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HEALTHBEAT SHOW NOTES .... Episode #72 - Recorded November 24, 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 –  

• Word of the Week

• Chronic Pain

• Health Insurance Industry Urges Expansion of Coverage

• Horizon BC/BS and Chiro Reimbursement

For HealthBeat, This is Dr. Todd Eglow.

Welcome to HealthBeat Podcast #72, a US Holiday episode for Thanksgiving, recorded November 24, 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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A quick programming note…. Periodically, we need to update the XML feed that you see in your RSS Reader, such as iTunes.  In a few weeks, we will be removing the direct feeds to some of the earlier shows for this current year.  However, all shows will still be available on our web site, at ChiropracticRadio.com

Finally, Chiropractic OnLine Today has always provided our news and education content for free and plan on continuing this policy.  However, we do request that 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 ….

Word of the Week

This week’s Word/Condition is Pneumorrhachis.  Pneumorrhachis refers to the presence of gas in the spinal canal. Also called pneumatorrhachis.

A recent study found that this condition is an exceptional but eminent radiographic finding, accompanied by different etiologies and possible pathways of air entry into the spinal canal.

The diagnostic procedure should include spinal CT, the imaging tool of choice. PR has to be differentiated from free intraspinal gas collections and the coexistence of air and gas within the spinal canal has to be considered differential diagnostically.

The management of PR has to be individualized and frequently requires a multidisciplinary regime.

http://www.springerlink.com/content/h506h214vh248687/

Chronic Pain

According to a recent article from the FCER’s Chiropractic HealthWays newsletter, "The American Chronic Pain Association defines chronic pain as 'pain that continues a month or more beyond the usual recovery period for an injury or illness or that goes on for months or years due to a chronic condition.'"

"One of the primary concerns of many chronic pain patients is often the high doses of medications needed to quiet the pain and the potentially endless length of time medications will be needed. Fortunately, chiropractic is an option that involves treatments that are drugless, non-invasive, and natural."

A major thrust of the article centers on the importance of working with the chiropractor to develop a long-term solution and improved overall health, finding the causes of pain, and managing your pain with chiropractic.

The Research Review section of this issue highlights a recent study indicating that visiting the chiropractor versus a physical therapist results in fewer health care visits, and the Ask Your Doctor segment features information on dietary and nutritional recommendations as part of treatment for pain.

For more information about the FCER – the Foundation for Chiropractic Education and Research, surf to – www.fcer.org

Health Insurance Industry Urges Expansion of Coverage

According to the NY Times - The health insurance industry proposed an expansion of Medicaid and new tax breaks on Monday with the goal of guaranteeing coverage for all children in three years and for virtually all adults within 10 years.

New members of Congress, especially those elected on a pledge to help the uninsured, are likely to embrace many of the proposals, which provide a benchmark for debate on the issue. The debate is likely to rage in the next Congress and in the 2008 presidential campaign.

The latest government figures show that 46.6 million Americans lacked health insurance in 2005, an increase of 17 percent, or 6.8 million, from 2000.

The industry proposed these steps, estimated to cost $300 billion over 10 years:

• The federal government and the states should expand Medicaid to cover all adults with annual incomes under the poverty level, including single adults who cannot now qualify. The poverty level is $16,600 for a family of three and $9,800 for an individual.

• The Children’s Health Insurance Program, financed jointly by the federal government and the states, should, at a minimum, cover all children in families with incomes less than twice the poverty level.

• Congress should create tax incentives for people to establish “universal health accounts.” People could take tax deductions for amounts contributed to such accounts. They could use the accounts to pay premiums for any type of health insurance. The federal government would help pay premiums for people with incomes below certain levels.

• Congress should establish a tax credit for individuals and families who buy health insurance for their children. The credit would be $200 a child, up to a maximum of $500 for a family. It would be available to families with incomes up to three times the poverty level — up to $60,000 for a family of four.

Under current law, employers can generally take tax deductions for the cost of providing health benefits to employees. The industry plan calls for a similar deduction for people who buy coverage on their own, in the individual health insurance market.

According to a senior fellow at the Urban Institute, there is worry that such a change could create incentives for some employees to buy insurance on their own, rather than through the workplace. “Unless carefully designed,” he said, “that change could reduce the incentives for employers to provide coverage, and we could get a net increase in the number of people without insurance.”

Surf to our Show Notes for a link to this NY Times Article - http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/14/washington/14health.html?hp&ex=1163480400&en=16d0c405c6be356b&ei=5094&partner=homepage

Horizon BC/BS and Chiro Reimbursement

A recent emailing from the NJ group, the ANJC, indicates that Horizon BC/BS recently emailed participating providers that Horizon would now recognize and pay participating physicians for their significant, separately identifiable E&M services billed with a modifier -25.

However, according to the ANJC, when Horizon was contacted to confirm that the policy applied to all specialties, a number of conflicting responses were received, prompting the ANJC to request, through legal counsel, a definitive position on the issue. Horizon responded by issuing a second letter in November.

This letter stated that if a provider previously did not receive separate reimbursement for E&M services, the new modifier -25 policy would not change that. This translated to: Horizon will continue to discriminate against chiropractors in New Jersey by paying all providers, except chiropractors, for their significant, separately identifiable E&M services billed with a modifier -25.

An Administrative Law Judge is expected to issue his decision to the Department of Banking and Insurance (DOBI) on all of the issues in the administrative action, including the E&M issue, in early December.  The Department of Banking and Insurance can then accept, reject, or modify the judge’s opinion. Once the Department of Banking and Insurance issues its determination, both sides have 45 days to appeal to the Appellate Division of the Superior Court if they are dissatisfied. The ANJC looks forward to an ultimate victory in the action when the Administrative Law Judge issues his decision.

For more information, contact the ANJC at www.anjc.info

As always, please surf to our Podcast Show Notes at ChiropractiRadio.com for a full listing of web references mentioned in today’s show.

And remember - COT’s Healthbeat always recommends discussing any nutritional or exercise lifestyle modifications with a qualified healthcare professional.

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Finally, I leave you with the following quote:

"A mind once stretched by a new idea never regains its original dimension."

- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

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

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