At the end of 1996, after years of ignoring the chiropractic profession, the CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) code book finally included chiropractic manipulation treatment (CMT) codes. The concern at that time was what the reimburse rate would be for doctors of chiropractic under the new coding system (see "CPT Includes Chiropractic" in the November 18, 1996 issue).
Now a report has just been released by the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) on the figures for chiropractic use by Medicare under the new CMT codes:
Code
98940 - Spinal CMT of one or two regions98941 - Spinal CMT of three or four regions
98942 - Spinal CMT of five regions
While these numbers are promising, they also provide us with a bench mark. We can now measure if DCs will continue to develop their relationships with Medicare patients. Will we see a growth in the Medicare patient base in 1998? The numbers will tell.
Recent laws in New Jersey and California represent a disturbing trend that will negatively impact a practice’s ability to collect monies from patients, as well as expose them to significant penalties if the practice does not follow the mandatory guidelines to a T. Please be aware that a similar law may be coming to your state. The time to act is before the law is passed.
With estimates showing over 30 million Americans affected by peripheral neuropathy – and a significant portion underdiagnosed – it’s increasingly likely that chiropractors are already treating these patients. What’s missing is structured recognition, comprehensive management and targeted tools to slow progression, improve function and support systemic health.
Each year, ICD-10-CM is updated on Oct. 1. For 2026, there are 74,179 total codes, with 487 additions, 28 deletions and 38 revisions. Code changes are based on date of service, not the claim submission date. Services performed on/after Oct. 1 must use the new codes. While no changes affect the common spinal or extraspinal codes most frequently used by DCs, several updates may still affect your claims – particularly for comorbidities, referred pain, or trauma cases.
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