Now is the perfect time to make your arrangements for the chiropractic event of the year in Texas on June 10-12 at the Arlington Convention Center. We’ve extended the early registration fee through May 8. The price will go up after this date – no exceptions!

There’s an easy and cost-effective way to earn your CE hours, save money and make your profession stronger. The Texas Chiropractic Association has rolled out two new membership types in 2016 –Elite and Premium– each offering significant value to you. Elite membership includes your registration to TCA conferences and one-day seminars across the state, and Premium membership includes 16 CE hours covering a full conference registration or an assortment of one-day seminars.

Texas Chiropractic Association is proud to announce Drucker Labs as a 2016 Friends of Chiropractic Sponsor. Drucker Labs is known for its complete and great-tasting liquid multivitamins and minerals. Based in Plano, Drucker Labs was established in 1999 by Dr. Richard Drucker, a highly respected doctor in the field of natural health.

The physical nature of football exposes National Football League (NFL) athletes to the highest rate of injury in professional sports. In a league where careers average only 3.8 years, the importance of returning an athlete to a high level of performance cannot be overstated.

Chiropractic physicians are an interesting and eclectic bunch of people who have sacrificed a lot to get to where they are. By their nature incredibly hard-working, mentally tough, independent-natured and free-thinking, chiropractic physicians would do well to remember three golden rules of affecting any kind of positive change: 1) Change happens in small steps. 2) Never make an enemy of a teammate. 3) One who disagrees with you slightly is not to be your enemy.

The government has mobilized its enforcement agencies with more funding. Doctors of chiropractic must immediately figure out if their practice has the key components in place for a HIPAA compliance program. The TCA is offering a comprehensive six-hour seminar, HIPAA – Protecting Your Practice in an Overregulated World, taught by Ty Talcott, DC, CHPSE, of HIPAA Compliance Services.

Researchers are calling for more consistency across US physician disciplinary systems after a national study revealed a patchwork of uneven systems that result in a roughly fourfold variation between states in yearly rates of disciplinary actions taken by medical boards. Interstate adjusted mean rates of all disciplinary actions per 1000 physicians ranged from 2.13 to 7.93.

Do you want to improve your retention? What do you do when a patient misses an appointment? Do you simply continue on with your day and hope the patient will call to reschedule when they have time? Or, do you have a system in place to reach out to and reschedule that patient? Implementing a recall program gives you this system and opportunity, and helps to prevent patients from falling out of care.

Life in the ancient world was risky business. People in antiquity were no less concerned about the prevention and cure of maladies than they are now and entire cults, sanctuaries and professions dedicated to health dotted the spiritual, physical and professional landscapes of the ancient world. So what exactly did ancient cultures do to combat disease and injury?

The Texas Chiropractic Association is pleased to announce Mary Yanes, CEM, as our new Director, Marketing and Communications. Yanes has an extensive background in associations, including marketing, communications, membership, exhibit/sponsorship sales, trade show management, publications and education.

Do you know a member of the Texas Legislature? How about a member of their staff? Relationships are the key to TCA's legislative success, and your personal relationship with a state representative or senator could make a major difference. Please contact TCA's lobby team, Norton & Massingill, PLLC, at info@NortonMassingill.com with contact information.

Jason Helton, DC, has practiced in Lubbock, TX, since October 2000. "I'm honored to be TCA Chiropractor of the Month," says Dr. Helton in this article about TCA's Doctor of the Month.

A Lufkin Doctor of Chiropractic, Keven M. Ellis, has announced that he is running as a Republican for the State Board of Education in District 9, which covers 31 counties in East and Northeast Texas. Currently serving as the Board President for the Lufkin Independent School District, Dr. Ellis said, "I’ve been able to serve the 8,300 students at Lufkin ISD and want to be able to apply the real-world experience I’ve gained to benefit the five million students in Texas public schools."

The Texas Chiropractic College (TCC) Board of Regents is pleased to announce a nation-wide search to identify and select the 15th President in TCC's 108 year history, and invites applications and recommendations for the Presidency. To view the presidential search website, visit http://www.txchiro.edu/search.html. Applications and supporting documents are due by May 27, 2016, but the position will remain open until filled.

The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) House of Delegates (HOD) has adopted a policy statement proposing a solution to the dual public health concerns of inadequate pain management and opioid abuses. The new policy statement supports the investigation of nonpharmacologic interventions for pain treatment across a variety of patient populations and healthcare delivery settings; the promotion of evidence-based nonpharmacologic therapies within best practice models for pain management; the improvement of access to providers of nonpharmacologic therapies; interprofessional education to augment the training of pain management teams; and public health campaigns to raise awareness of drug-free treatment options for pain syndromes.

Lawmakers in California passed legislation to overhaul what had been one of the country's most permissive vaccine-exemption systems, turning it into one of the most restrictive. Although California acted to eliminate most nonmedical vaccine exemptions (NMEs), a provision allowing currently unvaccinated schoolchildren to remain that way means that it will be 6 years for the effects of immunization or non-immunication to be fully realized.

"AMA supports continued efforts to inform the public and the profession of the potential problems and risks" of assigning therapeutic agents to "non-physicians." When they inform others that doctors of chiropractic cannot treat subluxation, as the did in the TMA v. TBCE lawsuits, what will you do?

To avoid Medicaid disenrollment and possible disruption in claims payment on Sept. 25, 2016, providers should submit a re-enrollment application to the state or TMHP today.

Proper scheduling and prescheduling are the key components to a successful practice. Each practice should have a scheduling guideline for each doctor and provider. Success comes in training the staff to adhere to these guidelines and adhere to the protocol and procedures.

This project developed a document with evidence-based recommendations on the best practices for chiropractic care of older adults. A formal Delphi process was conducted until consensus was reached–at least 80% of the panelists. The resulting best practice document defined the parameters of an appropriate approach to chiropractic care for older adults.

The Keeler Plaque is the Texas Chiropractic Association’s most prestigious award designating the Chiropractor of the year. You have the opportunity to nominate a TCA member for consideration to receive the Keeler Plaque. Deadline for nominations is June 3.

This award is for those who are under 40 years of age, or with fewer than 10 years in chiropractic practice at the time of the award’s receipt. It recognizes doctors who have shown outstanding dedication and made long-lasting contributions to the profession and their community. Deadline for nominations is June 3.

The word health is frequently used by the healthcare professions, and there are almost as many definitions and goals for patient care as there are entities involved. A feature article, "A Chiropractic AND Medical Model of Health," in the upcoming issue of the Texas Journal of Chiropractic, looks at both a chiropractic and a recent medical model of health. The similarities are surprising.