News
Nevada Chiropractic Council's Resolution Supporting the Chiropractor's Right To Clinical Decision-Making Regarding Radiology
Whereas, the Nevada Chiropractic Council (NCC) is a professional organization, the mission of which is to protect and enhance the chiropractic profession through organized leadership, education, and the promotion of the chiropractic discipline and practice; and,
Whereas, the NCC works to protect the right of individual chiropractors to choose the clinical procedures within the chiropractic standard of care and practice, that he or she believes best address the patient's complaint and/or diagnosis; and,
Whereas, the "performance, ordering, or use of x-ray" is included in the definition of "chiropractic" in the Nevada Public Health Code NAC 634.412, which states the following:
Competence. (NRS 634.030) 1. A licensee shall maintain competence in: (a) The application of chiropractic; and (b) The production and interpretation of radiographs; and,
Whereas, radiology is a scientifically proven component of the chiropractor's clinical practice, as the role of diagnostic radiology is clinically useful in evaluating multiple aspects of human spinal anatomy, biomechanics, postural faults, misalignments, vertebral subluxation complex, and other pathologies; and,
Whereas, one of the primary tasks of the NCC is to educate and inform Nevada's chiropractic community, other organizations, and the public on the latest requirements and trends in chiropractic treatment protocols; and,
Whereas, the NCC recognizes the need for scientific evidence to support chiropractic care provided by chiropractors across the state and the nation, and that the utilization of rational, evidence-based clinical guidelines and "best practice" documents are critical ways to implement research findings into clinical practice; and,
Whereas, the NCC also recognizes that clinical practice guidelines have the potential to streamline healthcare delivery, improve patient outcomes, and increase safety by using best available scientific evidence and broad consensus to develop appropriate care parameters; and,
Whereas, the NCC further recognizes that clinical practice guidelines do not, cannot, and should not represent a "set-in-stone" prescription of care, as they do not take into account such critical factors as the judgment of the chiropractor and the individual circumstances and values of the patient; and,
Whereas, the NCC is aware of recent publications from the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Foundation, as part of the ABIM Foundation's Choosing Wisely® campaign, regarding the appropriateness of radiological spinal imaging for patients with low-back pain during the six weeks after onset in the absence of red flags; and,
Whereas, the NCC Board of Directors fundamentally rejects the statement in this document that states: "Do not obtain spinal imaging for patients with acute low-back pain during the six (6) weeks after onset in the absence of red flags."; and,
Whereas, the NCC recognizes that entities such as insurance companies and insurance claims reviewers are using this publication to deny the use of radiographic studies to patients and deny reimbursement for such studies to chiropractors; and,
Whereas, in 2015, the NCC Board of Directors, while stipulating that no guideline can replace the clinical decisions made by a chiropractor in the course of treating an individual patient, passed a Resolution promoting and supporting the evidence-based science for appropriate radiologic evaluations of patients seeking chiropractic care developed by the Practicing Chiropractor's Committee on Radiology Protocols (PCCRP); and,
Whereas, the NCC Board of Directors has not been made aware of any subsequent evidence-based radiological guidelines or protocols that would supersede or render obsolete the PCCRP's Guidelines, including the Choosing Wisely® document from the ABIM Foundation;
Now, therefore, be it resolved by the NCC Board of Directors, that we re-affirm our Resolution to promote and support the PCCRP's Guidelines.
Now, therefore, be it further resolved by the NCC Board of Directors, that all Nevada doctors of chiropractic who utilize radiologic evaluations in their practice, familiarize themselves with the PCCRP x-ray Guidelines, which can be accessed online at www.pccrp.org.
Approved by formal NCC Board of Directors vote on October 11, 2017. |
January 24, 2018 8:30 AM PST
MEDIA RELEASE
The NCC Fights for Chiropractors’ Right to Take X-Rays
Las Vegas, Nevada - January 24, 2018 - The NCC Board of Directors formally reaffirmed its resolution to promote and support the PCCRP’s Guidelines allowing Nevada chiropractic physicians to take X-rays. It did so by passing the Opposition to the Choose Wisely X-Ray Position.
The NCC supports the right of chiropractic physicians to use their professional judgment and expertise to determine what is best for each patient and to practice any techniques, including the taking and reading of x-rays that fall within the scope of practice in the State of Nevada.
Dr. John Brown moves to oppose the “Choose Wisely X-Ray Position” and accept the NCC position paper on the “Opposition to the Choose Wisely X-Ray Position.”
"Doctors of Chiropractic must be able to offer the best care possible for their patients, which includes the use of radiology,” says NCC Board president, Dr. Stephanie Youngblood. “Chiropractic physicians have used diagnostic radiology as an integral tool in quality patient assessment for more than one-hundred years. The Choose Wisely guidelines do not take into consideration that, for subluxation analysis, X-ray has been a standard part of the initial examination in order to give the patient the highest quality and safest care."
NCC treasurer Dr. John Brown. says, “Just last week I saw a tumor in the upper part of a lung on our cervical X-rays. Last year we detected a type of cancer in someone’s pelvic bone, because we take X-rays. Many types of cancer metastasize to the spine. Even if we only detect cancer in a patient once a year, taking X-rays can save a life."
“I recently had a young 15-year-old male patient, who had been suffering from back pain for a few weeks. He did not remember anything that may have happened to cause his pain. His X-ray showed a pars fracture in his lower lumbar spine that was mildly unstable. This changed my treatment plan significantly and avoided any further injury that could have occurred if I had not taken X-rays" says NCC northern Nevada Director, Dr. Adam Ingles.
The NCC Board of Directors recommends that all Nevada doctors of chiropractic, who utilize radiologic evaluations in their practice, familiarize themselves with the PCCRP X-ray Guidelines, which can be accessed online at www.pccrp.org.
For more information, please contact the Nevada Chiropractic Council at info@nevadachiropractic.org.
NCC, 500 South Rancho Drive, Suite 9, Las Vegas, NV 89106 |
June 27, 2017 6:30 AM PST
Two Nevada Chiropractic Physicians Board Members Honored
Las Vegas, Nevada – June 27, 2017 – Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval has received a letter honoring two members of the Chiropractic Physicians’ Board of Nevada. The letter, from the Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Boards, specifically recognizes CPBN president Dr. Benjamin Lurie and secretary/treasurer Dr. Jason Jaeger. Jaeger and Lurie, who are NCC members, were commended for their commitment to protecting the health, safety, and welfare of Nevada citizens. The honor was issued after the FCLB’s annual May meeting in Orlando, Florida.
State board members from the U.S. and provincial regulators from Canada attend each year as volunteers to teach and learn from each other to upgrade the quality of chiropractic regulation and public protection. States and provinces benefit, because FCLB membership guarantees access to cost-saving ideas, advance warning about new challenges, and opportunities to pool resources with other boards.
The annual FCLB educational conferences help board members, staff, and representatives from the offices of the Attorneys General identify emerging problems and solutions in healthcare regulation. This year’s educational program included presentations on several critical issues, including chiropractic mobility, regulatory ethics, sunset reviews, licensure exams and services of the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners, the effective use of settlement agreements, regulatory leadership and several other topics.
The NCC needs energetic people to participate in order to protect the safety of the public in Nevada and the rights of the silver state’s chiropractic physicians. If you are an NCC member, get involved. If you are not a member yet, join.
For more information, please contact the Nevada Chiropractic Council, info@nevadachiropractic.org.
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June 21, 2017 6:30 AM PST
MEDIA RELEASEMajor Support Announced on Reimbursement Parity Issue
Las Vegas, Nevada – June 21, 2017 –Nevada is going to have the support of a major southern California chiropractic and health science university in the fight for insurance parity. NCC member Dr. Jason Jaeger requested the June 5th meeting in Los Angeles with the Southern California University of Health Sciences, which is his alma mater. He wanted an opportunity to explain to university administrators that reimbursement parity will end up helping patients.
It follows that if there are more graduating chiropractic physicians, there will be more options with which to fight the opioid addiction epidemic. University administrators love the idea. Chiropractic physician and university president, Dr. John Scaringe, has been a member of the university faculty for more than twenty-five years. He says that it’s a great idea for states to work together and collaborate on the parity issue, because there is strength in numbers.
Dr. Jaeger asked if the Nevada chiropractic community could count on the school to support the parity issue. Dr. Scaringe said yes.
The NCC and its members are a very proactive group, but we need energetic people to participate now more than ever in protecting the safety of the public in Nevada and the rights of the silver state’s chiropractic physicians. If you are an NCC member, get involved. If you are not a member yet, join.
For more information, please contact the Nevada Chiropractic Council, info@nevadachiropractic.org
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6.20.17
Please Help Preserve the Anti-Discrimination Languagein Section 2706a of the Affordable Health Care ActWe, the members of the NCC are very concerned about the language in the new versions of the Affordable Health Care Act (AHCA) currently being drafted by the United States Senate and Congress and how it could negatively impact the opioid addiction crisis in the United States as well as in the State of Nevada.
Currently, Section 2706a of the existing Affordable Health Care Act (Obamacare) eliminates discrimination against healthcare providers of different license types. At this time, both federal and Nevada law deem that a chiropractic physician holds physician status, equal to medical, osteopathic, dental, and podiatric doctors. However, in the most recent draft of the House AHCA bill, the anti-discriminatory language has been eliminated. If the same happens in the Senate, and we lose the language in 2706a, a situation could be created that may worsen the opioid crisis in the United States. If chiropractic physicians no longer have reimbursement parity with other doctors, qualified chiropractic physicians, who offer patients a drug-free solution to pain, could be driven away from practicing chiropractic. In addition, patients could also be discouraged from seeking relief from chiropractic, if their insurance companies won’t help pay for their care by chiropractic physicians. If that should happen, we anticipate that more patients who seek pain relief would be driven to using opioids. The NCC is dead set against that happening.
Chiropractic, in its purest form, involves no pain medication. Therefore, we believe that chiropractic could go a long way toward preventing patients from resorting to the use of opioids, becoming addicted, and needlessly dying from overdoses.
The NCC implores you to support and fight for retaining language of equality. Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval recently detailed in his State of the State address that the three solutions to the opioid addiction crisis are chiropractic, acupuncture, and counseling. Please let us know that we can count on your support and possibly an amendment from you that stands up for health care equality in our great nation. Eliminating such language would be a huge step backward that could result in a terrible health care domino effect.
Please cut and paste this letter and send it to the Senators listed below. Remember to add your name, title, and address.
List of Nevada Senators and Staff
Catherine Cortez Masto
Carl Segerblom, health legislative aide
Dean Heller
Rachel Green, health legislative aide
Full senators contact list
U.S. Senate: Senators of the 115th Congress
U.S. Senate: Senators of the 115th Congress
_Senators of the 115th Congress
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April 28, 2017 6:30 AM PST
A Great Step Forward in Insurance Reimbursement Equality
Las Vegas, Nevada – April 28, 2017 –The Nevada Chiropractic Council (NCC) is very excited to announce a major development in its fight for equal insurance reimbursement for Nevada’s chiropractic physicians.
Following a meeting, Dr. Jason Jaeger just revealed the following:
“The NCC and its Equality in Reimbursement Subcommittee met with one of the state and country’s top insurance providers. Preliminary discussion was very positive and brings hope that Nevada’s chiropractic physicians will soon be reimbursed at rates equivalent to their medical and osteopathic counterparts.”
As you know, the fight for equal reimbursement has been waging for at least a decade. Another NCC member heavily involved in the battle is past president, Dr. Bobby Moore.
“Chiropractic physicians have been insisting for many years that insurance companies need to follow federal and state law by reimbursing Nevada chiropractic doctors at the same rates paid to other doctors. Today’s chiropractors have the same legal physician status as other providers, the same enormous student loan debt, and the same, if not more, credit hours in college as medical doctors. Yet chiropractic physicians are still routinely reimbursed at lower rates for services than other medical providers, even though we all use the same codes. The new development is sure to be another positive turning point for chiropractic physicians in Nevada and all over the world,” said Moore.
Current NCC board president, Dr. Stephanie Youngblood, has also been heavily invested in the struggle for equal reimbursement.
“The stars are aligning for chiropractic in Nevada and many other states. We will continue to move this down the road. I am grateful to be a part of this process,” said Youngblood.
The NCC will update members as quickly as details become available. In the meantime, if you are not yet a member of the NCC, join! If you are a member, get involved. The NCC is a vital group of chiropractic doctors and assistants who work hard to make a positive difference for our patients and our practices. The more of you who make your voices heard in the NCC, the faster we will accomplish great goals.
For more information, please contact the Nevada Chiropractic Council, info@nevadachiropractic.org |
April 26, 2017 6:30 AM PST
The State Assembly will now schedule SB 437 to be heard, probably this week, at which time the bill will be assigned to committee. The bill came from the Senate Committee on Commerce, Labor, and Energy and will be assigned to the Assembly Committee on Commerce and Labor.
"It's not over yet. We all still need to be on high alert and ready to act at a moment's notice," stated Dr. Lurie.
For more information, please contact the Nevada Chiropractic Council, info@nevadachiropractic.org |
NCC Congratulates the Texas Chiropractic Board of Examiners on the Passing of the Sunset Bill
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Dear Nevada Chiropractors:
Thank you to those of you who contacted the Senate on Commerce, Labor and Energy in opposition to SB 437.
"Dr. Lurie, legislative chair for the Chiropractic Physicians Board of Nevada, has moved the current position on SB 437 to NEUTRAL. The PT Board and the PT Association have agreed to remove the controversial language in Section 2 at this time."
Dr. Lurie stated that he and the Board's lobbyist are monitoring SB 437 very closely. If there is any language that changes that would be a concern to public safety and protection, Dr. Lurie stated that they will immediately update the NCC as well as the NCA.
Dr. Lurie wants to thank all those chiropractic physicians who took a moment to write letters to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Labor, and Energy in opposition. "Everyone had a big impact on this bill."
Thanks so much! Dr. Stephanie Youngblood |
April 7, 2017 7:30 PM PST MEDIA RELEASE
Back to the Drawing Board for SB 437
On February 7, 2013, the Nevada Attorney General issued its opinion confirming Nevada law:
“The law is clear that a licensed physical therapist is not authorized to practice medicine, osteopathic medicine, homeopathic medicine, chiropractic, or any other form or method of healing. In addition, the practice of physical therapy specifically prohibits chiropractic adjustment. Finally, because manipulation and adjustment of the human body require licensure by the Chiropractic Physicians’ Board in the State of Nevada, a physical therapist may not lawfully perform any manipulation or adjustment of the spine or any other articulation of the human body that involves chiropractic thrust manipulations and adjustments. Thrust manipulations and/or adjustments are recognized chiropractic techniques and beyond the scope of authorized activity for a physical therapist.”
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Media Release February 13, 2017 PM PST
MEDIA RELEASE
Big Progress in the Struggle for Parity!
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Media Release Jan. 31, 2017
The Cats Out of the Bag Now We Can Finally Share What We Have Been Doing Last Year hint... Equal Reimbursement per the Nevada Division of Insurance
NCC member Dr. Jason O. Jaeger, who just spoke before the State Division of Insurance in Carson City about the equal reimbursement issue, will be a guest speaker at this month's general membership meeting.
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January 18, 2017 MEDIA RELEASE NCC Leads the Way with Anti-Discrimination Reimbursement for NV Chiropractic Physicians Carson City, Nevada – Jan. 18, 2017 – Dr. Jason O. Jaeger, formerly a State Southern Director of the Nevada Chiropractic Council (NCC) and currently the secretary/treasurer for the Nevada Chiropractic Physician’s Board,
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NEWS
New Research: Chiropractic Reduces Opioid Medication by 57% Former Dartmouth Doctor
MARCH 22, 2017 • KIRO COFFEE
New research from a former Dartmouth Doctor presented at the New Hampshire Annual Chiropractic Association meeting states that seeing a chiropractor can reduce opioid prescriptions by as much as 57%.
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