INTERNATIONAL
CHIROPRACTORS
ASSOCIATION

 

ICA Chiropractic News Service
Leading the World of Chiropractic

Free News Updates From And About The International Chiropractors Association For You To Share With Your Colleagues And Your Patients

 

"E-FACTS" REPORT FROM THE ICA PRESIDENT, D.D. Humber, DC, FICA

 

ICA SEEKS DIALOGUE WITH WAL-MART IN EFFORT TO RESTORE CHIROPRACTIC BENEFITS:  Representatives of the International Chiropractors Association have contacted senior human resources and personnel managers at Wal-Mart seeking a meeting or meetings in order to present information on the cost-savings and employee satisfaction benefits of regular chiropractic care.  This effort came after the nation's largest retailer announced to its employees that effective January, 2003, their health benefits program would no longer cover chiropractic.  ICA is seeking to provide information that details the importance of the cost saving, preventive and rapid recovery elements that only chiropractic care can provide.  The Arkansas based retailer is one of the world's largest corporations, and their benefits plan covers hundreds of thousands across the United States.  ICA is making a positive overture to this corporate giant in the hope that new information will prompt a re-consideration of their announced cutting of chiropractic coverage.  ICA will keep the profession informed of the progress of this important effort.

 

NATIONAL VACCINE INFORMATION CENTER (NVIC) SPONSORS MAJOR CONFERENCE ON PATIENT RIGHTS AND VACCINE RISK: The International Chiropractors Association urges all concerned doctors of chiropractic to attend the upcoming Third International Public Conference on Vaccination.  The title of this year's program, "Truth in Science: The Right to Know and the Freedom to Decide" offers a compelling insight into the depth and gravity of the issues to be discussed.   Scheduled for Nov. 7-9, 2002 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel, 1700 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, VA   22202, within easy access of both major Washington airports and to the many sights and attractions of the Nation's Capital.   Among the tremendous topics and speakers are:

"Virus Vaccines and Neurovirulence" - Kathryn Carbone, M.D., Special Assistant to the Associate Director of Research, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration;  "Ethics and Conflicts of Interest in Clinical Trials" - Adil Shamoo, Ph.D., Professor Dept. of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Maryland;  "Bioterrorism, Public Health and Civil Liberties" - George Annas, J.D., MPH, Professor and Chair Dept. of Health Law, Bioethics & Human Rights, Boston University School of Public Health; "Role of Chiropractic in Health Care" - Gerard Clum, DC, President, Life Chiropractic College West.   

 

To register for this historic conference go to www.909shot.com, or call 770-977-7991.

 

 

NBC SERIES "ER" AIRS CHIROPRACTIC SLUR:  In the October 10^th episode of "ER" chiropractors are depicted in a demeaning way by an MD character on the show.  A patient says they have a mild scoliosis.  The MD responds that chiropractors always say that.  The intention is clear, to degrade the clinical and ethical status of the DC.  ICA has written to the producers of the show expressing our deep disappointment with this unwarranted depiction of chiropractic.  THE ON-GOING CHAIN OF MEDIA ATTACKS HAS COMPELLED ICA TO SEEK CONGRESSIONAL HELP THROUGH THE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEES FOR THE BROADCAST INDUSTRY.  ICA is asking for congressional hearings on the use of the media for anti-competitive ends in the hope that this can help reveal the roots of and stop such anti-chiropractic activities.  With chiropractic protests of such media representations being largely ignored, it is time to move to another level of protest.  Watch for developments on this important front.

 

ICA BUILDING NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH TOP EDUCATION LENDING FIRM:  ICA is now working in an exciting new partnership with Academic Management Services (AMS), one of the nation's leading education lenders and payment plan providers to offer Services to benefit ICA members with tuition payment and loan repayment needs.  Together with AMS, ICA can now offer enhanced education lending and counseling services to its thousands of members, many of whom are still in chiropractic school or face years of repaying school loans.  On average, chiropractic professionals can amass $45,000 to $100,000 in education loan debt before entering practice, revealing a critical need for responsible loan management solutions. AMS will serve the chiropractic profession through its Professions Group, a specialized unit that serves the complex needs of professionals.  ICA and AMS have teamed up to offer the best, most competitive and most flexible programs to assist the DC, both new and established in practice, to take advantage of record low interest rates and to structure repayment in a responsible but favorable way.  For students, AMS provides the TuitionPay Stafford Loan, a federally guaranteed student loan.  The TuitionPay Stafford offers money-saving benefits that could save typical chiropractor borrowers as much as $18,000 in reduced fees, interest rate reductions and more: 

·  Personal Investment Account, funded with the 3% origination fees charged at disbursement.  Upon graduation, these funds are returned to the borrower in three installments and placed into an investment account that the borrower can manage according to his or her own needs: as cash, as a cushion for future payments, as a savings account, or as a nest egg for retirement.

·  0% interest for the first year: Unsubsidized Stafford borrowers can save as much as $2,700 by not having to pay interest on their first-year loan.

·  0.75% interest rate reductions: AMS will lower interest rates by 0.25% for borrowers who pay by automatic withdrawal, and by 0.50% after 36 consecutive on-time payments.

·  NO guarantee fees: Borrowers can save up to an additional $1,500 because AMS only works with guarantee agencies that waive this fee.

 

For students who need to supplement other forms of financial assistance, alternative (private) loans also are available, including the AMS ChiroLoan and the TuitionPay Diploma Loan for Health Professions.  After graduation, AMS will offer Education Loan Management Counseling to ICA constituents, a personalized approach to developing smart loan repayment strategies.  A popular feature is the TuitionPay Consolidation Loan, which combines all a borrower's outstanding federal education loans into one, lowering monthly bills as much as 53%, locking in a low fixed interest rate, and extending the repayment term

 

if needed.   AMS, headquartered in Swansea, Massachusetts is one of the nation's largest providers of integrated payment solutions for higher education and private school tuition.  Since 1970, AMS has helped more than 5 million families pay for education.  No other lending organization in chiropractic has the breadth and depth of skill and expertise in this area, so readily available to meet the student and the doctor's needs.  AMS Professions Group is on the Web at www.amsloans.tuitionpay.com, or contact Mr. Ned Philie, Senior Vice President for Development at nphilie@amsweb.com.

 

CHIROPRACTIC CERTIFICATION IN SPINAL TRAUMA (CCST) PROGRAM TO START IN JANUARY IN LAS VEGAS, NEVADA:  Cleveland Chiropractic College will be co-sponsoring this year's CCST program, one of chiropractic's most respected and most useful postgraduate certification programs.  This unique postgraduate program was developed and has been presented by DR. DAN MURPHY for nearly a decade, with tremendous results for its participants in terms of personal, practice and professional growth.  This coming year's program will be directly organized and sponsored by ICA's Council on Applied Chiropractic Sciences and will start in January, 2003.  This highly acclaimed ten-module program is perhaps the most useful, and certainly the most highly respected certification program in chiropractic.  The CCST program is designed to equip the doctor of chiropractic with the clinical, practical and procedural skills to improve clinical outcomes in spinal trauma cases and to effectively represent the trauma patient and the chiropractic practitioner in the legal and third-party payment arena.  The 2003 program will kick-off on January 18-19^th in Las Vegas, Nevada and run through October 18-19, 2003.  Information on the CCST program is available through ICA's website at www.chiropractic.org or by calling ICA at 1-800-423-4690.  MARK YOUR CALENDARS TODAY AND PLAN TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS TREMENDOUS PROGRAM.  IT IS ONE OF THE BEST INVESTMENTS YOU CAN MAKE IN YOUR OWN CLINICAL AND PRACTICE SUCCESS!  We are very proud to work in partnership with Cleveland Chiropractic College on this great program.  Thanks to Dr. Carl S. Cleveland, III for his support and cooperation as ICA works to serve the chiropractic profession with the best possible postgraduate offerings. 

 

FIRST HIPAA DEADLINE IS OCTOBER 16^th:  Use the link below to access information and filing instructions to submit a compliance plan or apply for a one year extension on the new federal confidentiality rules.  Remember, IF YOU DO NOT FILE CLAIMS ELECTRONICALLY, THIS DOES NOT APPLY TO YOU, but ICA is urging all DCs to file if you submit claims electronically, or are contemplating moving to electronic filing in the next year. Go to: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/hipaa/hipaa2/ASCAForm.asp.  YOU CAN FILE YOUR EXTENSION REQUEST DIRECTLY FROM THIS LINK.

 

DATES TO REMEMBER: Chiropractic Without A Doubt with Dr. Steve Hoffman and Dr. Robert Braile, November 2-3^rd, Richmond, Virginia; New Era in Whiplash & Spinal Trauma with Dr. Dan Murphy, November 9-10^th, Hartford, Connecticut; Chiropractic Care for Kids with Dr. Peter Fysh, October 26-27^th, Dallas, Texas; Annual Conference on Chiropractic Pediatrics, New Orleans, Louisiana, November 22-24th, 2002; Certification in Chiropractic Spinal Trauma (CCST) program kickoff, January 18-19th, 2003, with Dr. Dan Murphy, Las Vegas, Nevada; 11^th Annual ICA Symposium on Natural Fitness Featuring Arnold Schawarzenegger, February 28th-March 2^nd, 2003, Columbus, Ohio.