About 400 chiropractors from Georgia and around the Southeast gathered at the Atlanta Marriott Century Center October 23 – 25 to learn from the profession’s premier lecturers, visit top suppliers and discover what the Georgia Chiropractic Association is doing on their behalf to protect their right to practice.

 Dr. Gregory Gosline made the trip to Atlanta from Warner Robins. “The conference was very nice and informative,” he said. “I enjoyed the TV and media class. It was very good.”

 This year’s conference included a special free marketing seminar that taught attendees how to use the media to get free publicity by Shawne Duperon, a five-time EMMY® award-winning reporter and producer, as well as classes to fulfill continuing education credits. Seminars included:

• Jurisprudence by Aubrey T. Villines, Jr., J.D.
•  Risk Management by Anna Allen, M.S.N., R.N., C.L.N.C. of NCMIC
• Marketing Wellness, StrongPosture^TM and Anti-Aging by Steven Weiniger, D.C.
•  Nutritional Pearls by David Lee, D.C., Ph.D., C.Ad.
• Common Patterns of Postural Abnormalities by Dar Griffeth, IV, B.A., B.S., D.C.

“I’ve been coming here for 20 years, and the Steven Weiniger seminar was the best by far,” said Dr. Alan Bragman of Atlanta. “It was so useful, and to include what I learned from him in my practice will help us expand.”

The conference also gave attendees the opportunity to network with other doctors and suppliers.

“I’ve been networking with other chiropractors and learned as much from them as the classes,” said attendee Dr. Sharon Riley of Gainesville.

Exhibitors were happy with the conference as well. “We’ve talked to a lot of current policy holders and given out a few quotes, too,” said Libby P. Porto of NCMIC.

Kimberly Williams of ActivHealthCare also spoke to current subscribers. “We’ve had excellent traffic. We’ve been letting our clients know how to use our network correctly.”

And business was good for suppliers, as well. “We sold three tables and probably generated at least a dozen leads,” said Brandon Dilbeck of Spectrum Medical.

 Paul Eill of Blue Ridge X-Ray also found the conference productive, selling several X-ray systems. “I was pleasantly surprised. We’ve had fantastic traffic and have several good, solid leads,” he said. “The GCA is a good business opportunity. The attendees are very professional – they’re here to achieve their learning credits and to find out how to improve their practices.”

Doctors weren’t the only attendees learning important information. Dozens of chiropractic assistants also came to the conference to discover techniques for better running their offices from Certified Chiropractic Assistant Laurie Simpson, who taught “Coding and Billing Procedures/Updates.”

Chiropractic assistant Kim Dent of Macon attended the conference for the first time this year. “So far, I’ve learned a lot of useful billing and coding information,” she said.

 Annual Meeting Informs Members of Progress

In addition to the classes and trade show, GCA members received an update on the state of the association and what it has achieved on their behalf over the past year.

“We’ve accomplished a lot of good things this year,” revealed GCA President Philip Day, D.C., during the annual meeting. “We continued to defend everyone in the state of Georgia for their right to practice. We are meeting with state and federal officials on your behalf all the time.”

 The association has been focusing on building and strengthening strategic partnerships this year, and Day told members of a new effort to build ties with Life University to encourage chiropractic students to join GCA upon graduation.

“New doctors of chiropractic don’t know we’re out there. We formed a new Life committee with two students – Josh Paxton and Amanda Giles – to try to get newly graduated students to join and increase our visibility on campus,” he explained.

Dr. Day has also been working with Dr. Guy Riekeman, president of Life University, to have him visit each of GCA’s districts to update them on Life’s mission and vision for the future.

Part of Dr. Day’s mission as president this year has been to assure that each district is represented on the GCA board so members across the state remain updated on the association’s activities. “For the first time since we rezoned, all 15 districts are now represented on the board,” he announced.

Executive Director Mike Walsh, C.A.E., updated members on new programs the association offered during the year, including the physiotherapeutic modalities continuing education program that allows doctors to meet new requirements set forth by the Georgia Board of Chiropractic Examiners (GBCE). He also revealed GCA is planning programs to meet the needs of various members, from new doctors through those planning their retirement.

Both Dr. Day and Mr. Walsh emphasized the importance of working with other chiropractic organizations in the state to strengthen the voice of chiropractors with legislators. “We want to solidify our relationship with the board of examiners. We’re identifying opportunities to help each other more to educate chiropractors in the state,” Walsh said.

Dr. Karen Mathiak, chair of GBCE, agreed. “I appreciate my relationship with GCA. Now is the time we really need to bind together and get young doctors involved. Last week, Michigan had 1,100 chiropractors at their state conference. We have 3,000 licensed chiropractors in Georgia. If we all work together, we could make a loud noise,” she said.

Dr. Mathiak also discussed the issues that caused trouble for chiropractors. “Documentation continues to be an issue. If it’s not written down, doctors, it’s didn’t happen,” she said.

In addition, she said the GBCE was looking at certification for peer and records review, and she urged doctors to use common sense when advertising and to avoid inappropriate billing practices.

Dr. Vince Erario, chair of the GCA Government Relations Committee and secretary/treasurer of the GCA political action committee updated members on the PAC’s activities. “We helped ensure chiropractors retained the right to refer patients to get an MRI. We also built a coalition with the Medical Association of Georgia to fight silent PPOs and ensure prompt pay by insurance companies.”

With health care reform and an election year on the horizon, Erario urged doctors to join the PAC. “It’s an insurance policy protecting your right to practice, and it’s a small price to pay – less than one adjustment per week,” he said.

Dr. Erario also recommended chiropractors build relationships with their legislators. “Reach out and touch your legislator – get to know them personally. Knock on doors or make calls for them. It’s a small act of kindness, and they’ll come to you to ask you what you think about chiropractic and health issues,” he said.

Judge Jim Oxendine, father of gubernatorial candidate John Oxendine, agreed. “If there is anything politicians understand – one is money, two is votes. Having one organization will allow you to speak with the same voice as the medical profession,” he said. “I’ve been actively involved in chiropractic since I was on the workers compensation board. I’ve been with you for a long time and watched you grow. You’re coming of age. But you can’t grow in the political arena unless you have friends there,” he said.

Dr. Edward Cordovado, GCA’s secretary/treasure, gave the financial report. A drop in membership early in the year, as well as less than expected net revenues from the 2008 Fall Conference and 2009 Spring Conference impacted the association financially, but it is beginning to rebound, especially in membership.

“The GCA building is now completely rented for the first time, which is helping,” he said.

 Dr. Cordovado said the association is considering hosting continuing education seminars in south Georgia and reaching out to members with additional locations.

He also reported on GCA’s Gosline fund, which was set up to promote chiropractic in the state. “The Gosline fund investments initially dropped significantly in value, but thanks to Blair Pritchett of OppenheimerFunds, they have rebounded to nearly their original value. Blair does an amazing job.”

 Elections and Life Memberships

As part of the annual meeting, members voted for officers and members who should receive a life membership. The current board was re-elected with the exception of Dr. Dale Enix, third vice president, and Dr. Michael Vaughn, District 10 director, both of whom retired from the board. Dr. Robert Hayden, former GCA president, was elected third vice president and Dr. Bart Wetherington was voted District 10 director. The other officers include Dr. Philip Day, president; Dr. David Paxton, first vice president; Dr. John Wall, second vice president; and Dr. Edward Cordovado, secretary/treasurer.

Four outstanding doctors were nominated for life membership status – Dr. Gerald Holsenback, Dr. Richard Rosenkoetter, Dr. Jeffrey Slocum and Dr. Roy Sweat, but according to GCA bylaws, only two members can be elected into this prestigious group.

This year’s inductees were Slocum, who worked tirelessly to get the new scope of practice bill passed and Sweat, who has written four books and dozens of articles on adjusting the atlas.