BLOG – Page 244 – Chiropractic Resource Organization

How and Why Does Chiropractic Work?

By Frank M. Painter|August 20, 2009|News, Research|

How and Why Does Chiropractic Work?

There is no more hotly debated topic in our profession than the huge variety of answers to the question:

“What is the Vertebral Subluxation Complex” (or VSC)? However, this is not the place to debate philosophy.

All of us have observed significant improvements in patient’s health when we adjust them. So, what are we to conclude when a patient, who has been diagnosed with asthma, and has been using steroid inhalants, suddenly does not need to use their meds any more? Did chiropractic *cure* asthma? NO! The reality is that the patient never had asthma to begin with! (more…)

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What is Medical Necessity?

By Frank M. Painter|August 17, 2009|Education, Medical Necessity|

What is Medical Necessity?

The Chiro.Org Blog

SOURCE: A Chiro.Org Editorial

“Medical Necessity” is the slippery slope, according to the Physician’s News Digest

“There are almost as many definitions of medical necessity as there are payors, laws and courts to interpret them. Generally speaking, though, most definitions incorporate the principle of providing services which are “reasonable and necessary” or “appropriate” in light of clinical standards of practice. The lack of objectivity inherent in these terms often leads to widely varying interpretations by physicians and payors, which, in turn, can result in the care provided not meeting the definition.”

Medicare defines “medical necessity” as services or items reasonable and necessary for the diagnosis or treatment of illness or injury or to improve the functioning of a malformed body member.

From an Insurers standpoint, this is why documentation of the patient encounter is so important. The standard note taking format for every patient encounter is the SOAP note. Medical (chiropractic) necessity is defined by your own notes. Let’s review what actually defines reasonable and necessary in the SOAP note:

There are more articles like this @:

The new SOAP Notes Page and our

Documentation Section

(more…)

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Do You Use Outcome Assessment Questionnaires?

By Frank M. Painter|August 16, 2009|Education, Outcome Assessment|

Do You Use Outcome Assessment Questionnaires?

The Chiro.Org Blog

If you haven’t noticed lately, every provider in each discipline is being held accountable for the care they provide to a patient. Why? Because evidence–based treatment approaches are becoming an expected “standard” for proving the effectiveness of care over time, and because tracking outcomes is a means by which insurers decide if the care provided has been necessary.

The Outcome Assessment Page contains, or links to, most of the best-supported OA questionnaires. It also has a collection of articles about the use of OA in the field.

You may find the Outcome Assessment Guidelines Section of interest.

That page is one of many of the useful tools found in the
Clinical Documentation Section.

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Cervical Spine Trauma

By Frank M. Painter|August 15, 2009|Diagnosis, Education, Health|

Cervical Spine Trauma

The Chiro.Org Blog

The cervical spine provides structural stability and support for the cranium, and a flexible and protective column for movement and balance adaptation, along with housing of the spinal cord and vertebral arteries. It also allows for directional orientation of the eyes and ears. Nowhere in the spine is the relationship between the osseous structures and the surrounding neurologic and vascular beds as intimate or subject to disturbance as it is in the cervical region. Whether induced by trauma or not, cervical subluxation syndromes may be reflected in total body habitus. (more…)

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Antibiotic Abuse

By Frank M. Painter|August 14, 2009|Education, Ethics, Health, Immune System|

Editorial Commentary:

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) has been begging conventional medicine to stop overprescribing antibiotics for decades. Even so, a recent study in the Journal of Hospital Infections found that 37% of 600 antibiotic prescriptions were considered unnecessary and another 45% were considered to be inadequate.

Considering that antibiotic use in infants has been associated with doubling the incidence of asthma, and other studies have revealed that 76% of adults who visit a primary care physician because of a sore throat are given an antibiotic, even though viruses (that are not affected by antibiotics) are the primary cause for upper-respiratory-tract infections. (more…)

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The Dangers of Medical Credit Cards

By John Wiens DC|August 13, 2009|Health Care|

Source SmartMoney

READY FOR A new type of plastic? Meet the medical credit card. These credit cards — which used to be marketed exclusively to those opting for elective surgery, like breast enhancement and dental veneers — are increasingly being shopped to patients struggling to pay for medical necessities.

Medical facilities used to partner with these patients to offer interest-free financing. But now more ask folks to sign up for a medical credit card as an alternative to having their accounts sent to collection, says Tim Robbins, director of counseling for Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Montana. The result? More people are paying high interest rates on health-care expenses they already can’t afford. (more…)

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