Targeting Chiropractic?

The California Investigative Academy's (CIA's) original brochure for its Sept. 16, 2005 seminar featured the seminar title in large, orange letters: "Why Are You Still Paying Chiropractic Claims?" Apparently, this was the actual original name of the academy's seminar. Inside, the brochure stated: "Because of numerous and repeated requests, the Academy's seminar series returns the latest of its advanced training courses of training on investigating and defending against false and fraudulent chiropractic claims."

According to the brochure, the agenda for the seminar covered these topics:

• "A brief history of Chiropractic"
• "ID False claims in 1 minute or less"
• "CPT 101 - Billing Fraud for Dummies"
• "Investigators' Guide to Chiro Law"
• "Scams, Schemes & Scoundrels"
• "Investigating On-Site & On-Line"
• "Evaluating the Patient Record"

Shortly after releasing the brochure, the CIA received a letter (www.calchiro.org/documents/Scan-20050727-205130.pdf) from the attorney for the California Chiropractic Association (CCA), demanding that the academy "depublish" its advertisement. The CCA letter called the statements in the seminar brochure "inaccurate, misleading and disparaging."

The CIA responded to the CCA letter with a "Correction" (www.calchiro.org/documents/CIARETRACTION-WEB.doc) that stated, among other things, the following:

• "Nothing in this website, the information on the workshop, or the workshop itself, is intended to disparage the practice of chiropractic in any way, or that false claims are submitted by chiropractors in any greater percentage than any other healthcare provider or any other industry where claims are submitted to third party payers."
• "It is not the intent or the purpose of this web site or the referenced workshop to make any inference whatsoever, negative or otherwise, with regard to the chiropractic community at large, or with the practice chiropractic itself. There are many dedicated chiropractic professionals who provide a great service to their patients. Neither this website, or anything in the workshop have any reference to these. It should be noted that members of our staff are not only proponents of chiropractic, but are also chiropractic patients."
• "The sole focus of this website, the content of this informational document, and the workshop itself, is the identification, documentation and defense against false claims. It is not the intent to speak disparagingly of the chiropractic community, nor should anything in any informational document associated with this website or the workshop be construed to suggest any reference to anything other than to false claims and those who submit them."

Additionally, the CIA changed several aspects of the original brochure. On the new brochure (www.cia-online.org/Chiro%20Workshop/Chiro%20Workshop%20Brochure.pdf), the name of the seminar is now "Investigating Suspect Chiropractic Claims."

The seminar's "Guarantee" also was changed:

From:

"At the end of this workshop, you will have the information you need to save at least double the cost of this workshop on your next two chiropractic claims or we will refund 100% of the tuition paid for the workshop. Certain conditions apply*."

To:

"At the end of this workshop, you will have the knowledge and the tools to identify, document and successfully defend against the false claims described, or we'll refund the entire amount of your tuition!*"

While the CIA was quick to correct the statement made in its original brochure, and is even allowing the CCA to have a representative at the seminar, the question of why the academy was so brazen in the first place should still serve as a warning to the chiropractic profession.