Fw: Dec 02 - Jan 03 Delegate Update

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Dec 02 - Jan 03 Delegate Update

Delegate Update

An electronic publication of the American Chiropractic Association

December 2002/January 2003

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Letter to the Delegates Wal-Mart Meets with ACA Officials to Discuss Company’s Elimination of Chiropractic Benefits Special Chairman’s Report: VA Chiropractic Advisory Committee Meets for Second Time Emmitt Credits Chiropractic For Rushing Record Foot Levelers Supports Lawsuits to Defend Chiropractic Foot Levelers Provides Over a Half Million Dollars to State Associations

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The ACA’s NATIONAL CHIROPRACTIC LEGISLATIVE CONFERENCE is just months away-and you won’t want to miss it. The event takes place March 5-8, 2003, at the Hyatt Regency in Washington, DC. Attendees will learn about the latest political and legislative events affecting the profession and then take their pro-chiropractic message to Capitol Hill, where they will meet with their elected representatives. There’s no mistake, this mass lobbying effort makes a difference. Last year, including chiropractors in the National Health Service Corps program was a major objective for NCLC participants. This year, the president signed the bill into law. Make a difference in 2003 by attending NCLC and promoting chiropractic to the nation’s policy makers. To register, call 800/986-4636. To make reservations at the Hyatt, call 202/737-1234 or go to www.washingtonregency.hyatt.com/groupbooking/acha. Early bird rates available until Feb. 7, 2003.

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1. Letter to the Delegates

For all of your effort on behalf of the chiropractic profession and especially for the American Chiropractic Association, I send you my heartfelt appreciation. May this holiday season and the new year bring you and those you love a time of health, happiness and prosperity. As always, there is much to be done by the Council in the upcoming months. I value each and every one of you and all that you do to promote and protect our wonderful profession.

Happy Holidays to you all!

G. Brassard, D.C.

President

2. WAL-MART MEETS WITH ACA OFFICIALS

TO DISCUSS COMPANY’S ELIMINATION OF CHIROPRACTIC BENEFITS

ACA’s Efforts to Secure Meeting Prove Successful

After continued efforts by the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) to secure a meeting with Wal-Mart, Inc., the retail giant invited ACA officials to its Bentonville, AR, offices on December 12 to discuss the company’s elimination of chiropractic benefits from employee health plans. The meeting represented a starting point as the ACA attempts to forge an understanding with Wal-Mart regarding the importance of chiropractic care to the 1 million employees affected by the company’s health care policies. ACA first contacted Wal-Mart regarding this issue more than a year ago.

“We hope this meeting will mark the beginning of a mutually beneficial relationship with Wal-Mart, particularly at a time when health care premiums are steadily climbing,” stated ACA President Daryl D. Wills, DC. “Thank you to all the ACA members who helped to reinforce our message by sending letters and emails and making phone calls to Wal-Mart. ACA certainly appreciates your efforts.”

Look for an update on the December 12 meeting in an upcoming news bulletin and ACA Today story.

3. SPECIAL CHAIRMAN’S REPORT: VA CHIROPRACTIC ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETS FOR SECOND TIME

By Dr. , ACA Chairman of the Board

I just returned from attending the second meeting of the VA Chiropractic Advisory Committee (CAC) in Washington, DC, from December 4-5. ACA Executive Vice President Cuneo and ACA Vice President of Government Relations Jay Witter also attended parts of the presentations. Following is a synopsis of the proceedings:

DAY 1: Chairman directed the six chiropractic members of the committee to deliver presentations on chiropractic for the non-DC members of the committee. Dr. began with an outstanding presentation regarding chiropractic education; Dr. Vaughn then gave a detailed presentation on scope, licensure, and testing (NBCE); Dr. Rick Mc then spoke on chiropractic practice, as well as the DoD. Those three presentations took about 2 ½ hours. Then, Dr. McLean spoke on philosophy, the chiropractic subluxation, and the ACC Paradigm; Dr. Leona Fischer gave a brief presentation on chiropractic organizations; Dr. DuVall ended with a quick run through on chiropractic research. The final three presentations took about one hour.All in all, the entire morning was well received by the medical members of the VA Committee. I think that, for the most part, much of what they heard was new information.After the lunch break, the members of the VA committee boarded a van for the National Naval Medical Center (aka "Bethesda: The President's Hospital") for a tour and presentation by their staff. Although the public was not invited, Bill , DC, chief of the Bethesda Chiropractic Department, was kind enough to invite me to attend. I have to tell you that Dr. Bill is to be highly commended, not only for the outstanding job he has done at Bethesda in terms of representing our profession to the military there, but also for the work he performed in preparing for the committee's visitation. He had many of the neuromusculoskeletal "brass hats" in attendance, including his "skipper" (the head of the "neuromusculoskeletal service line"), his "skipper's" commanding officer, and, in addition, for those other members of the NMS service team that couldn't attend, he had prepared a videotaped interview of them for the VA committee's viewing. In that video, he had 3 MDs--a rheumatologist, a neurosurgeon, and a radiologist--going on and on about how they first felt about "those chiropractors" coming in to Bethesda (not positive, I might add), about how they quickly had their own admitted preconceptions vanquished, and about how they presently view Dr. , Dr. Terence Kearney, and the entire chiropractic component as integral parts of the NMS service team. It was nothing short of outstanding.But Bethesda is nowhere near done. Captain Duvoll, MD (the skipper) told the attendees that he is planning to start a new Spine Center (center for excellence) where DCs will be front and center in the care of NMS conditions. Afterward, I told the captain that all doctors working together for the benefit of the patient has been a goal of chiropractic for many decades. On behalf of a grateful chiropractic profession, I thanked him for taking this theoretical model and making it a successful reality.DAY 2:

The morning was spent with presentations from the DO on osteopathy, followed by the PT on physical therapy in the VA, and ended with a presentation from Mike O'Rourke (the PA).After lunch, the VA Committee began discussions on chiropractic scope of practice. The consensus was that the Chiropractic Advisory Committee should recommend to the Secretary that the VA implement the Bethesda model. Not only in terms of their scope (full), but also in terms of privileges (full) and being members of the health care delivery team. I expect the full VA Committee will take a formal vote approving this recommendation at the March 2003 meeting. INFORMATION DEVELOPED SINCE THE SEPTEMBER MEETING:At its September meeting, the VA Committee recommended to the Secretary that a Major Occupational Study (MOS) on the practice of chiropractic be initiated IMMEDIATELY, as this must be completed before any doctors of chiropractic can be hired/contracted in the system. In other words, the VA law created a peg, but there was no hole for chiropractors on the pegboard. This MOS will be the chiropractic "hole." The VA Committee was informed by Sara McVicker, the project manager, that the recommendation was formally agreed to by the Secretary just a week ago, and that the process has already begun. The worst-case scenario is that it will be done in January 2004, and the best-case scenario is that it will be completed by January 2003.Also, at the last meeting there was some discussion about how a DC might be employed in the system, either Title 5, Title 38, or under a Hybrid 38. After further review of the law, it turns out that DCs CAN be employed as a full "Title 38" contract employee, BUT can only do so under the current system on a TEMPORARY basis. However, these temporary contracts are for three years, and are fully renewable. Therefore, the ACA may wish to approach Congress and start the process to have the provisions under the "full" Title 38 law amended to include doctors of chiropractic on the list of included providers so that they may be hired on a permanent basis. THE NACM, ICA AND WCA REPRESENTATIVES:During the first two meetings, DuVall, DC, of the National Association for Chiropractic Medicine (NACM), has not in any way been an obstacle to implementing chiropractic care into the VA system. In fact, he and I had a nice discussion during the meeting. It appears he is primarily interested in making sure chiropractors enter the VA system as primary care physicians for neuromusculoskeletal conditions using the Bethesda model! (That is hardly something the ACA would oppose.)Dr. McLean (ICA) seems for now to be a team player and Dr. Leona Fischer (WCA) is doing a good job and is very smart politically.In fact, all 6 chiropractors (from very diverse backgrounds and philosophies) all seem to be working hand in hand to make sure chiropractic enters the VA system the right way. If my opinion, if this continues, the VA Chiropractic Advisory Committee will most certainly get the job done!

4. Emmitt Credits Chiropractic For Rushing Record

Chiropractic received a great deal of positive media coverage recently when Emmitt credited his doctor of chiropractic with helping him to perform at his peak.

The headlines in the Dallas Morning News read:

“He's got Emmitt's back (and legs) ... says his chiropractor, Dr. , is key to maintaining fitness, resisting injury.”

“It was time for me to invest in me,” said. “This body is where I make my money. I found a specialist that's really good in balancing out my body to make sure my hips are rotated right, and my body is functioning properly. I remember somebody telling me what I put myself in during the games is like having a car wreck every Sunday. It's against the norm. You find yourself in awkward positions. That stuff takes its toll. But if you take advantage of the health care, balance your body back out, put it back where it's supposed to be, you function better, and you recover faster.”

Dr. is the grandson of Dr. Jim and son of Dr. Karl .

5. Foot Levelers Supports Lawsuits to Defend Chiropractic

In its continuing support of chiropractic, Foot Levelers has provided over $28,000 in contributions to the National Chiropractic Legal Action Fund (NCLAF) to help with important lawsuits in 2002. The key court battles waged by the NCLAF include actions against the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (formerly HCFA), and Trigon Blue Cross/Blue Shield. The first suit seeks to protect the chiropractic profession’s right to detect and correct subluxations and maintain the exclusivity that chiropractors enjoy over other health care professionals. The second lawsuit against Trigon Blue Cross/Blue Shield seeks to end reimbursement discrimination, whereby insurance companies limit reimbursement or pay chiropractors less for identical services offered by other providers.

“Our chiropractic pioneers had the vision to dedicate their lives to serving humanity regardless of the consequences, even if it meant serving time in jail," observed Monte Greenawalt, DC, founder of Foot Levelers, Inc. "These legal battles are this generation's challenge. How we respond will affect our future and the future of chiropractic for decades to come."

Contributions to the National Chiropractic Legal Action Fund can be sent to: National Chiropractic Legal Action Fund, P.O. Box 75359, Baltimore, MD 21275-5359.

6. Foot Levelers Provides Over a Half Million Dollars to State Associations

Foot Levelers, through its grant programs with COCSA (Congress of Chiropractic State Associations), has provided over $500,000 in the last five years to State Associations in the form of direct donations, cost savings, and fund raising through its seminar programs.

At the recent annual COCSA conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, Foot Levelers President and CEO Kent Greenawalt presented a check for $7,500 to COCSA in the name of each member association that participated in the program. This brings the total to $32,250 in direct donations over the last five years. For 2002, efforts of the grant program topped $130,000, increasing the five year total to just over one half million dollars.

Foot Levelers’ Grant Programs offers a variety of services to help state associations grow. It provides all or part of the funding for:

* A nationally recognized speaker, marketing, and PR services for the Association’s annual convention(s)

* An annual donation to COCSA from the member state association

Through its Educational Division, Foot Levelers has established a growing Speaker Bureau from which Foot Levelers sponsors high-quality speakers versed in a wide-range of chiropractic topics, usually all of which qualify for license-renewal credits. “We have recently added more speakers to our dynamic group of doctors,” says Kent Greenawalt.

Foot Levelers, Inc. has extensive offerings of license-renewal and practice-building seminars for the chiropractic profession. If you are interested in finding out more about these seminars or the State Association Grant Program call 1-800-553-4860 and ask for Yolanda or contact her at Yolanda@...

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Copyright 2002 by the American Chiropractic Association. All rights reserved. For questions or comments about Delegate Update, e-mail omalik@.... To learn more about the ACA’s activities, go to www.acatoday.com.