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"E-FACTS" REPORT FROM THE ICA PRESIDENT D.D. Humber, DC, FICA
 
ICA'S BOARD OF DIRECTORS ADDS STUDENT LOAN LEGISLATION TO ICA's LEGISLATIVE PRIORITY LIST:  In a special meeting of ICA's Board of Directors on November 12, 2002, the goal of passage of H.R. 3273, The Consolidation Student Loan Flexibility Act of 2001, was put on ICA's Congressional priority list.  This legislation seeks to provide graduate doctors of all professions, including chiropractors, with greater flexibility when consolidating student loans.  If passed, the legislation will repeal the "Single Holder Rule" provision in the Higher Education Act of 1965 that requires loan borrowers to refinance through their current lender when all of their loans are borrowed through a single lender.  Introduced by Rep. Ralph Regula, of Ohio, the bill has 23 co-sponsors and parallels another bill, H.R. 2650, that would achieve the same goal.  The proposed legislation would eliminate the "Single Holder Rule" and allow borrowers to obtain the best interest rates and loan repayment options available in the marketplace.   In a marketplace where the cost of borrowing is at the lowest level in decades, the ability to shop around for re-financing is key to the financial success of thousands of DCs.  While it is unlikely that action on this bill will be forthcoming in the short time the post-election Congress will be meeting, ICA has been in contact with the bill's sponsors and has received assurances that similar legislation will be introduced in the early days of the new Congress that convenes in January.  For the full text of the bill, see ICA's website at www.chiropractic.org, or call ICA at 1-800-423-4690.

 

ICA TO HOST LEGISLATIVE STRATEGIC SUMMIT:  Representatives of the International Chiropractors Association (ICA), the World Chiropractic Alliance (WCA) and the Federation of Straight Chiropractors and Organizations (FSCO) will be meeting in Washington, D.C. on December 10, 2002 to evaluate the prospects for chiropractic legislation in the new Congress and to develop a common legislative agenda, along with an implementation strategy that seeks to put chiropractic issues before the Congress in a timely and effective manner.  The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) has so far declined to participate in these discussions and ICA is hopeful that their leadership will reconsider their initial decision and accept ICA's invitations to these important talks. 

 

In the upcoming discussions, representatives of each organization will have the opportunity to express their concerns and outline the goals and priorities of their organizations.  The goal will be a united front and a protocol for continued collective action and cooperative and mutually supportive efforts on the part of the legislative committees and the Washington representatives of the respective groups.  ICA will promote support for Medicare improvement legislation, a new initiative to secure military commissions for doctors of chiropractic, student loan reform based on the concepts put forward in H.R. 3273 (See story above), and other important chiropractic-specific bills.  ICA is particularly concerned to focus the chiropractic profession's attention on the need to take new action to secure military commissions for DCs.  More than a decade ago, ICA pushed legislation through the Congress that authorized the Secretary of Defense to commission doctors of chiropractic as health care officers in the uniformed services.  ICA believes that the profession should unite in a new initiative to bring those years of delay to an end.  ICA is very open to other initiatives and every effort will be made to develop a realistic, well-prioritized list of new Congressional initiatives.

 

ICA MEMBERS HONORED:  DR. MICHAEL HULSEBUS of Rockford, Illinois has been honored by the Illinois Prairie State Chiropractic Association as the "Chiropractor of the Year" for 2002, the professional society's highest award.  In addition to being a great honor unto itself, Dr. Hulsebus is the only doctor to receive this coveted award twice in their career. This award is given for leadership, community service and for professional distinction.   In private practice since his graduation in 1974 from Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa, Dr. Hulsebus has served the citizens of the Rockford area for nearly 30 years, establishing a reputation for clinical excellence, personal dedication and community service.  Dr. Hulsebus has been active on the state and national level in chiropractic professional affairs, served on the Board of Directors of the International Chiropractors Association (ICA) and as Chairman of that organization's Medicare Committee. DR. COREY RODNICK of Midland, Michigan has been named Life University's 2002 Alumnus of the Year. The award was presented during recent Homecoming festivities at the University. A nine-year veteran of the University's Alumni Association Board of Directors, this 1983 graduate of Life's D.C. program has been a strong and generous supporter of both the University and chiropractic higher education.  He has not limited himself to just providing care to patients in his hometown, but has embarked on regular mission trips to Panama and China. In addition to adjusting large numbers of people in these undeserved areas, he has also worked diligently to make chiropractic a permanent part of China's health care system. Through his efforts health ministry officials recently visited Life University to learn more about chiropractic education.  Dr. Rodnick is married with five children, all of whom plan to become doctors of chiropractic. He is currently writing a book on chiropractic with a patient who has also experienced the life changing miracles of the chiropractic healing art.  CONGRATULATIONS TO DR. HULSEBUS AND DR. RODNICK FOR THEIR WELL-DESERVED HONORS.

 

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 18-19th 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. 

 

HOUSTON MD CONVICTED IN MASSIVE FRAUD CASE:  (From: Medical Newswire, November 14th) A Houston MD, Dr. Chijioke Okoro, was convicted on Oct. 14 for a widespread operation involving an auto insurance scam, tax evasion and Medicare fraud.   Dr. Chijioke Okoro, owner of Houston Medcare, was found guilty of 15 counts of mail fraud for submitting false claims to Medicare. Houston Medcare issued physical therapy bills to the insurance companies of injured patients, even though in many cases therapy had not been performed or was performed by unlicensed aides.  Medicare alone paid Okoro more than $4 million during the scam.  Prosecutors had argued that while Okoro was working full time at a therapy clinic and full time at the emergency room of a local hospital, he couldn't possibly also have provided services as the medical director of 14 other physical therapy clinics - clinics that billed Medicare more than $3 million in the first half of 2000.  Court papers also alleged that 10 of the clinics billed Medicare for more than $400,000 worth of Okoro's services from Nov. 18-24, 1999 - a period of time during which Okoro was traveling abroad. Other allegations say Okoro claimed to have provided services to clinic patients when he was actually working daylong shifts at the ER.  Okoro will be sentenced in January. Prosecutors persuaded a federal judge to order him into custody until sentencing, citing fears that he will flee the country.

 

According to a Department of Justice news release provided to the ICA, the maximum statutory sentence the defendants may face for each health care fraud violation is a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. For each mail fraud or conspiracy conviction, the defendants face a maximum of 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Defendants awaiting trial are presumed innocent until a guilty plea is accepted or they are convicted at trial.  The matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Office of Inspections, Office of the Inspector General, Health and Human Services and was prosecuted by Assistant U. S. Attorney Amy M. Lecocq, Health Care Fraud Coordinator, Fraud Section, and is just one of hundreds of actions on-going in the federal anti-fraud effort.

 

DATES TO REMEMBER: New Era in Whiplash and Spinal Trauma II with Dr. Richard Christie, November 16-17th, Phoenix, Arizona; 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; New Era in Whiplash & Spinal Trauma Part I with Dr. Dan Murphy, December 7-8th, San Jose, California, January 11-12, 2003 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and January 25-26th, Houston, Texas;  11th Annual ICA Symposium on Natural Fitness Featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger, February 28th-March 2nd, 2003, Columbus, Ohio.  

 

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For More Information, Contact the International Chiropractors Association, a Worldwide Community of the Most Successful Chiropractors on Earth at chiro@chiropractic.org or visit the ICA website at www.chiropractic.org.

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