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HEALTHBEAT SHOW NOTES .... Episode #29 - Recorded January 27, 2006

Hello and welcome to this week’s edition of HealthBeat, Chiropractic OnLine Today’s Health, News and informational Podcast.

In this week’s news:  We’ll Look At -

• American Academy of Spine Physicians offers Continuing Ed Courses

• Vitamin D and Pregnancy

• Exercise and Alzheimer’s disease

• Vertebroplasty and Spinal Fractures

• NJ Passes New Utilization Management Law

• Malpractice Insurance

• Winter 2006 Olympics

• And finally, Chiropractic Corner discusses Spinal Rehab with Dr Donald Murphy

For HealthBeat, This is Dr. Todd Eglow.

Welcome to HealthBeat Podcast #29, recorded January 27, 2006.  HealthBeat is Chiropractic OnLine Today’s radio program, providing current news and commentary about Chiropractic and Health.

This week’s Episode is sponsored by DaVinci Laboratories.  Please surf to our web site at ChiropracticRadio.com and click on the DaVinci link for your Health and Nutritional needs.

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If you are in the Northeast this weekend, I will be at the New York State Chiropractic Association’s Mini-Convention at the Mohegan Sun Hotel and Casino, January 27 – 29.  If you see me…. Stop by and say hello…. I’ll be the guy with the microphone ;o)

Finally, Chiropractic OnLine Today has always provided our news and education content for free and plan on continuing this policy.  We do request, if you are enjoying these podcasts, that you surf to ChiropracticRadio.com and consider clicking on our PayPal link to make a donation to keep these Podcasts airing.  We thank everyone for their continued support.

And Now for some news ….

American Academy of Spine Physicians offers Continuing Ed Courses

There have been many recent advances in the area of diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to pediatric spine disorders. The American Academy of Spine Physicians (AASP) announces the addition of two online continuing education programs in the field of pediatric spinal disorders. The programs are entitled Back Pain in Children and Adolescents and Pediatric Kyphosis. The AASP will continue to develop programs on the Pediatric Spine. The credits received by AASP members can be applied towards obtaining Diplomate status with the American Academy of Spine Physicians (DAASP) and, for those who are Diplomates, towards Fellow status with the American College of Spine Physicians (FACSP).

For more information, surf to our Show Notes for a link - http://www.spinephysicians.org/dr1academynewsd.cfm?news_id=200

Vitamin D and Pregnancy

According to the DrKoop.com web site, a study in the January 7, 2006 issue of the journal, the Lancet, reports that Mothers who take extra vitamin D while pregnant could be protecting their children from osteoporosis later in life.

The study reported that children born to mothers with insufficient vitamin D during pregnancy had weaker bones when they were 9 years old.  The report suggests that this is another piece of information that suggests that events beginning from gestation influence ultimate bone health and bone strength

As always, COT’s HealthBeat recommends discussing any Nutritional recommendations with a qualified healthcare professional.

For more information, surf to our Show Notes - http://www.drkoop.com/newsdetail/93/530064.html

Exercise and Alzheimer’s disease

In a study published in the latest issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, volunteers 65 years and older were given a battery of memory tests and questioned about their weekly exercise habits.

After six years, researchers detected a remarkable pattern. Seniors who were physically active at least three time a week were 38 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease, which causes a slow, irreversible decline in brain function.

In the study, "exercise" was anything from simple aerobics to walking or hiking to 15 minutes of stretching.

Researchers emphasize that this study is not proof that exercise reduces the risk of Alzheimer's disease, but they say the results are consistent with several previous studies.

The theory is that exercise not only increases blood flow and oxygen to the brain — it may also reduce the telltale "plaque" in the brain associated with Alzheimer's disease.

A recent mouse study comparing the brains of sedentary mice to those put on a running wheel found that the plaques were about a third less in the exercise mice.

The authors of the study suggest that some actual physiological support may be present showing a direct mechanism between exercise and the development of plaque.

For more information, surf to the Annals of Internal Medicine - http://www.annals.org/

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=1510862

Vertebroplasty and Spinal Fractures

Vertebroplasty is an image-guided, minimally invasive, nonsurgical therapy used to strengthen a broken spinal bone that has been weakened by diseases such as osteoporosis or, less commonly, cancer.

A study in the January 2006 issue of the Journal of Neuroradiology published a study to look at whether vertebroplasty increases the risk of adjacent-level vertebral fractures. Biomechanical and clinical studies suggest an increased risk exists.

The conclusion was that the data from the study demonstrate an association between vertebroplasty and new vertebral fractures. Specifically, following vertebroplasty, patients are at increased risk of new-onset adjacent-level fractures and, when these fractures occur, they occur sooner than nonadjacent level fractures.

COT’s HealthBeat recommends discussing these findings with your Spinal Specialist, such as a Doctor of Chiropractic for more information.

Surf to the January 2006 issue of the Journal of Neuroradiology for more information – http://www.ajnr.org/cgi/content/abstract/27/1/217

Vertebroplasty Reference -http://www.radiologyinfo.org/content/interventional/vertebro.htm

NJ Passes New Utilization Management Law

According to the NJ Group, the ANJC, On January 12, 2006, Governor Codey signed into law S. 2824 which addresses utilization management procedures conducted by insurers in New Jersey .  The new law implements the following significant provisions:  

1. Post-payment audit look-back periods are limited to 18 months (reduced from 6 years) except in cases of fraud or a pattern of inappropriate billing or claims.
   

2. Insurers must post on the internet all clinical guidelines relied upon in denying claims and may only use them as a screening tool.
   

3. Utilization management denials must be made by a physician licensed in NJ.
   

4. Insurers have 15 days to respond to care authorization requests or the request is deemed approved.
   

5. If care is properly preauthorized, an insurer cannot retroactively deny reimbursement absent fraud or misrepresentation.
   

6. An insurer cannot change diagnostic codes without written justification.
   

7. A new binding arbitration system is created for non-medical necessity appeals with attorney’s fee and cost shifting to the prevailing party.
   

8. An insurer can be assessed a $10,000 per day penalty by the Department of Banking and Insurance for violating the Act.
   

9. Insurers cannot “extrapolate” data in post-payment audits unless the matter is in a judicial arena, the records have been altered, reconstructed or are unavailable, or there is clear evidence of fraud and the matter is referred to the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor.
   

10. Insurers are permitted to block claim reimbursement to a provider as a result of a post-payment audit.  The law will take effect 180 days from its enactment which will occur on or about July 11, 2006.

For more information, surf to http://www.ANJC.info

Malpractice Insurance

Next time you consider complaining about your Malpractice insurance.... be glad that you are not an OB/GYN in Miami , Florida .

According to Chiropractic Economics, the Medical Economics magazine found that Miami is the highest area in the country, with OB/GYNs paying as high as nearly $300,000.00 per year.

For more information, surf to our Show Notes - http://www.chiroeco.com/news/2006/January/Malpractice.php

Winter 2006 Olympics

Jeffrey S. Solomon, DC, DACBSP, has been selected as the official chiropractor of the U.S. Olympic Team at the XX Olympic Winter Games in Torino , Italy .

Solomon is president of the ACA Council on Sports Injuries and Physical Fitness, an ACA member since 1992, and elected president of the Florida Chiropractic Association.

Solomon has provided chiropractic services during Olympic track and field trials, served an internship at the Olympic training center, and recently finished a five-year stint as team chiropractor for Florida International University in Miami .

Best of luck to Jeffrey and all the athletes participating in the upcoming Winter 2006 games.

http://www.chiroeco.com/news/2006/January/Team.php

Chiropractic Corner – In this edition of HealthBeat’s Chiropractic Corner, I interview Dr. Donald Murphy.  Dr. Murphy has been promoting sound, ethical and scientifically oriented Chiropractic Care for over a decade.  Our conversation focuses on the new Chiropractic treatment paradigm along with current thoughts on Rehabilitation protocols.

Thank you for listening…. As always, We Want to hear from you.  Please send us emails…. Simply surf to our Web Site at ChiropracticRadio.com and click on the Email link.

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Finally, I leave you with the following quote:

"The only reason some people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory." 
– Paul Fix

For Chiropractic OnLine Today’s HealthBeat, This is Dr. Todd Eglow.

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