In a push to modernize the health care system, the federal government is offering an incentive for doctors of chiropractic to implement electronic health records (EHR) technology. Eligible professionals could receive up to $44,000 over five years for converting, but the maximum payment will only be available to doctors who implement EHR by the end of 2011. Click here to see the payment schedule.

Qualifying for the incentive is complex. Providers will only be reimbursed if they use complete, certified technology (for a list of certified EHR software, click here) and demonstrate that they are meaningfully using it. While doctors of chiropractic may be exempt from some of the meaningful use objectives, such as e-prescribing, the software they use must still have the capability of implementing ALL of the meaningful use standards (click here for the meaningful use list and exemptions). Purchasing only certain modules of certified EHR complete software systems may make doctors ineligible for the incentive payment.

Once those criteria are met, eligible professionals (EP) will be provided incentive payments of 75 percent of their Medicare allowed billing for a year. Doctors who choose not to implement EHR will face fee cuts in 2015.

For doctors currently using paper health records, choosing and implementing EHR technology can be a daunting task, but ultimately rewarding.

A revolutionary new program at Dekalb Medical Center in Decatur is putting patients
first by breaking down barriers between doctors of chiropractic and medical doctors.

Conceived by Georgia Chiropractic Association member Steven Barnett, D.C., in October of 2009, the program allows doctors of chiropractic to refer patients to imaging services, such as MRIs, X-rays and ultrasounds, available throughout Dekalb Medical’s network, as well as refer to specialists such as orthopedists, neurologists and pain management physicians, without fear of “losing” patients to the medical system.

“We’re building relationships between D.C.s and the specialists,” explained Barnett, who serves as the Director of Chiropractic Relations for Dekalb Medical Center ’s Decatur and Hillandale facilities. “The hospital couldn’t be more receptive.”

Students graduating from Life University are well prepared to care for patients. But school officials realized students were less prepared to care for their practices and started the PEAK (Practice Excellence Art and Knowledge) program in 2007 to address the issue.

“The program is designed to place senior level, 13th and 14^th quarter students in private offices to continue their training there instead of the campus clinics. It gives them a real life idea of the pace and flow of a clinic and prepares them a little better for private practice,” explained Dr. John Markham, executive director of level three clinic programs at Life.

The program started with 10 students and 10 doctors. Now the school is placing 100 students per quarter in offices in 27 states and in several foreign countries.

More than 400 doctors joined together October 22 – 24 to learn, network
and renew their passion for chiropractic at the Georgia Chiropractic Association’s 98th Annual Fall Conference and Trade Show.

Dr. Christine Faller-Peyroux of Canton has not been practicing since a serious car accident in 2008, but the conference inspired her to become active again.

“The camaraderie and socializing has been great. Talking to other doctors helped me remember how excited I used to be about chiropractic, and this weekend has given me an incentive to move on from the accident,” she said.

Faller-Peyroux was also energized by speaker Mark Charette, D.C., who shared his extremity adjusting techniques.

“It used to take me a long time to adjust extremities,” she said. “Now I know how to properly adjust extremities in a timely manner.”

Martha Rozman had a persistent cough for two years. After visiting multiple medical doctors and being treated with inhalers and antihistamines to no effect, she decided to try something different.

“A friend of mine recommended Dr. Billiot,” Rozman said.

Dr. Melodie Billiot runs Alternative Health Improvement Center in Marietta.

“Nutritional choices are key to our health. All day long I deal with people struggling to find and maintain their health. I tell them if you don’t take time to be healthy, you’re going to have to take time to be sick,” she said.

Two days after Rozman saw Billiot, her cough stopped.