Archive for September, 2008
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Monday, September 15th, 2008By Michael Dorausch, DC
This scam topic must really be getting old for lots of people. Interesting thing though is I’ve received several e-mails from people across United States that were about to get scammed by 419 fraudsters and they fortunately did some research online and came across at least one of the fraud related articles [...]
Arthroscopic Knee Surgery Called Unnecessary
Thursday, September 11th, 2008By Michael Dorausch, DC
An estimated 950,000 arthroscopic knee surgeries are reportedly performed each year in the United States, with recent research showing some interesting findings, the procedure is useless.
The study was intended to research one of the most common arthroscopic surgeries performed in the United States — arthroscopy for arthritis of the knee. Findings are published in today’s issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. The study involved 178 men and women and research findings showed that those undergoing the knee surgery did no better than persons receiving physical therapy and medication only.
This is not the first time a major study has been undertaken to research the procedure, which is performed on hundreds of thousands of Americans each year, with cost averages of $5,000 per procedure. There was a 2002 study that found the knee operations were no better than a sham procedure. Not long after, Medicare reportedly discontinued reimbursement for the operations and the number of claims subsequently decreased significantly.
There was criticism of the 2002 study as all the procedures were carried out by a single surgeon, and all those involved in the study were older adult males, not necessarily the typical patient that would receive such a procedure. According to reports, many of these arthroscopic knee surgeries are still being performed today.
The new research involved both men and women with an average age of 60 years old. According to the study, all of the participants received the standard medical nonsurgical approach which involved physical therapy, pain relievers such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen, glucosamine supplements, and localized injections intended to lubricate the affected knee joint. 86 of the individuals involved in the study also underwent arthroscopic knee surgery.
Follow-up tests were performed every six months for a two-year period and both groups had shown improvement, with reports of less pain and joint stiffness, and increased mobility. According to the study, individuals that didn’t undergo the surgical procedure, improved just as well as those that did.
Researchers pointed out that knee surgery for conditions such as badly torn ligaments or cartilage are different than those performed for arthroscopy to treat knee arthritis. They hope this new research will encourage surgeons to be more selective in offering operations for arthritic conditions and that consumers will be less aggressive in making demands for the procedure.
Think it’s possible that misalignment in the spine, pelvis, or knee itself can result in painful conditions in the knee that may lead to arthritis? Speak to your local chiropractor about postural assessments and other ways to identify properly functioning knee joints.
WordPress database error: Got error 122 from storage engine
Wednesday, September 10th, 2008I noticed two different WP errors on the site today…
WordPress database error: [Got error 1 from storage engine]
WordPress database error: [Got error 122 from storage engine]
The first was repaired via phpmyadmin by running a repair on tables showing numbers in the overhead column. I’ll get a screenshot on that.
The other I have not gotten to [...]
College Receives National Recognition for Providing Quality Back Pain Care
Wednesday, September 10th, 2008By Palmer News
Palmer College of Chiropractic Receives National Recognition for Providing Quality Back Pain Care at its West Campus Clinic — Back Pain Recognition Program focuses on high-value, patient-centered care
SAN JOSE, Calif. — The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) announced in August that the Palmer Chiropractic Clinic in San Jose, Calif., has received Recognition from the Back Pain Recognition Program (BPRP) for providing superior care to clinic patients suffering from low back pain. The Clinic, located on Palmer College of Chiropractic’s West Campus at 90 E. Tasman Dr., San Jose, CA is only the second healthcare provider in California to receive BPRP Recognition.
The Back Pain Recognition Program was designed to improve the quality of care to the nearly 30 million Americans who experience low back pain, by motivating healthcare providers to document and improve their delivery of spine care. To receive recognition, which is valid for two years, Palmer’s West Campus Clinic submitted data demonstrating performance that meets the Program’s key measures. These measures include Initial Visit, Physical Exam, and Appropriate Imaging in Acute Back Pain, among others.
Pamela Hymel, M.D., president-elect of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, said, “Having served on the Advisory Committee of the NCQA BPRP, it is rewarding to see that healthcare providers are now adopting NCQA’s recommendations and incorporating them into their practices. This is an important step forward in ensuring that patients with back pain get the most appropriate and effective care.”
Back pain is among the most common ailments in America. Each year, nearly one in nine Americans experience pain severe enough to impair their usual daily activities. Treatment costs total approximately $91 billion a year and back pain accounts for 25 percent of all workers’ compensation claims. The BPRP is the first independent program to systematically evaluate back pain care. NCQA developed the program’s requirements from widely accepted medical evidence with significant input from back pain specialists, and health plan and employer representatives. BPRP-Recognized healthcare providers provide patients with the care that best meets their needs, restores health and mobility and avoids unnecessary treatment and procedures.
“Needless imaging and procedures provide no real benefit to patients who suffer from back pain,” said Margaret E. O’Kane, president, National Committee for Quality Assurance. “By earning recognition, the Palmer Chiropractic Clinic on the West Campus has demonstrated that it consistently provides proven, evidence-based care to its patients with low back pain.”
According to Palmer’s West Campus Dean of Clinics Gregory Snow, D.C., “Our recognition through the NCQA Back Pain Recognition Program provides external validation for our patients and community that we have processes in place to ensure that we consistently deliver high-quality, evidence-based care in an effort to generate the best patient outcomes.”
“The Palmer College clinics at each of its three campuses are committed to the delivery of quality, patient-centered care, and to providing a clinical education model that prepares our graduates for today’s practice environment,” said Executive Dean for Clinic Affairs Kurt Wood, D.C. “The NCQA recognition for West Campus Clinic is but the first of such acknowledgments that we intend to pursue at our Davenport, Iowa, and Port Orange, Florida, Campus Clinics as well.”
NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving healthcare quality. To find out if your physician or chiropractor has been recognized by the Back Pain Recognition Program or for further information, please visit www.ncqa.org/BPRP. To order application materials, call (888) 275-7585 or order online at web.ncqa.org/bprppubs.aspx.
Palmer College of Chiropractic’s West Campus opened in 1980 in Sunnyvale, Calif., and moved to San Jose in 1993. It is one of three campuses of Palmer College of Chiropractic, founded in Davenport, Iowa, by the discoverer of chiropractic, D.D. Palmer, in 1897. Today Palmer College of Chiropractic has more than 2,500 students attending its three campuses and nearly 25,000 alumni practicing worldwide. Palmer’s third campus opened in Port Orange, Fla., in 2002.
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Contact: Lori Leipold, Media Relations; Palmer College of Chiropractic;
Phone (563) 884-5726; fax (563) 884-5225; e-mail lori.leipold@palmer.edu; College web site at www.palmer.edu
Celebrating Chiropractic’s Birthday
Tuesday, September 9th, 2008By Michael Dorausch, DC
It’s September 2008 and that means this is the month chiropractors celebrate 113 years since the discovery of chiropractic by DD Palmer in Davenport Iowa. Events are taking place across the planet with many local chiropractors hosting patient appreciation weeks, Founder’s Day events (on September 18), and chiropractic school introductory nights.
(photo: Southern California chiropractors Don Trepany and Robert Bates hanging loose at a recent chiropractic fellowship event in Orange County)
On Founder’s Day, September 18, 2008, Pennsylvania chiropractor Dr. Sharon Gorman is hosting a recruiting event featuring Mary Flannery from Life Univeristy. The event is taking place in her East Stroudsburg office and it is intended to introduce people to the opportunity of attending Life University and becoming a chiropractor. Dr. Sharon Gorman has been extremely successful in chiropractic practice and she has been an incredible motivator for many inside and outside the chiropractic industry.
The event begins at 6:30 p.m. and there is going to be free pizza for those attending. If I lived in East Stroudsburg or a surrounding area I would definitely be in this chiropractor’s office the evening of September 18. Contact the office for more information at 570-476-4100. Gorman Chiropractic is located at: 21 Crystal Street, East Stroudsburg PA 18301.
Life University is doing great and Sharon wants it to keep growing and keep being a great representation of Chiropractic to the world. Her kids will be attending Life, where are you going to send your kids?
Also taking place during this year’s chiropractic month is a chiropractic extravaganza everyone should attend at least one time. New Beginnings in Eatontown New Jersey takes place September 25 through September 28 at the Sheraton Eatontown Hotel and Conference Center. This is the place to be for philosophical chiropractic events. Not only is New Beginnings power packed with extraordinarily motivating chiropractic speakers, the event offers 12 hours of continuing education.
Also taking place in Pennsylvania is Dr. John Madeira’s Seminar on September 12 at the Philadelphia airport. Chiropractors can get more information by visiting his web site at: www.madeirasuccess.com. Many chiropractors in Pennsylvania have reputations for leadership roles they’ve played in promoting an expanding the principles and practices of chiropractic. As Dr. Gorman has said in the past, there is no excuse for irresponsibility.
There is rumbling taking place on the West Coast as well, with a Wednesday, September 24 rock ‘n roll night at the DCS in Southern California, featuring Dr. Fred Schofield. This event will be a sellout so chiropractors are well advised to contact DCS ASAP in order to confirm seating for themselves and staff.
Parker Dallas is also taking place late in the month of September. The Parker Seminar Dallas 2008 event is scheduled for September 25 through September 27 at the Arlington Convention Center. Call 888.727.5338 for details.
Is there a chiropractic patient appreciation day taking place in your office on September 18? Any Founder’s Day events going on in your neck of the woods? Drop me an e-mail with details and let’s get the word out. Click on the yellow envelope at the top of this post for contact information.
CCA Hosting the 100 Year Lifestyle Weekend
Friday, September 5th, 2008By Michael Dorausch, DC
Continuing education programs for chiropractors in California are taking place in San Diego, Sacramento, and San Jose during the month of October and November, 2008. The seminars are put on by the California Chiropractic Association (CCA) and they feature eight hours of chiropractic continuing education, four hours of chiropractic adjusting technique, or the complete 12 hour weekend program. Seminars are available to doctors of chiropractic, chiropractic college students, chiropractic assistants, as well as guests. Check the details on location and additional information for each of these weekend programs by visiting the links provided.
These chiropractic continuing education seminars are intended for California chiropractors and chiropractic college students. Locations include San Diego, Sacramento, and San Jose with weekend programs taking place on October 11th and 12th, October 18th and 19th, and November 1-2 of this year.
CCA 100 Year Lifestyle 12 Hours CE San Diego
Catamaran Resort - San Diego
3999 Mission Blvd., San Diego, CA 92109
CCA 100 Year Lifestyle 12 Hours CE Sacramento
Hilton Arden West Hotel
2200 Harvard Street, Sacramento, CA 95815
CCA 100 Year Lifestyle 12 Hours CE San Jose
Hotel Valencia
355 Santana Row, San Jose, CA 95128
408-551-0010
All three continuing education weekends are approved for 12 hours of relicensing education for chiropractors practicing in the state of California. Visit the individual seminar links above for additional details regarding each weekend event, or call the CCA directly (916.648.2727, ext. 120 or ext. 141) about enhancing your chiropractic education and skills.
These weekend events are also open to guests of chiropractors and chiropractic assistants or other office staff. Having a well educated staff is a key factor in improving office performance and community education. There’s no better way to learn what you’ve been taught than by teaching others.
Mark your calendars and select your location: a chiropractic seminar in the heart of the Silicon Valley (SJC), the Southern California coastal area of San Diego (SAN), or the state of California’s beautiful capital city Sacramento (SMF).
Here is to you and your 100 year chiropractic lifestyle of health and wellness!
Beta Chiropractic Network Project
Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008By Michael Dorausch, DC
These past few weeks I’ve been actively overseeing work on a chiropractic network project (which is still very much in beta) that appears as it will serve as a directory of sorts.
There’s really not lots of information on the pages as of yet but I was told an estimated 10,000 chiropractic web [...]
3rd Chiropractic Summit Convenes for the Betterment of the Profession
Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008COCSA News Release
August 22, 2008 - The third Chiropractic Summit was a profound success as 32 organizations and companies representing the profession came together to build a collective and coordinated front to address major challenges facing chiropractic. Leaders of the American Chiropractic Association (ACA), Association of Chiropractic Colleges (ACC), International Chiropractors Association (ICA), Congress of Chiropractic State Associations (COCSA), as well as many other organizations, colleges and vendors met August 21, 2008 at the Florida Chiropractic Association (FCA) Convention in Orlando, Florida.
The Summit achieved its goal of assembling a large representation of the profession to work together for the betterment of chiropractic. Over 40 national and international leaders worked for over 10 hours on challenges and opportunities that face the profession.
“This was a very positive and successful day,” said Summit Chairman Dr. Lewis Bazakos. “The energy in the room was outstanding. Everyone was working together and pulling together as one for the betterment of the profession.”
The two key issues discussed at the Orlando Summit session were the future of the Medicare program and prospects for national health care reform. These public policy-related issues will require a carefully researched and developed united response from the chiropractic profession if the interests of chiropractic patients are to be protected.
“Each Chiropractic Summit is an important step that will help our profession grow,” said Foot Levelers President and CEO Kent Greenawalt. “We are honored to participate in and support this historic endeavor.”
The first Chiropractic Summit - held in Washington, D.C. in September of 2007 - featured 13 organizations representing chiropractic colleges, vendors, research facilities and leaders of the colleges. That number increased to 24 organizations participating in the second Summit, held in February of 2008. Again, that number jumped up to 32 organizations that participated in the most recent Summit in Orlando.
“The challenges facing the chiropractic profession require a continuous dialogue between the parties involved in the Summit if workable solutions are to be found and implemented on a timely basis,” said ICA President Dr. John Maltby. “The extensive and open nature of the Summit discussions at all levels is the most positive sign anyone could have hoped for and signals an historic potential for progress, and ICA is proud to be a part of this effort.”
The fourth Chiropractic Summit is set for January of 2009 at the Vegas Parker Seminar in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information about the Summit and how you can be involved, please call Summit Chairman Dr. Lewis Bazakos at 516-825-5400.
Chiro-Squad Super-Heroes Take Profession by Storm
Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008By Victor Naumov, DC
New Milford, NJ - Back in 1997 while still a student at NYCC, a new dad to his oldest son, Bryant (now 12), and a superhero fanatic, Dr. Vic Naumov,DC dreamed of creating and utilizing superheroes to teach the children of the world about chiropractic history and its’ healthcare benefits. Armed with nothing more than a pencil and a dream, Dr. Vic created The Chiro-Squad, Guardians of the 33 Chiropractic Principles! Specifically named for the three regions of the spine, Cervico, Thoracico and Lumbardo were born.
Their story begins back in 1997, after a meteor crashed into the earth and was unexpectedly found by three teens. The fallen meteor gave off a strong flickering light and a soft humming sound which quickly peaked the teens’ interests. Suddenly, a warm and inviting hologram appeared before them taking the shape of a beautiful middle aged woman. In an assertive, yet motherly voice, she began to speak to the three teens saying “HELLO, my name is Earthena and I am the queen of the universe, I bring balance to this region of the galaxy. As you are the first to gaze your eyes upon me, I have chosen you to help me bring balance to the people of earth, to fight for what is right in nature and to guard the 33 Principles of Chiropractic throughout the planet earth.” The three teens stood paralyzed in amazement, then humbly accepted Earthena’s challenge and in doing so their fate along with the future of the chiropractic profession, was sealed. Now, their true journey begins and we invite you to become part of their adventure…
Upon graduation in April of 2000, with nothing more than his passion, his purpose and a $2,500 loan from his very supportive mother-in-law, Dr. Vic opened his New Jersey family practice and exclusively used The Chiro-Squad as his secret weapon. He used the superheroes in a simple 1-2-3 system, enabling him to educate children of all ages and their parents about the importance of having their spines checked regularly for subluxations.
In early 2008, his ten year old son, Conor, questioned why his health was better than his friends. At that point, Dr. Vic explained that his body works to the best of its’ ability because he gets his spine checked regularly and adjusted when needed. Conor asked his friends if they go to the chiropractor regularly, most said no. In hearing this, Conor suggested to his dad, to bring the Chiro-Squad Kids Club System mainstream to help all kids be healthier and learn about chiropractic, just like him.
And so another family business was born. The Chiro-Squad premiered to the chiropractic profession at the 2008 Florida Chiropractic Association Expo. Dr. Vic and his wife, Colleen, taught chiropractors the simple 1-2-3 internal kids marketing system they’ve successfully used in their practice over the past eight years. In doing so, the weekend served as an ideal opportunity for them to reenergize and reestablish the foundation of pure chiropractic.
The 1-2-3 internal kids marketing system, affectionately known as the Chiro-Squad Kids Club, is now available for purchase on our website, www.ChiroSquad.com and consists of the following steps and items.
Step 1: Matte and display in a black frame the 3 specifically designed posters in your office. Matte the waiting-room poster on RED and the other 2 on BLUE and GREEN for your adjusting rooms.
Step 2: After their first adjustment, write their name on the Official Chiro-Squad Kids Club Membership Card and present it to them and welcome them to the club.
Step 3: After each follow up visit, give out 1 of 3, I’m a Chiro-Squad Kid Stickers.
This “Exclusive Office Kit” is the simplest, most creative and time tested 1-2-3 method of getting the kids you already have in practice excited about chiropractic care, while planting the seed for parents who are practice members not currently bringing their kids to have their spines checked.
For more information please visit our website www.ChiroSquad.com or call our office at 201-265-8688.
Chiro-Squad(TM)
“The Original Chiropractic Super-Heroes, Guardians of the 33 Principles?
Their Message: Straighten Up & Fly Right!