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Orange County Chiropractic District
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Memorandum to: ACA Members, Board of Governors, House of
Delegates and Other Interested Parties In this week's report: 1. ACA FILES MOTION TO COMPEL TRIGON BLUE CROSS/ BLUE SHIELD TO ANSWER INTERROGATORIES: LAWSUIT HEATS UP 2. MCANDREWS LAW FIRM RECOGNIZED AGAIN 3. THE DOCTORS BEHIND DEREK PARRA 4. CANADIAN STROKE STUDY PROMPTS STRONG RESPONSE FROM ACA 5. STUDENT ACA MEETS WITH NATIONAL BOARD 6. LINK TO CONGRESSIONAL LETTER DEMANDING MORE SERVICE AT CAPITOL 7. LIST OF COSPONSORS SUPPORTING THE WATKINS BILL CONTINUES TO GROW 8. ACA COMMENTS ON ERRONEOUS INFORMATION GIVEN TO WHITE HOUSE COMMISSION ON ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE 9. ACA-PAC KEEPS AN EYE ON A CONGRESSIONAL RACE IN MICHIGAN 10. FOOT LEVELERS SEMINARS SUPPORT THE LAWSUITS 11. BLUE CCHIP UPDATE 12. ACA LONG-TERM CARE AVAILABLE IN A FEW STATES 1. ACA FILES MOTION TO COMPEL TRIGON BLUE CROSS/ BLUE SHIELD TO ANSWER INTERROGATORIES: LAWSUIT HEATS UP As previously reported, ACA attorneys filed a set of follow-up interrogatories with Trigon centering on the contention that Trigon BC/BS often pays "limited-license providers [e.g. chiropractors] less than we pay medical doctors for the same procedure." In ACA's follow-up to that admission, we set forth studies and sworn testimony by medical authorities that contradict Trigon's implication that medical doctors have a higher degree of medical knowledge and skill than do doctors of chiropractic with respect to musculoskeletal conditions. We then asked Trigon to specify how these studies and testimony relate, if at all, to their discriminatory reimbursement policies, and to let us know which of the studies and sworn testimony do they view as not being credible, along with the reasons for that belief. Since Trigon has resisted responding to these follow-up inquiries, we have filed a motion with the court to order Trigon to answer these questions. 2. MCANDREWS LAW FIRM RECOGNIZED AGAIN There is no question about our lead counsel's loyalty to the chiropractic profession. George McAndrews' father was a doctor of chiropractic, his brother and sister are doctors of chiropractic, and he encouraged his daughter to become a doctor of chiropractic. While commitment is important, so is competency. Mr. McAndrews and his firm are known as one of the outstanding operations in the country. His firm was recently recognized in the Global Counsel 3000, a worldwide publication listing the recommendations of corporate in-house counsel for engaging outside counsel. Mr. McAndrews' firm was designated as one of six "highly recommended firms" in Chicago for intellectual property law, while Mr. McAndrews was designated as one of only four "highly recommended individuals." Although commitment and skill are a difficult combination to find in an attorney, we have one as our lead attorney in the lawsuits against the federal government and Trigon Blue Cross/ Blue Shield. 3. THE DOCTOR BEHIND DEREK PARRA Hopefully you saw Derek Parra win the Olympic silver medal in an event (the 5,000 meters) that is not even considered his best , on February 9th. His best event is the 1,500 meters competition, which is scheduled for Tuesday, February 19th, at 1:00 pm Mountain time. Look for him again on Friday, February 22nd, in the 10,000 meters competition at 12:00 noon Mountain time. When he was interviewed immediately after winning the silver medal, he thanked his psychologists and his "doctors." So we have specifically requested that when he wins the gold medal in the 1,500 meters to explicitly mention his chiropractic doctors. Derek is a strong chiropractic patient, and his doctor and the unofficial doctor of the American speedskating team for the last three years has been ACA delegate to Connecticut, Dr. Keith Overland. He is credentialed to treat athletes at the Olympics in an area called the "high performance center." It was Dr. Overland who suggested to the ACA and ACAuxiliary to become sponsors of Derek over a year ago. I would be remiss if I didn't also recognize Dr. Robin Hunter, the first chiropractic doctor to serve on staff of the USOC Winter Olympics committee. Dr. Hunter has been in Salt Lake City for over a month. Another chiropractic success story: On Tuesday, February 13, Takeshi Honda, a member of the Japanese men's skating team had just finished a perfect performance in the Short Program. As he was leaving the ice, the commentator mentioned that, "he sees his chiropractor and acupuncturist twice a week." The Olympics really is a great place to demonstrate the effectiveness of chiropractic care. 4. CANADIAN STROKE STUDY PROMPTS STRONG RESPONSE FROM ACA The ACA is denouncing as "junk science" a recent paper by Canadian neurologists regarding chiropractic and the risk of stroke. The study, which is extremely limited and seriously flawed, has needlessly alarmed patients about one of the safest and most effective treatments in health care today, according to the ACA. The Canadian neurologists' study, presented by Dr. John W. Norris and colleagues at the American Stroke Association's 27th International Stroke Conference, contained no control group; it was essentially a random opinion survey based on the whims of doctors who themselves decided to participate. This outrageous paper is being falsely portrayed as legitimate science and leaves many basic questions unanswered. A February 11 Reuters Health wire story on the study stated that the results were "prompting some Canadian neurologists to campaign against neck manipulation by chiropractors." Unfortunately, the Reuters story contained no chiropractic perspective and incorrectly stated that the ACA had not responded to requests for comment by press time. ACA's spokesperson on this issue, Dr. Bill Lauretti, had indeed responded to Reuters' call by deadline, but due to a mix-up on their end, his phone call was not returned before the story was released. Upset by the unfair treatment of chiropractic in the article, ACA's media relations staff contacted the Reuters reporter and urged a follow-up story containing ACA's take on the study. Yesterday, that story was released by Reuters, and it can be found here: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20020214/hl_nm/chiro_1. ACA's full response to this extremely flawed study can be found on ACA's Web site in the "Hot Topics" section, at: http://www.acatoday.com/hot_topics/021402.shtml. 5. STUDENT ACA MEETS WITH NATIONAL BOARD The four national officers of SACA (Student ACA) met with the leadership of the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners at NBCE facilities in Greeley, Colorado, February 1, 2002. Representing SACA were: Lisa Olszewski, national chair, Palmer College of Chiropractic; Craig Caviness, vice chair, New York Chiropractic College; Nick Mellum, legislative chair, Northwestern Chiropractic College; and Dana Weissman, vice legislative chair, New York Chiropractic College. The agenda for the day included a tour of the facilities and presentations about NBCE test design and development, Part IV Practical examination process, application processing, exam scoring and reporting, and current projects including the possibility of computerized testing. The four student leaders discussed concerns with NBCE that they received from chiropractic colleges throughout the nation regarding NBCE policies and procedures for the examinations. The visit proved to be very informative and "eye-opening" for the students, who feel that they now have a greater appreciation for the operations of the National Board. The SACA officers will be discussing their visit with the leadership of the SACA chapters in the upcoming weeks, as well as working to effectively communicate their learning experience with chiropractic students throughout the United States. 6. LINK TO CONGRESSIONAL LETTER DEMANDING MORE SERVICE AT CAPITOL For those of you interested in viewing the letter signed by numerous members of Congress to the Admiral who oversees the medical center at the Capitol requesting the additional days for our chiropractic doctor to treat members of Congress, go to: http://www.acatoday.com/pdf/feb04.pdf. 7. LIST OF COSPONSORS SUPPORTING THE WATKINS BILL CONTINUES TO GROW The bill introduced by Congressman Wes Watkins that would expand the services reimbursable under Medicare continues to gain support in Congress. With VA and DOD wins under our belt, the Government Relations department is turning its attention to getting the chiropractic provision inserted into a Medicare vehicle, which is in the early stage of formation. This will take a major effort as we must demonstrate through co-sponsorship the broad, bipartisan support for this provision in order to be included in the major vehicle. This measure will be one of the primary focuses at NCLC when the conference is held in March. For a listing of the current sponsors and other pertinent information, please go to: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d107:HR00902:@@@P. If your member of Congress has agreed to cosponsor the bill, send him or her a thank you letter. If not, ask him/her to cosponsor this important measure. 8. ACA COMMENTS ON ERRONEOUS INFORMATION GIVEN TO WHITE HOUSE COMMISSION ON ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE The ACA wrote a letter to the White House Commission stating that the comments made by the chiropractic doctor on the commission that we weren't trained to provide nutritional counseling were grossly incorrect. We pointed to the training our doctors receive in chiropractic college and noted that the scope of practice for our doctors included nutrition. We also pointed out that our doctors are qualified to serve as primary health care providers. For a complete text of our letter, visit the following section of the ACA Web site: http://www.acatoday.com/government/white_house/0202_testimony.shtml 9. ACA-PAC KEEPS AN EYE ON A CONGRESSIONAL RACE IN MICHIGAN Once every ten years the federal government conducts a census of the American population. The results have a profound effect on how and where federal dollars are spent, and equally important, can determine the political survival of members of congress and of state legislators. Naturally, this aspect of the process is highly political. The number of congressional seats in each state can increase or decrease based on the fluctuation of the population in the state. This year is no exception, as some states with increased population increased their number of representatives, while other decreased. Since Michigan lost population, in redrawing the congressional lines some incumbents landed in the same district as one another. In a state like Connecticut, where two congressmen ended up in the same district, at least each was from different parties. But in Michigan, thanks to the Republicans who control the redrawing process, two incumbents from the same party ended up in the same district. Unless the congressional redistricting lines are thrown out by the court, which is not expected to happen, 24-term Rep. John Dingell (D-MI, ranking member on Energy and Commerce) will face a tough primary against fellow Democrat incumbent Rep. Lynn Rivers. This has naturally caused a split within the Democratic party in Michigan, and has caused repercussions within the Democratic caucus. Recently, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, the third most powerful democratic woman in Congress, had to explain a contribution she had made earlier in the year to Representative Rivers. The court decision is expected in April. This will be a very interesting race to watch. 10. FOOT LEVELERS SEMINARS SUPPORT THE LAWSUITS In conjunction with the 50th anniversary of Foot Levelers, the company is sponsoring a series of 18-hour seminars throughout the country, including some of the most prominent speakers in chiropractic. Included in the programs are Drs. Mark Charrette, William Austin, Patrick Gentempo, Kim Christensen, John Danchik, Kirk Lee, Terry Yochum, David Jackson, K.S.J. Murkowski, Jeffrey Olsen and John Hyland. Continuing education hours have been requested. Fifty percent of the registration fee goes to the National Chiropractic Legal Action Fund, which supports our lawsuits against Trigon and the federal government, with the balance going to your school of choice. The programs are being offered at the following locations and times: March 22-24 in San Jose, California April 26-28 in Newark, New Jersey May 17-19, in Minneapolis, Minnesota To register, contact Foot Levelers at 800-553-4860, or visit http://www.footlevelers.com. 11. BLUE CCHIP UPDATE Blue CCHIP Trends:
* In an early program move, the BC/BS plan in South Dakota has recommended to its medical policy-making board the inclusion of Dr. Tom Ivey, Blue CCHIP state chiropractic liaison in the state. Following the lead of the Blue CCHIP process, Dr. Ivey has been in dialog with the Blues medical director and has lobbied for an important seat on their reimbursement committee. It's one of those things that won't happen unless you ask. It comes on the heels of an announcement by ACA that the Blue CCHIP program is working. 12. ACA LONG-TERM CARE AVAILABLE IN A FEW STATES As the nation's population ages, long-term care insurance is becoming increasingly popular. This month, JLT Services, Inc., will begin offering ACA long-term care insurance to members in Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Missouri. To learn more about this new ACA benefit, call 800-544-2672, ext. 1108. For some valuable information on long-term care insurance, including when and how much to buy, visit: http://www.kiplinger.com/magazine/archives/2001/March/managing/ltcare.html. |
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