In a landmark development, Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) has reached a $2.8 billion settlement to resolve antitrust claims brought by health care providers, including chiropractors. The lawsuit accused BCBS of dividing the nation into exclusive regions and limiting competition, which resulted in lower reimbursements for providers. Although BCBS denies any wrongdoing, the company agreed to the settlement to avoid lengthy litigation – and you can get a piece of the pie.
1994 ICSM and CCA/CCF Convention Join Forces
The 1994 International Conference on Spinal Manipulation (ICSM), and the California Chiropractic Association/California Chiropractic Foundation (CCA/CCF) will hold a joint convention June 9-12 in Palm Springs, California.
The ICSM, presented by the Foundation for Chiropractic Education and Research (FCER), will feature keynote speaker Pran Manga, PhD, author of the landmark Manga report (The Effectiveness and Cost-Effectiveness of Chiropractic Management of Low-Back Pain).
The ICSM's two-day program, June 10-11, will offer informal and interactive workshops:
< Pediatrics and Chiropractic -- discussions on chiropractic management of otitis media, colic, and adolescent back disorders;
< Associated Therapies -- focus on interventions emphasizing muscular rather than skeletal adjustments;
< Research Methods, Design, and Grant Writing -- designed to help chiropractic clinicians participate in research activities.
The ICSM symposia will include:
< discussion of guidelines of the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR), centering on the monograph that the AHCPR is about to publish;
< encouraging collaboration between podiatrists and chiropractors;
< Structure vs. Function -- the extent to which disorders and pain are manifested by actual structural aberrations and;
< Beyond Low Back Pain: Other Disorders -- will discuss clinical trials currently being evaluated.
California Chiropractic Assoc./Foundation
The CCA/CCF convention will offer programs aimed at providing DCs with the latest information available on S.O.A.P notes (Timothy Conwell, DC, DABCO), and whiplash (Arthur Croft, DC, MS, FACO); an E & M coding seminar will help doctors to understand how to effectively document the level of service that they have performed to receive complete reimbursement. DCs will also acquire the knowledge necessary to clearly distinguish between different levels of history and examination. The diversified technique program will teach participants how to sharpen their skills in that particular method. The convention will also include a program presented by the Consortium for Chiropractic Research (CCR).
For more information about the ICSM program, contact Deb Callahan at FCER, 1-800-637-6244 or (703) 276-7445. For more information about the CCA/CCF program, please contact Janice Guiliano or Kathy Jensen at (916) 387-0177.