DC & Student Contingent Shines Light on Chiropractic Issues

The cold weather was no deterrent for the 80 involved chiropractic physicians and students who took time from their practices and studies to visit legislators during the FCA's Annual Chiropractic Day at the Capitol 2019. Chiropractic Day at the Capitol has been an annual FCA-sponsored event for more than 25 years and is a vital part of the FCA lobby effort. Attendees educated legislators on the need to preserve Florida's no-fault auto insurance system, the safety and efficacy of chiropractic and the need for a "conservative care first" paradigm to address the opioid crisis in Florida.

The FCA recently discovered that a copyrighted legal form, authored by its in-house counsel for its members’ use, reference or guidance in contracting with individuals and companies to provide direct primary care services under Florida’s new DPC law, was unlawfully copied, altered and distributed by the FCPA and individuals associated with the FCPA without the FCA’s knowledge or authorization. This action is in direct violation of U.S. Copyright laws and use of the pirated document is actionable and may result in litigation.

Bring "Drug-Free Pain Management Awareness Month" to your backyard!

The FCA and the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress (F4CP) are collaborating to promote chiropractic as an effective drug-free treatment method for back pain and you can participate! As reported in August, the FCA and F4CP have secured a billboard near the Orlando airport as part of a national campaign which has also placed billboards in Detroit, Los Angeles, Des Moines, Nashville and Austin.  The Orlando billboard will run throughout Drug-Free Pain Management Awareness Month.

Dr. Edward C. Williams, first FCA CEO and Founder of ChiroPAC and the Florida Chiropractic Foundation, passed on August 14th in Marion, Kentucky.  He will be remembered with loving respect by all those with whom he served and call him "Dr. Ed."

Pat Helma, D.C., DACBSP, was in the spotlight recently, per a newspaper report in the Tallahassee Democrat.  Dr. Helma chairs the 15-member Sports Medicine Advisory Committee (SMAC) of the Florida High School Athletic Association.  The FCA fought hard in 2012 to amend §1006.20, FS, to add a chiropractic physician to the committee. Dr. Helma was recommended by the FCA to fill the first such appointment, because of the confidence the FCA has in him to educate the committee about the effectiveness of chiropractic in athletics.  He is the lone DC on a committee of eight allopaths/osteopaths, one podiatrist, one dentist and three athletic trainers.  Yet, in this short time he has become chair of the committee!  This is something to be celebrated by all Florida DC’s. Thank you, Dr. Helma, for meeting this heavy obligation as an exemplar chiropractic physician.  Dr. Helma is the right FCA member at the right time to lead this committee and to showcase chiropractic.  Read more to access the Tallahassee Democrat newspaper report.

Several members have received notices from the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) to renew their Health Care Clinic Exemption status.  The fee for this renewal is $100.00.  Historically, this exemption did not require renewals or renewal fees. This exemption is OPTIONAL for chiropractic physicians who wholly own their practice in accordance with their licensing regulation of 460.4165 and meet the PIP provider eligibility criteria; see link to form below.  For chiropractic physicians no longer wishing to retain their "exempt" status with the AHCA, the renewal notice may be ignored and they will be dropped from the list as of October 30,2018.

In addition to reducing the sensitivity of muscle spindles or the segmental sites of a reflex pathway,¹ spinal manipulation is thought to affect the neural outputs to both muscle and visceral organs by affecting both paraspinal muscle reflexes and motor neuron excitability.² A new trial³ sought to determine the effect of spinal manipulative therapy upon both heart rate variability and baroflex sensitivity to add to the body of literature demonstrating the physiological effects of spinal manipulation. 

October is National Chiropractic Health Month and the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress (F4CP) has developed an easy-to-use, stream-lined approach for your practice to promote chiropractic to your patients and your community.  FCA active members are group members of the F4CP due to the FCA's high level of support to that important public education organization.  Use your membership effectively by utilizing these handy F4CP tools! Read on for their October roadmap, a week-by-week marketing guide with action steps and Foundation resources that you can implement on a local level.