Finance Committee Approves Medicare Bill
Chiropractors are one step closer to receiving Medicare reimbursement—on a demonstration basis—for the health care services they are licensed to provide under state law, as the Senate Finance Committee approved a provision that was included in the bipartisan Medicare reform bill.

The bill, developed and supported by the American Chiropractic Association (ACA), passed the Senate Finance Committee by a vote of 16 to 5. Currently, the ACA is encouraging grassroots efforts to garner support of the bill from senators.

If the provision becomes law, the 3-year demonstration project would be conducted in six sites throughout the United States. As a result of the program, data reflecting the health benefits and cost-effectiveness of chiropractic care would be generated and evaluated for future consideration. CP

Students Celebrate Graduation at Life University
Life University, Marietta, GA, graduated approximately 300 students in June, amidst the accreditation lawsuit in process with the Council on Chiropractic Education, reports The Atlanta Journal and Constitution.

More than 2,000 students withdrew from Life after the accreditation loss. Although several hundred students returned, enrollment remains far below the school’s peak of approximately 4,000 in 1995. A federal court restored Life’s accreditation in February until the lawsuit could be resolved; the accreditation agency has appealed that order.

“This is a day many people doubted would ever come,” said Ben DeSpain, DC, president of Life University. “Many feared Life had held its last graduation.” CP

Baby Endures Forced Vaccinations
Religious and philosophical objections failed to prevent a panel of attorneys, social workers, hospital administrators, and a doctor from vaccinating a couple’s baby for hepatitis B. The Colorado couple had attempted home birth, but rushed to the hospital when difficulties arose due to the baby’s position.

“Baby M,” as the family calls her to protect her privacy, was born without complications; however, a neonatal doctor informed them a vaccination was still needed. Although the couple does not avoid all modern medicine, recent studies reviewing the harmful effects of childhood vaccines had convinced them not to give “Baby M” the vaccinations. A recently published study in the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons by Mark Geier, MD, PhD, president of the Genetic Centers of America and his son, David Geier, president of Medcon Inc, presents strong evidence of a link between neurodevelopmental disorders and childhood vaccines.

Nevertheless, because the hospital administration said the baby’s life would be in danger if she was not vaccinated within a few hours, Chief District Court Judge Charles Buss presided over an emergency, after-hours hearing. The family was given 15 minutes notice - little time to secure legal help. “Baby M” was administered the shots while armed guards stood by to prevent the parents from interfering. A day later, the mother’s third hepatitis B screening came back negative. CP

Menopause Affects Testosterone Levels
A new study presented at ENDO 2003, the 85th Annual Meeting of The Endocrine Society, shows that women near menopause may experience a drop in testosterone levels.

The study, which examined 170 premenopausal women and 75 postmenopausal women on stable estrogen replacement, measured sex steroids and compared the values between groups and across decades. For a comprehensive evaluation of the relationship between androgen levels and age, researchers measured free testosterone and total testosterone, as well as other hormones produced by the adrenal glands and ovaries, which can be converted to testosterone and therefore indirectly impact testosterone levels. The other hormones include dihydrotestosterone (DHT), dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S), and androstenedione (A).

According to the data, by the time the women reached menopause, there had been a significant decline in testosterone, free testosterone, DHT, DHEA-S, and A. Researchers correlated the decline in DHEA-S with the decline in circulating total testosterone and free testosterone and concluded that decline in DHEA-S and A may contribute to a decrease in testosterone prior to menopause.

“Research like this will lay the crucial groundwork needed to further our understanding of the role of testosterone in women’s health,” said Susan Davis, MD, PhD, Director of the NH&MRC Centre of Clinical Research Excellence in Women’s Health at The Jean Hailes Foundation, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. CP

Chiropractors Lose Accident Reports Case
According to the Associated Press, the 6th US Circuit of Appeals in Cincinnati upheld a ruling by District Judge John G. Heyburn II of Louisville regarding a Kentucky law that restricts access to accident reports filed with state police.

A group of chiropractors and lawyers had challenged the law, stating that it infringed on the First Amendment, however, the appeals court said the law would be “constitutionally suspect” if it had singled out a small group for exclusion from the information. The law allows police accident reports to be disclosed to those involved in the accidents, their insurers, and attorneys, as well as parents of minors involved and news organizations. CP

Chiropractors Benefit from WC Payments
Compared to their colleagues in other parts of the country, chiropractors who live in southern West Virginia make more from worker’s compensation payments, according to the Charleston (WV) Gazette-Mail.

Ten of the top dozen chiropractic centers for worker’s compensation reimbursements were located in or around the West Virginia counties of Nicholas, Mercer, and Wayne. Four chiropractic clinics received more than $2 million during the past 5 years. State lawmakers in West Virginia are working to maintain funding the worker’s compensation system. CP

Landmark Announces Policy Changes
To streamline managed care issues, Landmark Healthcare will make policy changes to ease administrative burdens in pre-certification and enable participating chiropractors to receive payment more easily for patient care decisions that are within evidence-based guidelines. Landmark is also considering changes to its administrative criteria for better alignment with its evidence-based guidelines—a step that would reduce the need for physicians to go through the appeals process to get paid for x-rays.

The proposed changes were announced during a recent meeting with American Chiropractic Association (ACA) officials in Arlington, Va. The ACA plans to hold meetings with other chiropractic networks to problem-solve managed care issues that providers face on a daily basis. Practices experiencing difficulties with chiropractic networks, as well as those benefiting from improved network relationships, are encouraged to contact the ACA so that the ACA can be notified of various chiropractic network issues.

Landmark, a California-based group with 5,200 chiropractors in a 16-state network, is one of the country’s largest chiropractic managed care networks.

“The overall goal of the ACA is to be an advocate for our members and to help resolve issues that individual physicians may not be able to solve,” said John Gentile, chairman of ACA’s Insurance and Managed Care Committee. “Though distributing information about policy changes may be a challenge, by working with companies such as Landmark, we can help mediate issues to make positive changes in chiropractic managed care issues.” CP

Bureaucracy Postpones Chiropractic Care for Veterans
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) received a formal order from the House of Representatives to expedite the implementation of chiropractic services into the veterans health care system—a requirement that was passed into law in 1999, but has been delayed due to bureaucratic obstacles. The bill, “Veterans Health Care Improvement Act (HR 2357),” contains a provision instructing the VA to hire and employ chiropractors.

Though the VA was required to develop a plan for offering chiropractic care by the 1999 measure, HR 2357 eliminates the remaining delays that have prevented the formal establishment of chiropractic clinical care in the VA.

HR 2357 now moves to the Senate. Lobbying teams from the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) and the Association of Chiropractic Colleges recently met with Senator Arlen Specter (R, Pa), chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, to brief him on the need for prompt consideration of HR 2357. Spector expressed strong interest in the legislation and the need to ensure veterans have access to chiropractic care.

“The clear need for Congress to again address delays in implementation of chiropractic care benefits for veterans and the strong bi-partisan support created for the bill in Congress secured its priority consideration on the House floor,” said Daryl Wills, DC, president of the ACA. “We thank all the representatives who went to bat for the chiropractic provision in this bill and we are certain that the ultimate beneficiaries will be our nation’s veterans who will finally receive the outstanding chiropractic care they need and deserve.” CP

Chiropractic Care Decreases Infertility
In addition to the existing variety of fertility procedures available for couples unable to have children, research is being conducted to show that chiropractic treatment may provide another option for conception.

In a series of case studies and commentaries documenting positive responses to chiropractic care among fertile women, the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research (JVSR) has begun publication of research that explores how spinal health influences fertility, even after medical fertility treatment. The first in the series, “Insult, Interference and Infertility: An Overview of Chiropractic Research,” is a literature review of 14 retrospective articles exploring the possible effect of spinal problems on fertility. The women in the studies were all found to have vertebral subluxations that possibly affect the ability to conceive.

Upcoming JVSR research articles will report on how physical, mental, chemical, and emotional stress can harm spinal health and contribute to vertebral subluxations. Experiences causing stress of the infertile women interviewed for the study included previous motor vehicle accidents, childhood falls, blocked fallopian tubes, scoliosis, and work stress. All of the women became pregnant after their subluxations were detected and corrected.

The research papers can be found on www.jvsr.com.   CP

ASH Expands Chiropractic Benefit
Geisinger Health Plan and M-Plan will now offer chiropractic benefits through American Specialty Health Networks (ASH) Inc. The program allows Geisinger Health Plan members in central and northeastern Pennsylvania and M-Plan members in Indiana to directly access chiropractic benefits from contracted providers in the ASH network without a referral from a primary care physician. The benefit plan includes a variety of member copayments and annual office visit limits.

ASH Networks operates a network of more than 150 contracted chiropractors in Indiana and more than 1,000 chiropractors in Pennsylvania.

“Working with organizations such as Geisinger and M-Plan allows us to strengthen our relationships with leading health plans,” said George DeVries, president and CEO of ASH Networks. “American Specialty Health is a specialty benefits company for chiropractic and other areas of complementary health care. M-Plan and Geisinger have chosen us to administer benefits on their behalf, providing chiropractic networks, claims processing, customer service, and other administrative services.” CP