ACA EVP Weekly Report

[Guest guest]

ACA EVP Weekly Report

Memorandum

To:

ACA Members, House of Delegates, Board of Governors and Other Interested

Parties

From: Cuneo

Re: ACA EVP Weekly Report

Date: Nov. 17,

2004

1.

SUPREME COURT REJECTS PETITION IN TRIGON SUIT

2. UNITED HEALTHCARE ISSUES FALSE INFORMATION

3. CORRECTION REGARDING SACA LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

4. MASTERS CIRCLE A SUCCESS AND HELPFUL TO NCLAF

5. MEDICARE DEMONSTRATION PROJECT SITES ANNOUNCED

6. CHIROPRACTIC SECTION OF APHA MEETS IN NATION’S CAPITAL

7. ACA NOW ACCEPTING ORDERS FOR 2005 CHIROPRACTIC CODING SOLUTIONS

MANUAL; FEATURES NEW CONTENT AND CLINICAL EXAMPLES

1. SUPREME COURT REJECTS PETITION IN TRIGON SUIT

I

am sure you are aware that the U.S. Supreme Court decided not to accept our

petition to consider a reversal of the lower court in the Trigon suit. See our

news bulletin for further details at http://www.acatoday.com/legal/trigon/111004.shtml.

Obviously

we are disappointed, but this effort to fight the abuses by the insurance

industry isn't over. The insurance industry now realizes that we will not stand

by and allow the industry to arbitrarily discriminate against the profession

without a price. More on our plans in future reports.

There

was one small moral victory last week. In the Nov. 5 issue of the Legal Times,

there was an article regarding the various petitions before the Supreme Court.

It identified five that were of particular interest. Our lawsuit against Trigon

was listed as one of them. To bolster the significance of this listing was a

statement at the end of the article that states:

" This

column seeks to identify cases on the Supreme Court’s conference agenda that

are leading candidates for Supreme Court review or that raise significant

national issues. Goldstein of Washington D.C.’s, Goldstein and Howe

selects these cases from the many petitions filed based on several factors,

including whether lower courts have split on the issues presented. He does not

otherwise participate in the preparation of this column. "

Here

is an independent body indicating that our petition wasn't a frivolous action,

in direct contrast to some of the demagogues in this profession who are

chortling over this decision.

2. UNITED HEALTHCARE ISSUES FALSE INFORMATION

Last

week, a number of our doctors received letters from UnitedHealthcare Group

reducing their reimbursement and requesting refunds for multiple CMT codes

reported on the same day of service. They based their decision on an alleged

recommendation from the American Chiropractic Association.

This

is a blatantly false statement. Medicare RBRVS provides the carriers with the

authority to take this position. We have notified United of our displeasure and

requested that they notify their subscribers regarding this false information.

We have been told that the company plans to inform providers in the future but

not to notify those already receiving the letter. This isn't acceptable. We

intend to pursue this matter with United. For further information please go to:

http://www.acatoday.com/insurance/coding/coding_uhc_coding.shtml.

3. CORRECTION REGARDING SACA LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

Last

week's report discussed the recent SACA Leadership Conference that was held on

the campus of National University of Health Sciences in Chicago. I listed

the number of speakers who presented to the 30-plus students in attendance and

regrettably left off the names of three of the participants. These included

, author of How Successful People Keep Their Lives Out of the

Toilet, McNerney, executive vice president of NCMIC Group, and

Prendergast, NCMIC's vice president of marketing. I regret the oversight.

4. MASTERS CIRCLE A SUCCESS AND HELPFUL TO NCLAF

Dr.

Jim , past ACA chairman, and Dr. Vaughn, delegate from Texas East,

reported on their recent participation at the Masters Circle Super Conference

in Las Vegas the weekend

of Nov. 3. They indicated that more than 2,500 doctors and CAs heard a number

of prominent speakers on practice management. The Masters

Circle leadership provided the ACA with a

booth to promote ACA membership and our lawsuit. Dr. Bob Hoffman, one of the

principles of the Masters Circle, introduced

Col. Mark Losack to the attendees. Dr. Hoffman played the Simple Justice II

video, and Dr. Losack was given an extended and emotional standing

ovation. Dr. Losack spoke eloquently about the importance of the lawsuits

and how we must fight to protect and defend this profession. Following Dr.

Losack’s presentation, he brought Drs. Hoffman, Markson and Perman on stage and

presented them with framed autographed pictures of himself adjusting a fellow

Marine in front o! f Saddam's palace. Dr. Losack then urged the attendees to

visit the ACA booth and join the fight.

Drs.

and Vaughn took it from there. For the remainder of the weekend, they

promoted the importance of joining the ACA and continuing our legal battles --

and they were successful. A total of 22 doctors made one-time contributions

totaling $3,600. Additionally, 19 new monthly contributors for NCLAF also

signed up in support. A number of new members are also expected.

The

Masters Circle has been

very helpful in promoting the lawsuits. Last year's conference resulted in 115

monthly contributors signing on.

5. MEDICARE DEMONSTRATION PROJECT SITES ANNOUNCED

The

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced last week the

locations of four sites where the chiropractic demonstration project will be

conducted. Included were the entire states of Maine and New Mexico, as well as

17 central counties in Virginia and the Chicago Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Legislation signed by President Bush in December 2003 requires that

chiropractic care with access to full scope of practice be provided over a

two-year period in a total of four sites -- two rural and two urban. As quoted

in the CMS press release, “The goal of the demonstration is to evaluate the

feasibility and desirability of covering additional chiropractic services under

Medicare beyond the current coverage.”

We

have been working with CMS over the last few months to assure that the

demonstration project be conducted in an expeditious and appropriate manner,

consistent with the intent of Congress. We have been pleased so far about the

protocols that will be used to measure the project. However, we have identified

several areas of concern with regard to the design, including possible

infringements on full scope of practice under existing Medicare program

benefits. We are also concerned that CMS is proposing that the budget neutral

provisions be taken from the chiropractic portion of the Medicare budget

instead of from all providers. This was clearly not the intent of Congress. ACA

has retained a former top assistant to Senator Grassley who was responsible for

writing the chiropractic provision to support our point.

We

will keep you informed. CMS is scheduled to hold an Open Door Forum on Nov. 18

where the public can call in and hear comments from CMS staff regarding this

effort. We intend to participate.

6. CHIROPRACTIC SECTION OF APHA MEETS IN NATION’S CAPITAL

It

wasn't long ago that the American Public Health Association (APHA) participated

with the medical profession and others in boycotting the chiropractic

profession. So it was with great pleasure that I joined ACA Vice President of

Government Relations Jon Hymes and Assistant Director of Government Relations

Amy Hanley in attending a reception of the chiropractic section of the APHA

that was held last Monday during the APHA convention in Washington, D.C. More than

30 doctors were in attendance, including those who have been part of this

effort for years, such as Dr. Pammer, former ACA President, and Dr. Rand

Baird. Also participating was Dr. Killinger, who is the chair of the

chiropractic section, and Dr. Hyland who serves on ACA’s Public Relations

Committee.

Dr.

Pammer pointed out that next year will be the 10th anniversary of the

chiropractic section. We have come a long way. However, they continue to need

members to join and keep the section viable. We would encourage you to do

so. You can learn more about joining the APHA by visiting its Web site: http://www.apha.org/membership/categories.htm.

7.

ACA NOW ACCEPTING ORDERS FOR 2005 CHIROPRACTIC CODING SOLUTIONS MANUAL;

FEATURES NEW CONTENT AND CLINICAL EXAMPLES

ACA

is now accepting orders for the 2005 edition of its Chiropractic Coding

Solutions Manual -- the only comprehensive coding publication written

exclusively for doctors of chiropractic by doctors of chiropractic. This year's

edition includes all new clinical examples that are easier to understand and

use, additional talking points to help educate insurers, an explanation of the

new acupuncture codes, and an expanded listing of preventive medicine codes.

Enhanced

design features, including color-coded section tabs, will help chiropractic

professionals easily find the coding information necessary to accurately

identify and report diagnoses, procedures and treatments. The manual is

developed annually by a panel of experts from the ACA's Coding and

Reimbursement Committee, a committee that includes two doctors of chiropractic

who participate in the American Medical Association's Current Procedural

Terminology (CPT) committee process. The result is the most precise and reliable

chiropractic coding manual on the market today. But don't just take our word

for it. Click here http://www.acatoday.com/about/products/cpt_praise.shtml to see what

others say about the ACA Chiropractic Coding Solutions Manual.

Both

ACA members and non-members can purchase this essential coding resource at a

cost of $79.95 for ACA members and $119 for non-members, which includes a

complimentary subscription to the ACA Practice Advisory, a quarterly newsletter

that provides updates on coding, reimbursement and regulatory issues. Also

included is a free CD-ROM with sample insurance template letters to assist you

with frequently denied claims and essential forms.

Order

your copy today! Call (800) 368-3083 or order online through the ACA virtual

store by clicking here http://www.acatoday.com/store/index.cfm?frm=details & piid=111 & scid=20. Click here

http://www.acatoday.com/pdf/RevisedCPT_05Flyer1.pdf to download

an order form and fax it to (515) 981-9479.

Please

note, books will be available in early 2005 to allow for inclusion of new

Medicare RVUs not yet released.

************************

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types, you need Adobe's Acrobat Reader. This is a free utility available

at www.adobe.com. If

you need further assistance viewing anything referred to in this report, please

e-mail me at gcuneo@....

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[Guest guest]

Dear Colleagues:

From the ACA look at #5 and you can get a sense of what the PTs are up to nationwide.

Vern Saboe

ACA EVP Weekly Report

Memorandum

ACA Members, House of Delegates, Board of Governors and Other Interested PartiesFrom: CuneoRe: ACA EVP Weekly ReportDate: March 9, 2005 This week’s report includes the following items:

1. NCLC: GREAT SPEAKERS, GREAT PROGRAM, GREAT ATTENDANCE2. ACA SPONSORED TRICARE LEGISLATION INTRODUCED IN CONGRESS BY MIKE ROGERS3. ACA SPONSORS DIRECT ACCESS BILL IN VA4. HAVE YOU BEEN TERMINATED FROM A MANAGED CARE PANEL?5. PTs ON THE MARCH6. WFC CONGRESS, SYDNEY, JUNE 14-18, 2005. ARE YOU GOING TO AUSTRALIA?7. ACA SPONSORED MEDICARE DEMONSTRATION SEMINARS SCHEDULED8. A NEW MEMBER BENEFIT: JMPT ARRIVING SOON9. ACA LEADERSHIP ON THE ROAD 1. NCLC: GREAT SPEAKERS, GREAT PROGRAM, GREAT ATTENDANCE You probably expect such a headline from a spin master like me, but ask the 500 plus doctors and students who attended ACA’s National Chiropractic Legislative Conference (NCLC) last week, and I think they will confirm that this was one of the best NCLCs yet. You are going to be hearing and seeing more about this in the coming weeks, but let me give you a quick summary of our more prominent speakers at the program: Vice Admiral Don Arthur, MD, U.S. Navy Surgeon General; Rear Admiral Eisold MD, who heads the medical facility at the U.S. Capitol; Sen. (R-Va.), an individual who is being mentioned on the list of potential candidates for president in 2008; Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), senior Democratic leader, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Sen. Murkowski (R-Alaska), Rep. Bob Filner (D-Calif.), Rep. Mike (R-Ala.), Rep. (R-N.M.) and the list goes on. We videoed many of the comments and will be posting them on the Web site in the near future. Stay tuned for further information.

2. ACA SPONSORED TRICARE LEGISLATION INTRODUCED IN CONGRESS BY MIKE ROGERS Legislation that would extend the chiropractic benefit to family members of our armed forces, as well as retirees, was introduced last week by Rep. Mike (R-Ala.), a member of the Armed Services Committee. HR 999 was the key piece of legislation that more than 500 NCLC attendees discussed with their members of Congress during lobbying visits last week in Washington, DC. At this point, our goal is to secure as many cosponsors as possible. This will help us develop the momentum necessary to attach our provision to a Department of Defense (DOD) authorization bill that we anticipate will be going through Congress later this year. Last congressional session, we were successful in getting 70 members of Congress to become cosponsors. Our goal for this session will be over 90 cosponsors. We will be sending out alerts to our grassroots urging your participation in this effort. In the meantime, please visit our web site at http://www.acatoday.com/government/issue_briefs.shtml for further information regarding this bill and other legislation that we will be promoting this year. In 1996, the ACA revised its Long Range Plan setting forth its goals and objectives. Among them was an aggressive legislative agenda that included the establishment of chiropractic as a permanent benefit in the military and the Veterans Administration, the inclusion of a chiropractic doctor in the Capitol to treat members of Congress, the elimination of the X-ray requirement in Medicare, the inclusion of chiropractic in student loan repayment programs, and expansion of chiropractic in Medicare, among other things. We have succeeded in either reaching these goals or developing the foundation for making them a permanent benefit. Including chiropractic in the Tricare Health Plan is the next goal we want to achieve. For a review of the ACA Long Range Plan visit our Web site at: http://www.acatoday.com/about/vision.shtml.

3. ACA SPONSORS DIRECT ACCESS BILL IN VA Congressman Bob Filner (D-Calif.), senior member of the Committee on Veterans Affairs, has introduced legislation to provide veterans with direct access to a doctor of chiropractic through the Department of Veterans Affairs health care system. In the past, segments of the federal bureaucracy have been reluctant to implement directives from Congress regarding chiropractic care. The bill (HR 917) seeks to send a message to opponents of chiropractic -- inside and outside of the government -- that American’s veterans will not be denied chiropractic care. We continue to get positive reports from our doctors who have been hired by the VA regarding their successful integration in this system. This bill will be a safeguard to assure that the implementation continues to be implemented in a fair and expeditious manner. 4. HAVE YOU BEEN TERMINATED FROM A MANAGED CARE PANEL? As you may know, we have been collecting complaints from providers regarding their experiences with networks and managed care plans. A form you can use to notify us of these complaints can be found on our Web site http://www.acatoday.com/insurance/managed_care/managed_care_collection.doc. Some doctors have informed us lately that they have been terminated from their network. ACA’s Department of Professional Development and Research (PDR) has established some questions to ask the managed care plans that you can find on the form. 5. PTs ON THE MARCH We have been monitoring the Web site of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and working with state associations to track the efforts of the APTA to get direct access legislation passed. Here is the latest from the APTA Web site.

“Rep. Tanner (D-Tenn.), a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, got a firsthand look at the benefits of physical therapy when he visited Yarbrough, PT, at Yarbrough’s rehabilitation unit in . Tanner co-chairs the moderate Democratic “Blue Dog Coalition†Task Force on Budget and Tax and serves on the group’s health task force. APTA encourages all association members to schedule practice visits with their members of Congress.

“APTA members also are marching on state capitals across the country. In Washington State, 185 chapter members marched on the Capitol building in Olympia and heard from Rep. Dawn Morrell, a sponsor of the state’s consumer protection bill (HB 1137/SB 5248). Chapter Legislative Committee Chair Sharon McCallum, PT, and her colleagues met with legislators from 42 of the state’s 49 districts to build support for the bill.â€

You can find this information and more on the APTA Web site at: http://www.apta.org/bulletin. 6. WFC CONGRESS, SYDNEY, JUNE 14-18, 2005. ARE YOU GOING TO AUSTRALIA? The World Federal of Chiropractic, hosted by the Chiropractors Association of Australia, has its 8th Biennial Congress in Sydney in June. Those of you who were at either of the last two in Paris (2001) and Orlando (2003) will know how great these are. You can find information about the conference at www.wfc.org/congress2005. ACA members attending are invited to apply to join the ACA delegates to the WFC Assembly of Members. This is held on June 14-15, just before the main convention program on June 16-18. Leaders from national associations worldwide will attend this Assembly and will be, among many other things, making important decisions on the identity of the profession. This follows a survey of the profession worldwide that WFC conducted last October, along with recommendations of a 40-person Task Force. ACA was represented on this task force by Chairman McClelland, DC and President Krippendorf, DC. The ACA, which is represented on the WFC Council by Mike Flynn, DC, Kerwin Winkler, DC, and Don Krippendorf, DC, is entitled to a large delegation at the Assembly and welcomes member participation. Would you be interested in meeting the profession’s leaders from throughout Asia, Latin America, Europe, Australia, and the world? If this is of interest to you, please contact Dr. Flynn at flynn@.... 7. ACA SPONSORED MEDICARE DEMONSTRATION SEMINARS SCHEDULED If you reside in those areas where the Medicare Demonstration program will be conducted, you should attend the ACA sponsored program on this issue. As we’ve reported, beginning April 1, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will be conducting a demonstration project in four sites throughout the country where our doctors will be able to utilize the same treatment and diagnostic procedures as other providers within the scope of their license in treating Medicare patients. CMS has established specific procedures for this program that you should know. ACA has been involved in providing input to CMS in the development of the demonstration protocols. Our presenters are well qualified to present to you the protocols required. I have provided below the dates of the seminars, locations and contact persons to register.

Davenport, Iowa Hosted by: Cosponsored by the Iowa Chiropractic Society and Palmer College of Chiropractic Date: Saturday, March 12, 2005 Seminar Location: Palmer Chiropractic College in Davenport, Iowa

Contact: Iowa Chiropractic Society, Gene Handley, PhD at 800-475-6178 or ICS @iowadcs.org or mail at ICS, 1605 N. Ankeny Blvd., Ste. 100, Ankeny, IA 50021

Areas participating in the Medicare demonstration project in Iowa: County (Davenport)

State of Maine Hosted by: Cosponsored by the Maine Chiropractic Association Date: Saturday, March 19, 2005 Seminar Location: Ramada Inn & conference Area ton, MaineContact: Maine Chiropractic Association: 207-622-5421 or mail at MCA, PO Box 7120 Albee Rd, Augusta, ME 04330 State of New Mexico Hosted by: Cosponsored by New Mexico Chiropractic Association Date: March 19, 2005 Seminar Location: Albuquerque Hilton Hotel Albuquerque, N.M.Contact: New Mexico Chiropractic Association: 505-828-1128 IllinoisHosted by: Cosponsored by National University of Health SciencesDate: March 19, 2005Seminar Location: NUHS in Lombard, Ill. - Room 220Contact: the ACA: 800-986-4636

Areas participating in the Medicare demonstration project in Illinois: Cook, Dekalb, Dupage, Grundy, Kane, Kendall, McHenry, Will, Boone, Bureau, Carroll, Henry, Joaviess, Kankakee, Lake, LaSalle, Lee, Marshall, Mercer, Ogle, Putnam, Rock Island, Stark, son, Whiteside, Winnebago VirginiaHosted by: Cosponsored by the Virginia Chiropractic AssociationDate: April 2, 2005Seminar Location: Charlottesville, VAContact: Virginia Chiropractic Association at 540-932-3100

Areas participating in the Medicare demonstration project in Virginia: Pittsylvania, , Appomattox, , Buckingham, Fluvanna, Louisa, Caroline, Hanover, New Kent, Henrico, Richmond City, Danville City, Goochland, Cumberland, Powhatan, Amelia.

8. A NEW MEMBER BENEFIT: JMPT ARRIVING SOON

Beginning in January of this year, the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (JMPT) was added to the list of benefits available for free to full general members of the ACA.

In order to provide the readers of JMPT with the very best publication, the journal - published by Elsevier and owned by the National University of Health Sciences (NUHS) - has been going through a series of improvements. Unfortunately during this process, delays were encountered that pushed back the mailing dates of the first two issues of 2005, namely the January and February issues. We apologize for any inconvenience that this may have caused ACA members.

The entire January and February issues, including all articles in full-text, are now available at the journal's Web site. You can access the JMPT Web site by clicking the JMPT logo located in the upper right corner of ACA's home page: http://www.acatoday.com. For a limited period of time, open access to all articles is provided so that general ACA members will be able to set up their passwords. The sign up process is simple. On the JMPT homepage, ACA full general members will need to click on the “Current Subscribers†link. From there, full access to the JMPT is just a few clicks away. You will want to have your print version of JMPT handy, because you will need to type in the code on the label (as described in the Web site instructions). There is also a toll-free help line for anyone who is having technical difficulties and would like to speak with a live person -- (800) 654-2452. Hard copies of the January issue were mailed at the end of February, and full general members of the ACA should be receiving their copies soon. The February issue will be mailed mid-March. Normally scheduled mailing of the JMPT will resume with the March/April issue.

Thank you for your patience as the JMPT works toward returning to the regular publication schedule. Sincerely, , MSEd, DCEditor JMPT BaumleExecutive PublisherElsevier, Health Professions-Periodicals

9. ACA LEADERSHIP ON THE ROAD ACA Past President Daryl Wills, DC, traveled to California two weeks ago to attend the Cleveland Conference sponsored by the Cleveland College of Chiropractic. He participated in a panel discussion with the ICA president on the subject of ethics and then joined ACA students in manning the ACA booth. He was successful in signing up a number of new doctor and student members and responding to numerous questions regarding the ACA. ************************If you need further assistance viewing, or have any questions regarding, anything referred to in this report, please e-mail me at gcuneo@... . The reports can also be viewed on our web site at http://www.acatoday.com/membersonly/publications/evp_report/ - you will need your username and password.

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[Guest guest]



Colleagues from the ACA...F.Y.I., take a look at #1 and #2.

Vern Saboe

ACA EVP Weekly Report

Memorandum

ACA Members, ACA House of Delegates, Board of Governors and Other Interested PartiesFrom: CuneoRe: ACA EVP Weekly ReportDate: May 25, 2005

This week’s report includes the following items:

1. HAD ENOUGH WITH CHIROPRACTIC MANAGED CARE GROUPS?2. GROUP LOBBIES AGAINST THE PROFESSION ON STROKE ISSUE3. CORRECTING THE RECORD4. ACA PRESIDENT NAMED TO PENTAGON PANEL5. TELL US ABOUT YOUR CORRECT POSTURE MONTH ACTIVITIES 6. CMCC RECEIVES DEGREE GRANTING STATUS7. OHIO IN THE SPOTLIGHT8. OTHER MEMBERSHIP ACTION

1. HAD ENOUGH WITH CHIROPRACTIC MANAGED CARE GROUPS?

A few years ago, a group of ACA leaders and I met with the medical directors of 20 Blue Cross plans. The meeting was arranged by the chief medical director of national Blue Cross/Blue Shield as a way for us to address the policymakers on what we believed were discriminatory practices by the Blues against our profession. When we finished our presentation, a couple of the medical directors made some frank observations to us, all of them essentially to the same effect: “It’s not the medical directors that are the problem. It is your own kind. Chiropractic managed care companies are coming to us with business proposals that we would be fools not to accept.â€

At the time, we were involved in two lawsuits and didn’t have the resources to pursue other initiatives. But today is another day. The complaints we are receiving from members and non-members regarding chiropractic managed care networks have increased substantially and have caused us to take a more aggressive look at the problem. The “bullying†tactics that are being practiced exceed anything that was around a few years ago. Doctors are forced to practice within a narrow utilization treatment formula. If they exceed the formula, even by a fraction, they are dropped from the panel. Once a doctor is taken off a panel, it is nearly impossible for him or her to qualify on a panel from another company. We are hearing that in one state 40 doctors were kicked off a panel during the last few months. Participants were forced to either “get along†-- even if it meant giving patients sub-standard care -- or “get out†and lose their practice. To make matters worse, these same groups use every opportunity to wrap themselves around the ACA, taking our positions out of context or using their past affiliations with the ACA to legitimize their activities.

The majority of the complaints we have received have come from ACN, ASHP and Landmark. It is time to act, and this is what we plan to do in cooperation with the National Chiropractic Legal Action Fund.

• ACA has retained the services of the nation's premier class action law firm, Milberg, Weiss, Bershad & Schulman LLP, to assist us in our ongoing effort to collect and analyze managed care abuse information from the field.

• Initiate, in connection with cooperating state associations, contacts and complaints with state insurance departments detailing the offending actions of managed care groups.

• Identify what we believe to be specific violations of ERISA claims and appeals regulations by offending managed care groups through the direct intervention of the ACA legal department with the U.S. Department of Labor and the related employer purchasers.

• Accelerate legislative efforts to educate Congress and the Bush Administration of the ongoing problems in managed care and the toll these problems take on the patient community.

We have a couple of other things up our sleeve that we will leave off this report for now.At http://www.acatoday.com/media/releases/052305.shtml, you will find a press release that we distributed on Monday that provides more information regarding this action and the specific type of data we are seeking. You will also find online a “managed care data collection form†at http://www.acatoday.com/pdf/managed_care_collection.pdf. If you have had problems within the scope of this review with these chiropractic groups or know of doctors who have, please fill out the form and fax it to Laurie s, ACA’s Insurance Director, at (703) 243-2593. Finally, you will find a letter that ACA has sent to the president of ASHP complaining about the misuse of ACA information to justify their insurance decisions: http://www.acatoday.com/insurance/managed_care/devriesASHN.shtml.

2. GROUP LOBBIES AGAINST THE PROFESSION ON STROKE ISSUE

We were tipped off by a friendly senator that a group identifying themselves as NECK911 USA was walking the halls of Congress last week attempting to get congressional support for legislation that would outlaw neck manipulations. The web site for the group is as follows: http://www.neck911usa.com/index.htm. While we don’t believe that these people got any support, we certainly plan to monitor their activities. With all these hostile groups wanting to hurt this profession, how is it possible that many doctors continue to sit on the sidelines and not get involved? These threats are real, and everyone needs get behind an organization -- this organization -- to help us fight this threat. I have provided a link to a membership application and would encourage you to talk with your non-member colleagues about participating in our effort: http://www.acatoday.com/membership/application.shtml. $50 a month for membership isn’t much when you consider the alternative. 3. CORRECTING THE RECORD Recently, an ACA member brought forward a publication for patients by BCBS of New Mexico regarding prevention and treatment options for back pain. In the article, the author consulted several organizations for information but neglected to contact ACA as the largest association representing doctors of chiropractic in the country. The article focused on home treatments such as safe ways of lifting or lowering and over-the-counter medications. It also provided guidelines of when patients should seek care from their doctor. In response, ACA sent a letter to BCBS New Mexico referencing the chiropractic profession's comprehensive professional and educational knowledge, especially pertaining to back pain, and expressing our disappointment at not being consulted. We also offered our interest in being considered as a contact for future articles. The letter additionally references studies showing why chiropractic can be more cost effective than traditional medical options and safer than many over-the-counter treatments. 4. ACA PRESIDENT NAMED TO PENTAGON PANEL ACA President J. Krippendorf, DC, has been appointed to the Department of Defense Chiropractic Health Care Benefits Advisory Committee, which is charged with providing recommendations on the implementation of chiropractic care benefits for active duty military personnel. Dr. Krippendorf joins fellow ACA colleagues Drs. , Ferguson, Goodman and Rick Mc as members of the panel. Last October, President Bush signed into law the bill that activated and set forth the set of responsibilities for the Pentagon’s chiropractic advisory committee. The ACA and the Association of Chiropractic Colleges (ACC) supported instituting the panel and backed final passage of H.R. 4200 (now Public Law 108-375), the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year (FY) 2005. The Defense Department’s chiropractic advisory committee provides guidance and recommendations to the Secretary of Defense and to Congress regarding the effective implementation of chiropractic care benefits for active duty members of the armed services. Currently, active duty personnel can receive chiropractic care at 42 military health facilities across the country. To see the text of Section 718 of HR 4200, the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2005, visit: http://www.acatoday.com/pdf/HR4200S718.pdf. 5. TELL US ABOUT YOUR CORRECT POSTURE MONTH ACTIVITIES Did you participate in the ACA’s Correct Posture Month observance? If so, we want to hear about your successes and challenges to help us better plan future events. To share your experiences, e-mail Kargus at akargus@.... Please include photos if appropriate. We plan to publish some members' experiences in future issues of ACA News. Appropriate information to include: brief description of event or activity held, number of participants, challenges experienced, media interviews given, overall thoughts about the success of the activity. 6. CMCC RECEIVES DEGREE GRANTING STATUS Its official! The Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities has granted consent to the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College to offer a Doctor of Chiropractic degree program commencing with the class entering in August 2005. Degree granting status is in recognition of the quality of the CMCC program. It set the program within the hierarchy of education in Ontario as comparable to that of other primary contact health care professions, such as medicine, dentistry, and optometry. It is an honor for CMCC to be the first private institution in Ontario to be granted the privilege of offering a professional health care degree under the Post Secondary Education Choice and Excellence Act. 7. OHIO IN THE SPOTLIGHT While the focus of the spotlight section of my weekly report is usually on membership activity, I can’t ignore recent activities in Ohio - where, under the direction of ACA membership chair Dr. Rob Sheely -- NCLAF support continues to be strong. Recently, four of its districts contributed again to our NCLAF efforts. The districts and amounts are below: District 1, Northwest Ohio Chiropractic Association: $500 District 3, Northeast Ohio Academy of Chiropractic: $100District 6, Mid-Ohio Chiropractic Association: $1000District 14, North Central Academy of Chiropractic: $500 Ohio is ranked as the highest state association in contributing to NCLAF. Since we started raising money for the fund, the Ohio State Chiropractic Association and its districts have contributed a total of $121,930. 8. OTHER MEMBERSHIP ACTION Dr. Ivey, ACA alternate delegate from South Dakota, continues to do a great job in organizing the state. So far, he has appointed the following congressional chairs: Dr. Fred Deutsch, Watertown; Dr. Bak, Watertown; Dr. Jim Fitzgerald, Yankton; Dr. , Spearfish; and Dr. Kerwin Winkler, Aberdeen. He is also looking to appoint representatives in Sioux Falls and Rapid City. Dr. Ellen Witt, chair of the membership campaign in Alabama, along with Dr. Griffiths, have done a great job in targeting non-members in their state for recruitment. They plan to do a major push at their upcoming state convention. Additionally, they have succeeded in getting excerpts from my report and other ACA releases in the state association’s newsletter. What a great way to promote the ACA. Dr. Vaughn, one of the ACA regional membership chairs, has done a great job in organizing her state and motivating the state membership chairs to promote ACA activities. Additionally, she has taken on the goal of ensuring that all members of Texas Board of Directors and Texas College Board of Regents are members of the ACA. Dr. Al Norville, delegate from Mississippi and the state membership chair, has been active as usual. He presented the ACA membership video and signed up a number of members at a recent convention.

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