CAREER/VENDOR FAIR MARCH 5 – We’re excited to kick off the Spring 2015 Career & Networking Fair hosted by the Alumni Relations office. If you are currently looking for a chiropractor to join your team or would just like to meet our students and network with your future colleagues, please consider joining us. We also invite vendors […]

Q:  Who is a Business Associate and what do we do if they refuse to sign the BAA (Business Associate Agreement)? A:  See the link below, as that will define for you exactly who your business associates would be.  When uncertain or in doubt, it is always good to double check the HHS guideline to be […]

Beginning January 1, 2015 and beyond the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is required to apply negative payment adjustments to the fee schedule amounts for those providers that have not successfully/satisfactorily participated in Medicare’s Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS). Doctors of chiropractic can avoid the 2 percent payment deduction to their 2017 Medicare […]

Dear Breakthrough Coaching Members: As you know, we have the National Chiropractic Leadership Conference February 25-28, 2015 in Washington DC. This is one of the most important years for us for two reasons: (1) There are 70 new members in Congress, and it’s critical that we arrive in force to help them understand the importance of chiropractic […]

CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner today announced new rules that strengthen oversight of Medicare providers and protect taxpayer dollars from bad actors. These new safeguards are designed to prevent physicians and other providers with unpaid debt from re-entering Medicare, remove providers with patterns or practices of abusive billing, and implement other provisions to help save more […]

Blood Pressure is no longer required by chiropractors for PQRS 2015. Chiropractors are still required to take BP on 80% of patients age 3 and older for Meaningful Use criteria. PQRS 2015 FOR CHIROPRACTORS: Measure #131: Pain Assessment and Follow-Up Updated Denominator Criteria, Rationale, and Clinical Recommendation Statements Added to Denominator Coding, CPT Code 96151 […]

A Nov. 12, 2014 announcement from the principal accrediting agency for health care organizations could significantly impact access to integrative pain care throughout the United States. The agency is the Joint Commission. The revised accreditation standard will apply to all the institutions under the agency’s guidance and review: hospitals, ambulatory care facilities, home health and senior homes. […]

View YOUR Listing Online… While the F4CP had its big debut in 2003, it didn’t get much attention until 2006 after retaining the services of CPR Communications. The public relations agency initiated a monthly campaign that included the distribution of press releases, print advertorials, public service announcements, social syndications and advertisements. As a result, for the […]

Anyone who uses modifier 59 needs to be aware that due to problems with the incorrect usage of this modifier (which by the way is also revised for 2015,) CMS has added four new HCPCS modifiers. An announcement by CMS stated that “CMS is establishing four new HCPCS modifiers to define subsets of the -59 […]

Reminder: November 30 Deadline for EHR Incentive Program Hardship Exception Applications To Avoid 2015 Medicare Reimbursement Payment Reductions  The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) reopened the submission period for hardship exception applications for eligible professionals to avoid the 2015 Medicare payment adjustments for not demonstrating meaningful use of Certified Electronic Health Record Technology (CEHRT) for the Electronic […]

The ACA was recently notified that the Office of Inspector General (OIG)* is currently conducting a nationwide review of the chiropractic profession. Doctors of chiropractic have received letters requesting records for services provided during calendar year 2013. It is critical that all doctors of chiropractic who receives a letter from the OIG responds with the […]

Court Grants Class Standing to Out-of-Network Providers in UHC/Optum Lawsuit DCs subjected to UHC/Optum’s improper practices should contact ACA with information The federal court presiding over pending action against UnitedHealthcare (UHC)/Optum for inappropriate repayment demands will now allow providers, including doctors of chiropractic, who are outside of United’s network to seek relief on a class-wide […]

NCHM 2014:  Conservative Care First! Hosted by the American Chiropractic Association (ACA), National Chiropractic Health Month (NCHM) is a national public awareness and education campaign held each October. NCHM strives to teach health care consumers about the benefits of chiropractic services and to promote the expertise of doctors of chiropractic (DCs) in helping their patients […]

In January 2013, the HIPAA Omnibus Final Rule was published in the Federal Register. While the initial compliance date for most components of the Final Rule was Sept. 23, 2014, Business Associate Agreements (BAAs) did not have to be updated until the existing agreement expired or by Sept. 22, 2015–the final compliance date. If providers have not already updated their […]

Two critical deadlines are coming up next week related to the Medicare Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program. Tuesday, July 1, is the last day that first time participants can begin their 90-day reporting period of meaningful use (MU) in order to avoid the Medicare payment adjustment that will begin on Jan. 1, 2015 AND to qualify for up to […]

On June 6, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued notification regarding updates to the 2014 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Database (MPFSDB) that will go into effect on July 1, 2014. Included in the updates were new fees for Chiropractic Manipulative Treatment (CMT) codes 98940, 98941, and 98942. Following the completion of the Chiropractic […]

On May 20, HHS published a new proposed rule that would provide eligible professionals (EPs) more flexibility in how they use certified electronic health record technology (CEHRT) to meet meaningful use. Recognizing that many software vendors are having a difficult time making the necessary changes to get their EHR products certified and then getting their […]

ACA’s Insurance Relations Department has received many calls from providers regarding Aetna claims denied and appealed for services represented with CPT 97140 with CMT. In an effort to assist each clinic in finding a resolution, ACA has developed a helpful Aetna-specific resource, How to File a Claim or Submit an Appeal, which is free to members. The […]

National Quality Forum Appointment Follows ACA Nomination   Arlington, Va.—The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) is pleased to announced that John Ventura, DC, DABCO, has been appointed by the National Quality Forum (NQF) to serve as a member of its Musculoskeletal Steering Committee for the Musculoskeletal Measure Endorsement and Maintenance Project. The NQF is a not-for-profit, nonpartisan, membership-based […]