News / Profession

I.Q. -- Interesting Quote

Dynamic Chiropractic Staff

Dangerous Medicine? An article on the front page of USA Today1 reports:

"Researchers estimate about 120,000 preventable deaths and 1 million injuries occur during the course of medical treatment each year."
Assuming there are approximately 600,000 MDs, this equates to an average MD being involved in one preventable death every five years, and almost two unnecessary injuries every year. This is something to consider when comparing the risk of chiropractic care to that of medical treatment.

Reference

1. Medical groups act to curb errors. USA Today, October 14, 1996.

December 1996
print pdf
Trending
Diagnosis & Diagnostic Equip
Diagnosing Radiculopathies Through History & Observation
Diagnosing Radiculopathies Through History & Observation

MRI is currently the gold standard for identifying radicular pathology, but unfortunately, it requires preauthorization, which isn’t easy to obtain. Physical tests are what most practitioners depend on – despite the marginal reliability of the tests. The information in this article brings history and observation to the forefront of radicular diagnostics. Each factor listed can significantly increase the clinician’s ability to diagnose radiculopathies.

K. Jeffrey Miller, DC, MBA
Billing / Fees / Insurance
Multiple-Procedure Claim Reductions?
Multiple-Procedure Claim Reductions?

With some plans – and it starts with Medicare (CMS) – there is a payment protocol called the multiple-procedure payment reduction (MPPR). This protocol means that if a health care provider performs multiple procedures during a single patient encounter, Medicare (and many commercial insurers) typically will pay “full price” for only the highest-valued procedure. The subsequent procedures will be reduced, as there is overlap.

Samuel A. Collins
Chronic / Acute Conditions
From Sciatica to Brain Tumor: A Life-Saving Diagnosis
From Sciatica to Brain Tumor: A Life-Saving Diagnosis

A 42-year-old male former patient arrives at your chiropractic office with excruciating low back pain that travels all the way down his right leg to his foot. A spinal surgeon previously recommended surgery to correct an MRI-confirmed disc herniation (sequestration) at L5, but the patient chose conservative chiropractic care. Although conservative treatment is effective for many lumbar disc herniations, the warning signs in this case call for escalation.

Ronald Feise, DC