The
following are informative minutes of the
The meeting was called to
order at
Motion: Moved by Sleight,
seconded by McMahon to approve the minutes of the
Financial Report
The WCA has announced that it
will co-sponsor the Pediatrics Diplomate with
The WCA is always looking for
ideas for speakers. If you have a suggestion, please pass it along to your
board member or send it to the WCA.
Workers Compensation
The board spent considerable
time discussing the current proposals to reduce cost in the worker’s
compensation system. The changes that are being discussed include:
·
Mandatory fee
schedules based on the Medicare reimbursement formula.
·
Mandatory use of
treatment guidelines modeled after the Minnesota WC or the
·
Mandatory
restrictions on the injured workers right to choose their treating provider.
Any of these changes, if
implemented, would result in injured workers not receiving the quality of care
to which they are entitled and would have a considerable economic impact on
your practice. The board assigned the highest priority to defeat these
proposals. It also requested that the executive director write to members to
inform them of the seriousness of this issue and to prepare them in the event
their participation is necessary.
Motion: Moved by McMahon,
seconded by Bronston to approve the strategy detailed by the executive director
to deal with the cost containment strategies proposed by the WCAC Cost
Containment Committee. Motion carried.
Government Affairs
The board discussed the
results of the “listening sessions” held in each of the districts to gather
recommendations for legislative changes. The members that got involved made
more than a dozen recommendations for changes in the law. The Government
Affairs Committee will discuss the recommendations and set priorities for the
Board to consider.
AMA
The board reviewed
information that the AMA currently has 275,000 members and an annual budget of
$245 million dollars. In comparing the AMA with the WCA it is amazing what the
WCA gets accomplished with less than one-half of one percent of the AMA’s
resources.
Symedex
The board discussed the
latest business activity being offered to chiropractors that could potentially
embarrass the profession. In this case a company named Symedex is advertising
that a chiropractor can increase their practice income by $1,000,000 annually
if they buy the technology to treat hair reduction, cellulite, and acne. The
WCA spoke with the President of this company and informed them that treating
these conditions did not appear to be within a chiropractor’s scope of
practice. The WCA encouraged Symedex to obtain written authorization from the
State of
Motion: Moved by Sleight,
seconded by Church to write to members and inform them of the risks of doing
business with Symedex.
National Provider Identification Numbers
All health care providers
will be required to obtain a new national provider identifier (NPI) beginning
UW
The board reviewed a brochure
from the UW School of Veterinary Medicine which claimed that veterinary spinal
manipulation therapy “provides the same benefit to animals that chiropractic
care gives to people”. The board found the same highly inaccurate and
authorized the executive director to take legal action if the statement was
used in other brochures.
Motion: Moved by Steele,
seconded by Church to threaten a lawsuit against the UW School of Veterinary
Medicine if they continue to claim that veterinary spinal manipulation therapy
“provides the same benefit to animals that chiropractic care gives to people”.
Motion carried.
Publications
The board reviewed article
from the Wall Street Journal, the American Journal of Public Health and JMPT that discussed a variety of current
topics that affect the chiropractic profession directly or indirectly.
The meeting was adjourned
approximately