In August 2020, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule that announces upcoming changes for Medicare payments under the Physician Fee Schedule (PFS), beginning January 1, 2021. The 2021 proposed rule was intended to improve payments and decrease complexity for evaluation and management services, increase coverage for opioid use disorder treatments, and broaden telehealth service coverage.  However, in order to compensate for the budgetary impact of these increases, which HHS is required to do, the rule implements a significant decrease in the value of other health care services.  Unfortunately, payments to chiropractic physicians and other providers will be significantly reduced. 

The Texas Chiropractic Association and Texas Board of Chiropractic Examiners will defend the profession’s scope of practice tomorrow between 10:00AM and 1:00PM EST in front of the Texas Supreme Court.  You can listen to the oral argument.

August 7, 2020 - It appears that the Board of Chiropractic Medicine (BOCM), in its 9-hour virtual meeting yesterday, adopted an emergency rule to allow Florida licensed DCs to attain all 40 license renewal CE hours through synchronous learning (livestreaming of an approved event) or through online CEs for the current biennium, due to COVID. We are unsure of the text of the emergency rule and it was difficult to understand the final motions. Please stay tuned for further reports when the emergency rule text is made available.  

Chiropractic graduates having difficulty taking the licensing exams due to Covid-19 virus cancellations can rest assured that any resulting delinquency in student loan payments will not be a bar to Florida licensure, thanks to a new Florida law. Delays in exam administrations and employment may cause some graduates to fall delinquent for lack of a job.

A bill providing a temporary extension of the Paycheck Protection Program, which was initially set to expire on June 30, was signed into law by President Trump last Saturday. Businesses that have not yet applied for PPP funds may do so through August 8. Approximately $130 billion of the $660 billion earmarked for the program is still available to businesses affected by COVID-19 who qualify for relief under the CARES Act.  Here are some further facts as reported by the Lowndes Lawfirm: