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

ICA WELCOMES NEW BOARD MEMBERS:  The presidents of the six affiliated chiropractic colleges met on February 17^th and, under the authority provided to them in ICA's governing documents, elected three Members of the ICA Board of Directors to represent chiropractic education.  Dr. Michael Schmidt of Life University in Marietta, Georgia was elected for the first time to serve on the ICA Board.  Dr. Hugo V. Gibson from Cleveland Chiropractic College and Dr. J. Richard Burns from Palmer College in Davenport, Iowa were reelected to new two-year terms.  Dr. Schmidt replaces Dr. Sid Williams who has served in a variety of ICA offices including President and Chairman of the ICA Board for many years. 

FINAL HIPAA SECURITY STANDARDS NOW OUT:  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has now published the final rule on the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) security standards.  This extensive rule is a companion regulation to the much-discussed HIPAA privacy standard.  To see the full text of this 289-page document, go to http://cms.hhs.gov/.  Doctors of chiropractic throughout the United States are working to develop a compliance plan and timeline for these new rules.   The privacy rule established a federal standard and enforcement procedures that govern how protected health information can be used and when it can be disclosed. According to CMS, the security standards "define administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of electronic protected health information."   CMS has also published the final modifications to the HIPAA transaction standards, which define uniform, mandatory technical specs for electronic health care transactions.   Both of these lengthy and complex documents are reported to be ready to publish in the February 20^th Federal Register. 

ICA'S PHILOSOPHY COUNCIL TAKES OFF RUNNING:  ICA's newest council, the Council on Chiropractic Philosophy, under the able chairmanship of Dr. Fred Barge, is off to a great start.  It has already started its Diplomate in Philosophical Chiropractic Standards (DPhC) program through Palmer College and is all set for its inaugural conference in May of this year.  The council was established by the ICA to fill a niche in chiropractic that is central to the future of the profession; to bring chiropractic philosophy back into the mainstream for the modern doctor of chiropractic; and to provide doctors with a passion for chiropractic philosophy the opportunity to study it in-depth through an advanced postgraduate program.  The inaugural Conference on Philosophical Chiropractic Standards scheduled for May 17-18 at the Fairmont Hotel in Kansas City is designed to underscore the importance of chiropractic philosophy and promises to be both stimulating and inspiring.  The program is outstanding with a distinguished line-up of speakers which include Dr. Fred Barge, Dr. Guy Riekeman, Dr. Carl Cleveland, Dr. Janice Hughes, Dr. David Koch, Dr. Sue Brown, Dr. Brian McAulay, Dr. Rob Sinnott and Dr. Norman Shealy, renowned holistic medical physician and friend of chiropractic.  In addition there are 16 professional paper presentations selected by peer-review and an evening session with a special panel for students only.  "This is an intellectual conference, not a motivational seminar," said  Dr. Barge. "However, we hope that by the end of the weekend the attendees will be inspired and their passion for chiropractic stronger than ever."  If you haven't registered for this conference I urge you do so immediately.  Call ICA at 1-800-423-4690.  You can also download the registration form from the ICA website at www.chiropractic.org

DATES TO REMEMBER: Certification in Chiropractic Spinal Trauma (CCST) program Module 3, 2003, with Dr. Dan Murphy, March 8-9^th, Las Vegas, Nevada; New Era in Whiplash & Spinal Trauma Part I with Dr. Dan Murphy, March 8-9, Sacramento, California; New Era in Whiplash and Spinal Trauma, Part II featuring Dr. Richard Christie, Esq., April 26-27, 2003, Sacramento, California; Chiropractic Without a Doubt, with Dr. Steve Hoffman and Dr. Robert Braile, February 22-23^rd, Dallas, Texas; 11th Annual ICA Symposium on Natural Fitness Featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger, February 28th-March 2^nd, 2003, Columbus, Ohio; Inaugural Conference on Philosophical Chiropractic Standards, sponsored by ICA's new Council on Chiropractic Philosophy, May 17-18, Kansas City, Missouri.