While Trump vs. Clinton may be dominating the headlines, the presidential race isn’t the only important one. Who you elect to represent you in Austin will have a much bigger impact on the chiropractic profession and your practice. Your TCA legislative team is already hard at work to move the profession forward. The candidates we elect this fall are pivotal to our success. Learn the simple way that you can help.

If you thought the ICD-10 transition was over, you need to know that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is making some rather significant changes that will affect your ability to get paid. Join us at 1 p.m. CT Thursday, Sept. 29, for a webinar, ICD-10 ... What to Do Now, presented by the Texas Chiropractic Association and Medicfusion. This webinar is FREE to TCA members and office staff.

Back by popular demand, renowned speaker Mitch Mally, DC, is returning to Texas for a one-day seminar brought to you by TCA and Financially Fit. Don’t miss Dr. Mally’s session, Neurosurgeon Reveals: Leg Length Inequality, the Cause of LBP, Hip and Knee Disorders, on Saturday, Nov. 5, in Austin. Earn 6 CE hours toward your Texas license. More importantly, learn the latest research and techniques to better care for your patients from one the country’s foremost experts on extremity adjusting.

The price of the EpiPen has gone up sixfold in recent years. It can cost as much as $700 for a pack of two auto-injectors; however, epinephrine, commonly known as adrenaline, is cheap. The dose in an auto-injector can cost as little as $1. It’s the mechanism that’s expensive, largely because it has to meet tough government standards for reliability. The pharmaceutical company Mylan, which bought the EpiPen from Merck, enjoys a near-monopoly on the injector.

This workshop is a must, and is approved by the Texas Board of Chiropractic Examiners (TBCE). Eight hours of continuing education will be offered, meeting the one-time mandatory Medicare requirement for new Texas DCs. Join us Saturday, Sept. 24, at Texas Chiropractic College, 5912 Spencer Highway, Pasadena, Texas 77505. Class will begin promptly at 8:00 am, and conclude at 5:30 pm. Online registration has closed, but you may register by calling the TCA office at (512) 477-9292 or register on-site.

A common representation is that the selection of a medical specialty is predominately from altruistic and noble purposes. But this study indicates that this choice is heavily influenced by earnings potential: Forty-one percent of men said that income was extremely or very important, and an almost equal number of men and women said income was moderately important. Prestige and compensation were also cited as factors motivating the choice of medical practice focus. So it’s not the money, it’s just the money that greatly influences choice of specialty.

It is frequently reported that there will be a deficit of 40,000 primary care doctors in the near future. Resident physicians have always worked in inpatient services to provide inexpensive labor while they receive their education. This article raises the point that maybe it is time to scrap the whole residency model and instead bring student doctors to the outpatient setting at the beginning of their time in school and build an education module around them that allows them take care of patients as a true apprentice to a treating doctor.

Organized medicine has proclaimed a policy that "anyone in a hospital environment who has direct contact with a patient who presents himself or herself to the patient as a doctor, and who is not a physician" according to the AMA definition must "specifically and simultaneously declare themselves a non-physician and define the nature of their doctorate degree." Of course the common physicians are exempt. If such a protocol should happen to find its way into the public domain so that chiropractors are perpetually portrayed as second-class providers, who will take the offensive on behalf of chiropractic? Your state chiropractic association!

Your website is the portal to your practice. Find out how you can improve your site. TCA Silver Sponsor ChiroMatrix is hosting a FREE webinar, Back to Business Checklist: 5 Tips for Your Fall Website Tuneup, at 1 p.m. CT Thursday, Oct. 20.

HIPAA compliance threats have continued to skyrocket. With record fines and enforcement in 2016 and recent Office of Inspector General’s statements that it has a list of targeted chiropractors that OIG is investigating. The stage is now set for the scariest regulatory environment in history! Make your plans to attend TCA’s upcoming seminar, HIPAA – Protecting Your Practice in an Overregulated World, on Saturday, Oct. 1, in Longview.

The pressures of professional schooling can have a major impact on students’ mental health and wellness. A paper about medical college students pointed out that today’s students are less able to deal with seemingly minor affronts. And teachers are reluctant to "give low grades for poor performance, because of the subsequent emotional crises they would have to deal with in their offices." This has forced faculty to "do more hand-holding, lower their academic standards, and not challenge students too much." The article pointed out that college students exhibit more anxiety and depression and take more prescription drugs for these problems than ever before. Students offer ways they have found to deal with the pressures of school and continue to grow both emotionally and clinically:

The Chiropractic Act stipulates that "a person may not practice chiropractic unless the person holds a license issued by the board." But did you know that failure to renew your license or registration could result in a criminal conviction? The TBCE reminds all licensees and facility owners that it is critical to renew licenses or registration before the expiration date. When a license is in expired status, a DC cannot treat patients until it is renewed. Treating patients with an expired license is prohibited and subjects you to sanctions of up to $1000 per day.

Learn from the errors of others. From June through August 2016, the TBCE revoked two licenses, issued $8750 in fines, probated two licenses, issued a letter of reprimand and required four doctors to take additional testing and/or attend additional CE. Eight individuals were issued cease and desist orders for operating expired or unregistered facilities or practicing without a license.

There are 5219 active licensees practicing in 4378 chiropractic facilities in Texas. 2596 licenses were classified non-renewable.

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An FDA review of chemicals in OTC consumer antiseptic wash products did not find concrete evidence that any of 19 various chemicals prevent illness and infection better than plain soap and water or are safe for long-term daily use. As a result, the FDA announced that over-the-counter antibacterial soaps containing any of 19 specific active ingredients can no longer be marketed.

The aim of this study was to investigate whether a single session of spinal manipulation of pregnant women can alter pelvic floor muscle function as measured using ultrasonographic imaging. Spinal manipulation increased the levator hiatal area at rest and thus appears to relax the pelvic floor muscles in pregnant women.

This study analyzes national trends of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA’s) delivery of chiropractic services and the chiropractic provider workforce. The annual number of patients seen in VA chiropractic clinics increased by 821.7 percent, and the annual number of chiropractic visits increased by 693.9 percent. The total number of VA chiropractic clinics grew by 9.4 percent annually, and the number of chiropractor employees grew by 21.3 percent annually. The typical VA chiropractor employee receives annual compensation of $97,860.

Back pain is a common condition that starts early in life and seems to increase markedly during puberty. According to two recent systematic literature reviews, the possibility of a causal link between puberty and back pain exists.There was a linear increase of back pain according to the stage of puberty.

The idea of chiropractors treating children is controversial to some, yet many parents seek chiropractic care for their children. This study aimed to document the profile of all pediatric patients consulting Norwegian chiropractors. Musculoskeletal problems constituted the most common presenting complaint for children and adolescents. One-third of young school children and adolescents reported pain lasting longer than one year. Eleven percent of children found that their complaint had severely affected their mood, and twenty-two percent felt their activities were very limited by their condition. Referrals from other healthcare professionals, however, were uncommon.

Knee surgery patients were most likely to be diagnosed with pulmonary embolism. If you had knee surgery and all of a sudden you have shortness of breath, there is a very good chance you have a pulmonary embolism. Treat these signs with urgency; pulmonary embolism can be fatal.

Pediatric headache is an increasingly reported phenomenon. Headache is the most frequently reported pain in children. Pediatric headache prevalence rates are 50 percent during school years, increasing during adolescence to 80 percent. Studies have shown that children with more severe headache report lower quality in life in general.

Low back pain is a major health problem. This study was conducted to identify, document and appraise studies reporting on the cost effectiveness of non-invasive and non-pharmacological treatment options for LBP. In general, combined physical and psychological treatments, information and education interventions and manual therapies appeared to be cost effective.

This article offers some sound advice. As a student or a new practitioner it is wise to be prepared for the long haul within your profession. Realize that you don’t know everything, and that it is OK. Remember you’re part of a team; and bear in mind that the road will be challenging, remember to remain human.

Dr. William John Langeland passed away on May 9, 2016. Dr. Langeland served as TCA’s Workers Compensation Liaison in 2002-03.