Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas has announced a unique partnership with the Spine Institute for Quality (Spine IQ) whereby BCBSKS-contracted chiropractors who utilize the clinical data registry to submit metrics to Spine IQ regarding spine care will qualify for quality reimbursement payments.
"Chiropractors provide important conservative spine care to thousands of BCBSKS members each year," said Dr. Daryl Callahan, DO, medical director for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, the state's largest insurer. "By establishing performance measures, they will follow best practices that are even more valuable to patients and payors."
According to the insurance carrier, "The registry will help BCBSKS and its network of chiropractors better define an episode of care for treatment ... by collecting data such as date of service, pain intensity and imaging within the first 28 days of pain."
Dr. Callahan also noted that data compiled via the patient registry should indicate trends in providing quality care for pain treatment that can be applied to other health care providers in the insurer's network.
As discussed in our October 2017 issue ("Why Clinical Data Registries Deserve Your Attention"), clinical data registries such as Spine IQ are increasingly utilized as a means to gauge clinical efficacy, cost-effectiveness and overall quality of care. Relative to the chiropractic profession in general and the BCBSKS-Spine IQ partnership in particular, data reporting via clinical data registries allows the profession to define quality as it relates to spine care and demonstrate value, leading to increased utilization and reimbursement for services.
When sports chiropractors first appeared at the Olympic Games in the 1980s, it was alongside individual athletes who had experienced the benefits of chiropractic care in their training and recovery processes at home. Fast forward to Paris 2024, where chiropractic care was available in the polyclinic for all athletes, and the attitude has now evolved to recognize that “every athlete deserves access to sports chiropractic."
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Some doctors thrive in a personality-based clinic and have a loyal following no matter what services or equipment they offer, but for most chiropractic offices who are trying to grow and expand, new equipment purchases help us stay relevant and continue to service our client base in the best, most up-to-date manner possible. So, regarding equipment purchasing: should you lease, get a bank loan, or pay cash?
