ACA Reaches Out to Katrina Victims
The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) has established an online center to assist DCs and spread the word about the devastation left behind by Hurricane Katrina. The Hurricane Katrina Action Center, www.acatoday.com/katrina, contains resources for doctors wishing to offer their services to those in need. It also provides an outlet for DCs affected by the hurricane to share their stories and to tell others in the profession about what they need. “I had a practice in New Orleans,” says Tom Lightfoot, DC. “After Hurricane Katrina, my office was flooded with over 6 feet of water, and we lost everything. Unfortunately, I neglected to bring my computer nor patient backup, and so all of my patient files and money owed was lost with all of my equipment and furniture. Our house was flooded with over 10 feet of water, and we lost everything there as well, to include two vehicles. My family is now living about two hours outside of New Orleans along with 11 other of my relatives in my aunt’s house.”
The site also includes employment and volunteer opportunities, as well as a list of steps to shield your business from significant damage. These are: review your insurance policy annually and find out what the terms and conditions would be in any catastrophic situation, invest in extra insurance plans to cover all potential disasters, establish an emergency location for your practice, safeguard essential paperwork, keep track of your assets, document your property, and back up your computer systems. The ACA encourages members and nonmembers to help those affected by Hurricane Katrina in any way they can. “I still haven't been able to find out about my office,” says Mark Bell Kruse, DC. “I am a little fearful of my future. Will I be able to maintain a practice if no one returns?” |
Michigan Chiropractic Associations May Merge
Negotiations to unify the Michigan Chiropractic Association (MCA) and the Michigan Chiropractic Society (MCS) have begun. The merger will create a single, more influential association that better serves DCs, patients, and the chiropractic profession as a whole.
“It always surprised me that Michigan has two different associations representing chiropractic,” says Sam Caruso, DC, MCA president. “We have the chance to more than double our strength by joining together.”
In a recent survey, 9 out of 10 MCA and MCS members favored a merger.
“Nothing could be more appropriate than for these two groups to merge,” says one survey respondent. “It’s about time.”
Chiropractic Colleges Integrate Massage Programs
Northwestern Health Sciences University’s (Bloomington, Minn) Wolfe-Harris Center for Clinical Studies and Western States Chiropractic College (Portland, Ore) will offer massage-therapy programs. Northwestern Health Sciences University has received a grant for a pilot study of massage-therapy for tension-type headaches, and Western States Chiropractic College will offer a 1-year certificate in massage therapy beginning in the fall quarter of 2005.
The Northwestern grant of $19,935 from the Massage Therapy Foundation is the first funded grant for massage-therapy research at the school. The pilot study is an effort to discover if massage therapy is a viable treatment option for tension-type headaches, to assess if individuals with tension-type headaches would experience changes after a 10-week therapeutic massage regimen, and to describe the participants’ and massage therapists’ experiences with massage as a treatment. The study will take approximately 1 year to complete.
The massage therapy program offered at Western States Chiropractic College will be part of the college’s curriculum. The program, which emphasizes human anatomy and physiology, will be provided in a flexible evening format.
Californians Seek Chiropractors After Auto Accidents
According to a study by the Insurance Research Council (IRC), Californians visit chiropractors most often following an automobile accident.
The study, “Analysis of Auto-Injury Insurance Claims in Four Tort States,” studied auto-injury claims in four states: California, Illinois, Texas, and Washington. IRC found that Californians go to chiropractors most often; Illinois claimants are most likely to see an emergency department physician; and Washington claimants are most likely to go to a general practitioner, as well as alternative medical providers, such as massage therapists.
The study found that in California, 57% of bodily-injury claimants went to a chiropractor, compared with 28% in Illinois, 43% in Texas, and 46% in Washington. In addition, the study reported that more than half (53%) of California bodily-injury claimants’ medical fees came from chiropractors, compared with 26% in Illinois and 44% in both Texas and Washington.
Limited Patient Visits May Lead to Lawsuit
Missouri DCs attest that ACN Group, a subsidiary of UnitedHealthcare, and other oversight companies that monitor and grade chiropractors are putting limits on physicians and their ability to treat patients. The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) is concerned that attempts to limit care are interfering with relations between doctors and patients, and is asking DCs to send details of troublesome oversight practices for a possible class-action lawsuit.  “This entire issue is probably one of the biggest, if not the biggest, problems encountered by the American Chiropractic Association in the last 20 years,” says Tom Daly, ACA’s legal counsel. “This is an immediate and pressing concern for ACA membership.”
According to ACN Group, since the first of the year, 28 chiropractors have resigned from its Missouri network and 55 were terminated. In Southern Illinois, three chiropractors resigned and five were terminated by ACN Group. ACN Group wants chiropractors to average eight visits per patient per year. It says that 85% of patients recover from injury or illness with that amount of care, based on claims and patient-outcomes data from its national network of more than 20,000 chiropractors who treat more than 500,000 patients per year. According to Dave Elton, DC, ACN Group’s vice president of clinical programs, the largest number of patients visit chiropractors once per year. Two visits is the second-most-common frequency. “I wish every doctor could say, ‘Six visits, and I’ll have you better,’” says Rep. Charles R. Portwood, DC, (R,Mo). “It doesn’t work that way.” ACN Group says it doesn’t limit the number of times a chiropractor can treat a patient. Instead, it calculates practice averages and considers whether a DC has patients who are sicker, older, or have more complex diagnoses than patients at a typical practice. The ACN Group divides its network into two tiers. Tier one doctors get authorization to treat patients for a period of weeks or months. Tier two providers get approval for a specific number of visits during a fixed time. Quinn James, DC, who practices in St James, Mo, says ACN Group is concerned about quantity, not patient care. “If you don’t abide by what they want you to do, then they just kick you out of the network and your patient has to go search for another doctor even though you could be providing the care that is most medically necessary for that patient,” says James. The threat of expulsion from the network is great, especially for young DCs who are trying to establish their practices. |
WSCA Petitions to Stop Discrimination
The Washington State Chiropractic Association (WSCA) has petitioned Washington State Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler to stop insurance companies from discriminating against the chiropractic profession. The WSCA is requesting new rules designed to fix the growing problems caused by large health insurers that are dominating Washington markets.
“We can no longer ignore the growing threat to our patients and our profession,” says Bill Davis, WSCA president. “Chiropractors want to spend time with patients, not contracts. We are asking the insurance commissioner to step in and stop the discrimination and unfair practices of some companies.”
According to the WSCA, large insurers are forcing chiropractors into lopsided contracts that small practices cannot afford to reject; they terminate contracts without cause, force patients to find new doctors, and refuse to pay chiropractors who step in to take care of a colleague’s patients.
Resources
