Demonstration Project. ACA fears that continued high claims error rates will be used as an argument to thwart efforts to allow chiropractors to provide additional services under Medicare, even if results from the demonstration project are favorable. “It is abundantly clear that unless we can convincingly demonstrate that our profession has put into place various educational and training programs, along with policies and requirements that will collectively lead to a significant reduction in Medicare claims errors, then the U.S. Congress will likely reject any proposals allowing DCs to provide additional services within Medicare,” Dr. Manceaux wrote. ACA is also anticipating the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (OIG) to soon issue a follow-up to its 2005 report on chiropractic documentation. The 2005 OIG Report, which was based on a random sampling of claims data from 2001, concluded that 67 percent of the claims examined as part of the study contained documentation errors or omissions that led to what the OIG considered to be inappropriate reimbursement under Medicare. “ACA is fully prepared to wage an intensive battle to secure expanded and permanent chiropractic benefits under the Medicare program; however, we need the support of every chiropractic organization and every chiropractic office across the country,” Dr. Manceaux said. To read ACA’s letter to the state chiropractic licensing boards, click on the link below: