News – Page 6 – Chiropractic Resource Organization

Bipartisan Group Urges Pentagon to Examine Chiropractic Provider Status

By Frank M. Painter|August 16, 2011|Announcement, News|

Bipartisan Group Urges Pentagon to Examine Chiropractic Provider Status

Fifteen Members of the House Defense Panel Advocate for Fair, and Equitable Treatment of DCs in the Military Health Care System

August 15, 2011 — In an effort strongly supported by the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) and the Association of Chiropractic Colleges (ACC), 15 members of the U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee have requested that the Department of Defense (DoD) address disparities in its treatment of doctors of chiropractic.

In an Aug. 5 letter to Dr. Jonathan Woodson, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, the bipartisan group noted that pay and job classification disparities have resulted in doctors of chiropractic (DCs) who treat patients at military treatment facilities (MTFs) being compensated at much lower rates than providers with comparable, or even lesser, training, skill sets and responsibilities. They urged Woodson to examine the more equitable system used by the Department of Veteran Affairs health care system to integrate chiropractic and adopt a similar approach.

The group also pointed out that institutional bias against doctors of chiropractic among DoD health care officials has resulted in the active-duty military patient population having greater difficulty accessing chiropractic care and in unnecessary restrictions placed on DCs in performing their services. To address this, the legislators asked Woodson to evaluate the current supervisory procedures of DCs and to give serious consideration to having a DC as the chiropractic service leader for each branch of the military, as is the case with other specialty groups in TRICARE, the military’s health care system.

“I would like to thank congressmen Mike Rogers and Dave Loebsack for spearheading this effort,” said ACA President Dr. Rick A. McMichael. “The benefit provided by doctors of chiropractic to our brave men and women in uniform is integral to their recovery from injuries and their overall health and well-being. Impeding DCs from providing this care is a disservice to our troops.” (more…)

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Federal Appeals Court Upholds Individual Mandate Requirement

By Frank M. Painter|June 29, 2011|Health Care Reform, News|

Federal Appeals Court Upholds Individual Mandate Requirement

The Chiro.Org Blog

SOURCE: Medscape Medical News
NOTE: Enrollment on Medscape is Free

June 29, 2011 — A federal appeals court in Cincinnati, Ohio, today placed its constitutional stamp of approval on the linchpin of the embattled Affordable Care Act (ACA): the requirement that individuals either obtain health insurance coverage or pay a penalty.

Today’s decision is the first one on the federal appellate level regarding the healthcare reform law passed last year. So far, 2 federal district judges have declared the so-called individual mandate unconstitutional, saying that Congress has no right under the constitution’s commerce clause to regulate an individual’s economic “inactivity.” In contrast, 3 other federal district judges have agreed with the position of the Obama administration that uninsured “free riders” are indeed active participants in the healthcare marketplace, receiving free or subsidized services when needed, and driving up premiums and healthcare costs for others in the process.

The various district cases are now making their way through the federal appellate courts, with their final destination being the US Supreme Court. (more…)

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WikiChiro Foundation Formed to Set the Record Straight on Chiropractic

By Frank M. Painter|June 28, 2011|News|

WikiChiro Foundation Formed to Set the Record Straight on Chiropractic

The Chiro.Org Blog

Doctors of chiropractic have long been dismayed by Wikipedia’s description(s) of the profession. In response, several DCs have formed the WikiChiro Foundation to provide a scientifically unbiased center for the public and for the profession to obtain the most current scientifically accurate information regarding the chiropractic profession. The Foundation will incorporate in New Jersey and file for 501C(iii) status as a charitable institution.

WikiChiro, unlike Medpedia or WebMD, will not accept advertisements or corporate money. All editors will have to identify themselves and reveal any conflicts of interest. Unlike certain medical sites, WikiChiro’s editors will not make derogatory statements about other health care professions. WikiChiro.org already boasts many of the foremost chiropractic research scientists from around the world.

WikiChiro is the brainchild of its chairman, Robert Press, MS (Comp. Sci), soon to be Dr. Robert Press. It was organized by his father, Dr. Stephen Press, of Englewood, N.J. Stephen Press, DC, PhD, is best known as the founder of the Fédération Internationalede Chiropratique du Sport (FICS)—)aks: the International Federation of Sports Chiropractic). (more…)

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WARNING: Keep an Eye On Your Adjusting Tables

By Frank M. Painter|June 14, 2011|News, Warning!|

WARNING: Keep an Eye On Your Adjusting Tables

The Chiro.Org Blog

SOURCE: The Star Tribune

CHAO XIONG and PAUL WALSH ,

Star Tribune staff writers

We all heard in our adjusting classes that motorized tables involve some level risk when lowering them. Just as we were taught about trains, we need to remember to STOP – LOOK – and LISTEN.

The following is a sad tale about an infant that was crushed while crawling under an unsupervised traction table. In the hopes that this story may prevent this from ever happening in your office, please read the whole story.

SOURCE: The Star Tribune

When they heard a patient’s frantic screams Thursday afternoon, employees at a Shoreview chiropractic clinic rushed into an exam room and encountered a horrifying scene.

An 18-month-old boy lay trapped and crushed beneath a 300-pound chiropractic machine that his mother was strapped into. The toddler had crawled beneath the equipment and inadvertently pressed a button that lowered it onto him as his mother lay immobilized, unable to help.

No clinic staffers were in the room when the accident happened, according to Ramsey County sheriff’s spokesman Randy Gustafson. But there were witnesses — the woman’s two other children, both under the age of 4.

When the boy became stuck, Gustafson said, his mother “screamed to get the attention of the staff there.” (more…)

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Senate Bill Introduced to Expand Veterans’ Access to Chiropractic Care

By Frank M. Painter|June 9, 2011|Legislation, News|

Senate Bill Introduced to Expand Veterans’ Access to Chiropractic Care

The Chiro.Org Blog

SOURCE: The American Chiropractic Association

The ACA and the Association of Chiropractic Colleges (ACC) commend Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) for introducing legislation in the U.S. Senate designed to fully integrate chiropractic care as a covered service within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system.

The bill, S.1147, specifically requires the VA to have a doctor of chiropractic on staff at all of its major medical facilities by 2014. The legislation was introduced on June 6, and has been referred to the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs.

ACA believes that integrating the services provided by doctors of chiropractic into the VA health care system would be cost-effective and speed the recovery of many veterans returning from current operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. A February 2010 report from the Veterans Health Administration indicates that about half of all veterans returning from the Middle East and Southwest Asia who have sought VA health care were treated for symptoms associated with musculoskeletal ailments – the top complaint of those tracked for the report. (more…)

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