As you may have heard, chiropractic lost big in the recent TMA vs. TBCE lawsuit. The entire Texas chiropractic community is understandably concerned. As Texas DCs, could we really lose our right to diagnose or have "neuro" stripped away from our scope? TCA held a virtual townhall meeting this week. For those of you who registered, you’ll receive a link to the recording. While our legal battle is important, it is obvious that it will take legislative action to make significant change. Find out how you can get involved from TCA Legislative Affairs Chair Dr. Don White.

Make your plans now to attend the 2017 Texas Chiropractic Legislative Conference (TCLC), Feb. 9-11, 2017, at the Sheraton Austin Hotel at The Capitol, Austin. Join us for a quick debrief on TCA bills before going on scheduled visits with your legislators at the Texas Capitol and earn up to 16 CE hours toward your Texas license. Wrap up TCA Legislative Day by joining TCLC attendees, legislators and staff at a social event at the historic Scholz Garten. Send your assistants and staff for training and elevate your practice.

There’s still time to attend Dr. Mitch Mally’s workshop, Neurosurgeon Reveals: Leg Length Inequality, the Cause of LBP, Hip and Knee Disorders, on Saturday, Nov. 5, in Austin. Call the TCA office at (512) 477-9292. If you are a TCA member, the cost is only $100, or FREE if you pay your dues in full. 

A new report issued by HHS claims that many of the chiropractic services occurred more than 90 days after the patient’s initial treatment, suggesting they represented maintenance care, which Medicare defines as medically unnecessary and does not reimburse. The HHS Office of Inspector General claims that $359 million, or 82 percent, of the $439 million that Medicare paid to chiropractors in 2013 was for spinal manipulations that were medically unnecessary.

Earn all 16 continuing education at one venue. Register now for TCA’s Mid-Winter Conference, an annual tradition for doctors of chiropractic in the Texas Panhandle. Join us on Feb. 24-26 as the event returns to the Overton Hotel & Conference Center in Lubbock.

With nearly a billion websites on the internet today, the competition for top rankings on Google is fierce. Having a website that is personal to you and your practice is essential as more and more people turn to the internet to find chiropractic practitioners in their area. Join TCA Bronze Sponsor Online Chiro for a short webinar to learn the strategies that will help your practice get the most out of its website and bring more new patients to the door.

More efforts need to be made to reduce maternal mortality in the U.S., where the rate is increasing in contrast to most other countries. A recent World Health Organization report found that while 157 out of 183 countries had reductions in maternal mortality from 2000 to 2013, there was a 27 percent increase in maternal mortality for 48 states and the District of Columbia combined. The maternal mortality rate was much higher in Texas than in any other state; in fact, the rate there increased from 18.6 per 100,000 live births in 2010 to 38.6 in 2012.

NOVEMBER CALENDAR

AARP has sued a federal agency alleging regulations allowing employers to promote wellness programs violate federal anti-discrimination and medical privacy laws. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission released final rules in May allowing employers to hit workers with substantial penalties if they refuse to participate in wellness programs and hand over sensitive medical and genetic information. Under the new regulations, companies could fine employees up to 30 percent of their premium costs for refusing to hand over medical information in wellness program questionnaires.

ACA has begun to pursue an open dialogue with payers across the country to create opportunities to collaborate with carriers to educate them on effectively navigating and participating in the changing healthcare landscape. Our initial dialogue with payers was a frank one with American Specialty Health (ASH).

The new MACRA system represents the most significant change to Medicare in a generation. The bill that repealed the sustainable growth rate formula for physician reimbursement under Medicare — physicians must choose from one of two paths beginning next year: They can either participate in an alternative payment model, or they can join in the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System, which requires doctors to submit quality reporting data to Medicare.

Findings suggest that the majority of chiropractors hold favorable attitudes and beliefs toward evidence-based practice. However, much remains to be done for chiropractors to routinely apply evidence into clinical practice. The chiropractic profession requires more robust dissemination and implementation research to improve guideline adherence and patient health outcomes.

A brand new organization is here now to fill that niche. The Care Council of Chicago, a nonprofit, has 15 founding people to date. They include Walgreens, Aon, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Oak Street Health, UnitedHealthcare and also the Healthcare Financial Management Association. A large amount of the job we all do is getting healthcare executives and leaders and entrepreneurs and others who’re enthusiastic about innovation together, because that’s the way you create better ideas.

The Texas Medical Board has dropped its appeal in its case against Teladoc. Teladoc, which offers remote medical visits, sued the TMB in state court in 2015, alleging that because the board was made up of practicing doctors with a financial interest in squelching telemedicine, the board’s passing of anti-telemedicine legislation constituted a violation of antitrust laws. But the medical board filed a motion asking for the suit to be dismissed on the grounds that it is immune to suit. When the judge denied the motion, the medical board appealed to the Fifth Circuit court. The reason for dropping the suit was likely the deluge of amicus curie briefs that were filed in Fifth Circuit court, all of which supported Teladoc, the most notable being a 44-page brief from the United States and the Federal Trade Commission in support of Teladoc.