Accreditation Restored to Life University
Accreditation was restored to Life University’s College of Chiropractic (LUCC) on February 10, as Senior US District Judge Charles E. Moye Jr. granted the school’s request for emergency injunctive relief. Life University sought the injunction while a lawsuit against the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE) alleging unfair revocation of accreditation still persists. Seeking restoration of accreditation and damages from the CCE, the lawsuit is expected to proceed in upcoming months. Life argues that the CCE acted unfairly in revoking accreditation, and claims that the university was discriminated against for being a conservative school that bases education on the traditional subluxation approach. Life’s appeal on the loss of accreditation in June 2002 was denied in October. The recent ruling was based on four findings on which the court felt pertinent to their decision: 1) There was a substantial chance a jury would be compelled to find in favor of the plaintiff if the same evidence were presented; 2) There would be irreparable harm/damage to the plaintiff should the injunction be denied; 3) There was not a balance of equity when the accrediting agency removed accreditation from the plaintiff; 4) There would be no harm to the general public should the injunctive relief be granted. With the recent ruling, students who have satisfied graduation requirements, but whose degrees were not processed due to the loss of accreditation, may have their degrees conferred and apply for state licensure. A top priority for Life after the recent ruling is taking care of students whose education has been affected by the accreditation conflicts. “We are working diligently to assist our students who want to come back,” says Will Hurst , a LUCC spokesman. “Life students who have transferred and now wish to reenroll should contact the office of admissions before making any changes or dropping current classes.” As the first class to graduate after Life lost the appeal in October, graduation records of students who finished course work in December 2002 will reflect the reinstatement of accreditation. In addition to providing existing students with accurate information to continue their education without fear of accreditation conflicts, emphasis will placed on recruitment efforts to encourage students to enroll in Life’s chiropractic program. The university faced a decrease in enrolled students as loss of accreditation prevents graduates of the university from becoming practicing chiropractors in most states. “I hope the CCE and LUCC come to an agreement that the well-being of the students and their families must be considered before any more action is taken,” says Deron Jester, a former Life student who transferred schools after Life’s appeal for accreditation was denied. “A stable solution needs to be reached so that LUCC can continue to graduate qualified chiropractors.” CP |
FCER Receives Donated Funds
As the American Spinal Research Foundation (ASRF), formerly the Consortium for Chiropractic Research (CCR), dissolved after approximately 15 years of existence, the Foundation for Chiropractic Education and Research (FCER) received ASRF’s remaining funds.
Originally established to support the ability of chiropractic institutions to conduct research, CCR grew from representing Pacific coast institutions to include most chiropractic colleges in North America. CCR received support from the California Chiropractic Association, the Florida Chiropractic Association, and the FCER. CCR’s mission was to “conduct and promote collaborative research and disseminate findings that expand the knowledge base of chiropractic and to seek funding to support these efforts.”
Realizing that the primary obstacle preventing advancement in chiropractic research was the lack of money available for funding, CCR became ASRF and focused efforts primarily on raising funds. When the chiropractic profession received its first meaningful support from the Federal government, the efforts of the ASRF appeared to be less useful and the organization closed its doors and donated its funds to the FCER. CP
CMS Finalizes HIPAA Rules
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has finalized security and transaction standards of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). While the HIPAA privacy rule sets standards for how protected health information can be used and when it can be disclosed, the security standards aim to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of electronic protected health information by defining administrative, physical, and technical safeguards. The security standard rule employs similar terminology as the privacy rule, in order to make compliance easier.
The HIPAA transaction standards define uniform, mandatory technical specs for electronic health care transactions. According to CMS, the latest modifications of the transaction standards include repealing the National Drug Code as the standard medical proposed Addenda to the implementation guides. The rule also adopts modified standards for two transactions not included in the proposed rules: premium payments and coordination of benefits.
To begin activities related to enforcing HIPAA transactions and code sets, security, and identifier rules, CMS is slated to receive $10 million under a proposed fiscal 2004 Health and Human Services budget. CP
Equine Chiropractic Treatment
Amidst the threat of receiving fines, Daniel Kamen, DC, plans to teach Oklahoma chiropractors how to perform chiropractic adjustments on horses. Kamen faces possible violations of the Oklahoma Veterinary Practice Act for his 2-day equine chiropractor conference in Oklahoma and was warned by the Oklahoma state veterinary board of a 2001 law that includes in the definition of practicing veterinary medicine, someone who does “animal chiropractic diagnosis and treatment.”
According to the Associated Press, in addition to needing a state veterinarian to refer animals for treatment, Kamen does not have a state certification in animal chiropractic treatmens, or an Oklahoma chiropractic license. CP
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