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Set your DVR! ACA Member Makes Second Appearance on "The Dr. Oz Show"

No Author — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:05:00 EST

ACA member Dr. Steven Shoshany, will make his second appearance on The Dr. Oz Show on Wednesday, Feb. 8.

ACA Member Seeks Second Super Bowl Ring

No Author — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:58:00 EST

ACA member Dr. Rob DeStefano, team DC for the NY Giants, will be on the field in Indianapolis treating players during the big game.

PQRS: What You Need to Know About Participating in 2012

No Author — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:00:00 EST

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently ruled that providers not successfully/satisfactorily participating in PQRS by the 2013 reporting period (Jan. 1 - Dec. 31, 2013), will have their Medicare reimbursement decreased by 1.5 percent beginning in 2015, and 2 percent in 2016.

Therefore, the 2012 reporting period is the last opportunity providers have to voluntarily participate in PQRS and learn how to report successfully/satisfactorily while incentives are still offered and their Medicare reimbursement is not subject to penalties.

Networks Questionnaire - ACA Calls on Profession to Respond

No Author — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:42:00 EST

ACA needs your help!  Over the course of the past several years, ACA has been examining the practices of chiropractic networks. Recently, concerns about these networks has increased dramatically to the point of additional investigative efforts being put forth by ACA.

In order to effectively capture the voice of DCs regarding these issues, a questionnaire has been developed to give both members and non-members the opportunity to share their experiences about chiropractic networks. Responding to this questionnaire will help ACA understand the effects these networks have on profession, and will also help the association better position itself for future efforts.

Concussions and Chiropractic

No Author — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:56:00 EST

Concussions are getting much-needed attention in the press, especially given the short- and long-term cognitive loss, early-onset dementia, physical disability and even death resulting from traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Nicotine Patches, Gum No Help

No Author — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:52:00 EST

Smokers are no more likely to give up cigarettes for good by using nicotine replacement products such as patches and gum than if they did not use those quit-smoking aids, a prospective cohort study showed.

Taking Multiple Meds Ups Fall Risk

No Author — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:44:00 EST

Working-age adults who use two or more prescription medications may be at risk for becoming seriously injured after falling in the home, researchers found.

In a study of young and middle-age adults, using at least two medications was associated with an increased likelihood of dying from or being hospitalized for a falling injury �. Antihypertensives and cholesterol-lowering drugs were the most common medications involved.

'The risk of falls may be increased as a result of both the intentional and unintentional effects of pharmacological therapy such as orthostatic hypotension, psychomotor impairment, extra-pyramidal symptoms, and dizziness.'

Laughter IS the Best Medicine

No Author — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 06:41:00 EST

This study suggests that the addition of an adjunct therapeutic mirthful laughter Rx (a potential modulator of positive mood state) to standard diabetes care may lower stress and inflammatory response and increase �good� cholesterol levels.

The authors conclude that mirthful laughter may thus lower the risk of cardiovascular disease associated with diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome.

Activity May Lower MI Risk

No Author — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:52:00 EST

Physical activity during leisure time and on the job was associated with a lower likelihood of having an MI, an analysis of the large INTERHEART study showed.

Staying physically fit throughout life may well be one of the easiest, cheapest, and most effective ways to avoid the coronary care unit.

Overuse Accounts for Up to 30% of Healthcare Spending

No Author — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:50:00 EST

Overuse of therapeutic procedures, diagnostic tests, and medications is an understudied problem that may account for as much as 30% of healthcare spending in the United States and result in harm to patients.

The 4 most common health services examined in the studies included in the review were antibiotics for upper respiratory infections, coronary angiography, carotid endarterectomy, and coronary artery bypass grafting and revascularization.

Credit Rating to Drive Future of Health Care

No Author — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 07:33:00 EST

Ratings agency Standard & Poor's warned it may downgrade 'a number of highly rated' Group of 20 countries from 2015 if their governments fail to enact reforms to curb rising healthcare spending and other costs related to ageing populations.

'If governments do not change their social protection systems, they will likely become unsustainable.'

'If no reforms are adopted, healthcare-related credit downgrades would likely start within three years...'

'... developed nations will eventually become the victims of their social safety nets.'

'S&P said it was not too late for G20 countries to tackle the problem, but reforms to contain age-related spending needed be coupled with efforts to balance budgets by 2016, which would be enough to offset rising healthcare costs by 2050.'

Senator Grassley Probes High-Volume Medicaid Prescribers

No Author — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 06:32:00 EST

Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) has demanded that 33 states and the District of Columbia explain what they plan to do about physicians who hand out huge numbers of painkiller and psychiatric drug prescriptions paid for by Medicaid.

Each of the letters said, 'I have concerns about the oversight and enforcement of Medicaid abuse in your state. ... the numbers themselves are quite shocking.  One ... doctor, for example, had written 18,890 scrips for quetiapine (Seroquel) in 2009 -- 'nearly 73 prescriptions per weekday or nine prescriptions per hour .... [another] physician who had written 2,522 scrips for oxycodone (OxyContin) in 2009, and another with more than 2,800 prescriptions for alprazolam (Xanax).'

Some of Grassley's letters highlighted a single Wyoming doctor who wrote prescriptions for aripiprazole (Abilify) that cost the state nearly $300,000.

Community Weight Loss Programs Ineffective in Diabetes Control

No Author — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:38:00 EST

Community-based weight-loss programs have not been shown to be effective at reducing the incidence of diabetes, so implementing a national program would likely be money down the drain, a diabetes expert said.

The chief scientific and medical officer of the American Diabetes Association for nearly 25 years said that 'community programs are ineffective at achieving weight loss.''

He states that there are two ways to dramatically reduce the toll of diabetes: One is to detect diabetes early and then treat it so effectively that complications from the disease are practically zero. The other is to prevent diabetes before it even happens.

'In sum, to date, we have not seen a demonstration of any program that results in a clinically meaningful weight loss that can be maintained for more than two to three years in the great majority of participants and at a low cost.'

The Medical Reserve Corps Wants You!

No Author — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:36:00 EST

The Surgeon General's Division of the Civilian Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) is looking for doctors of chiropractic who want to make a meaningful contribution to America's health structure and their community.

Chiropractic Leaders and Philanthropists Recognized at Parker Seminars Las Vegas

No Author — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:11:00 EST

Parker Seminars awarded some of the most influential leaders in the profession during 2012 Parker Seminars Las Vegas. Erchonia Medical, a leader in low level laser health care applications, was honored with the coveted Philanthropy Award.

The Parker Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Dr. Terry Yochum for enhancing the profession with his substantial contributions. Dr. Yochum, director of Rocky Mountain Chiropractic Radiological Center in Denver, Colorado, and adjunct professor of radiology at Southern California University of Health Sciences, is well-known for his work in radiology.

The World Congress of Women Chiropractors (WCWC) named Dr. Janette Kurban as the Woman Chiropractor of the Year for her exemplary service to the profession. A 2009, Parker graduate, Dr. Kurban is actively involved in the profession and is a leader in chiropractic. She maintains a practice in Arlington, Texas. In 2008, Dr. Kurban made history as the first Parker graduate appointed to serve on the Board of Chiropractic Examiners (TBCE).

Feds Don't Exempt Texas From Health Reform 80% Rule

No Author — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 06:36:00 EST

The federal government on Friday refused to let Texas ease a requirement that health insurers devote at least 80 percent of premium revenue to medical care.

Officials of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said Texas insurance regulators did not convincingly back up their claim that immediate enforcement of the medical-spending minimums would disrupt the state's 'individual market.'

Statins Up Diabetes Risk in Older Women

No Author — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 15:29:00 EST

Older women who take statins may be at an increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

FDA Supplement Guidance Not Strict Enough, MD Says

No Author — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 12:27:00 EST

An FDA proposal to require dietary supplement manufacturers to submit data proving their product is safe doesn't go far enough, according to a physician writing in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Parker Seminars Hosts Largest Event in Chiropractic

No Author — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 06:21:00 EST

More than 5,300 Parker Seminar attendees flocked to the fresh and exciting line-up of courses designed to improve chiropractors, chiropractic assistants, and chiropractic students.

Nicotine Patch Boosts Brain Power in Mildly Impaired

No Author — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 15:28:00 EST

Nicotine patches may sharpen memory and other mental skills for nonsmokers with mild cognitive impairment, a preliminary study suggested.