There was a slight increase in Medicare rates in March. Specifically, on March 9, 2024, the Medicare conversion adjusted upward 1.69%. This increase means approximately 50 cents to $3.00 depending on the level of CMT. While not a large increase, it does aid in offsetting the decreased rates from the start of the year.
When I graduated from chiropractic college in 1981 and started practice, I heard it all, and very little was positive. “You are a quack; you do not know what a subluxation is; you couldn’t get into a real health care program, so you chose the one that is slightly above a mail-order degree; you have no proof that chiropractic works; Are you really licensed?”, and so much more.
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A central challenge in creating our identity is that chiropractic is a method of care, not a technique or procedure. This is an important concept for us to promote. Our patients are treated with lifestyle modification, exercise, nutritional supplements, diet and a whole-body approach to accelerate the natural healing process. We are not simply CMT providers.
The results of a global survey released late last year (2023) unveiled some startling findings among medical and nursing students. The “Clinician of the Future: 2023 Education Edition” surveyed 2,212 students, of which 446 were in the United States, from 91 countries.
The National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE) has announced that beginning in 2026, the Part IV exam will be conducted at NBCE headquarters in Greeley, Colo. The change is an element of the organization’s Advancement and Development Project, which also includes tripling the number of Part I and Part II testing opportunities and providing a single score for both exams, which is expected to significantly increase the passing rate.
The phrase, “Think horses, not zebras,” is often used in health care training to emphasize that doctors should consider the most common and likely diagnoses, rather than rare and exotic ones, when evaluating a patient’s symptoms. In other words, doctors should start with the most obvious and common explanations for a patient’s condition before considering more unusual or rare possibilities.
Although a hip can fracture with a fall in any direction, more than 75% of all hip fractures are the result of a sidewards fall, in which the person stumbles and lands directly on the outer side of their hip. Until recently, it’s been unclear as to why lateral falls are so destructive, as people in their 20s do not break their hips when they fall sidewards.
A recent systematic review and multilevel meta-analysis looked at the power of touch to improve physical and mental health. The investigators examined the impact of touch on both adults and infants. Children and adults experienced much the same benefits. For adults, the study included 85 studies and 103 cohorts, with touch groups and control groups for comparison.
Restoring classic cars is challenging and requires specialized knowledge and appreciation of their beauty. Likewise, the human body is a truly magnificent piece of engineering and design. Restoration is, first and foremost, an investment. Helping our patients recover from an injury or ailment requires a unique blend of artistic intuition and mechanical know-how.
Gluteal amnesia, AKA dead butt syndrome or dormant butt, has become an increasing problem over the past decade. The term dead butt seems to have gotten the public’s attention more than gluteal amnesia or dormant butt. Other terms for the same condition are gluteus medius syndrome, gluteus medius tendinosis and lower crossed syndrome. I personally prefer lower crossed syndrome, coined by Valdimir Janda.
Let’s take another look at properly documenting patient findings in a SOAP note in order to demonstrate medical necessity. This process should tell the story of your encounter with the patient. Your documentation of the subjective and objective data acquired with the history of present illness and physical examination is an essential process.
I’ve recently started using a new handheld thermography device that provides immediate thermal images and shows me (and my patient) particular areas of higher and lower temperatures. Musculoskeletal thermography (MT, also known as infrared thermography or thermal imaging), is a non-invasive tool that uses infrared cameras to detect and visualize variations in skin temperature.
In this article, let’s explore common questions posed by students, interns and licensed chiropractors aiming to provide specialized care to athletes. These insights are based on consultations with head athletic trainers and chiropractors from NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, and MLS teams; as well as input from around 1,000 university sports medicine staff members nationwide.
