Dr. R. A. Foxworth, FICC, MCS-P
It may not seem like it, but even during the still silence of winter when dusk seems to come upon us before we know it, our days are actually getting longer. Slowly, quietly, nature is renewing itself in a behind-the-scenes process that will ultimately result in a lush, beautiful spring. I love that even when it seems like the earth holds its breath in stasis, change is always happening if we know where to look. Change, it has been said, is the only constant. That’s certainly true for the chiropractic profession; maybe now more than ever. I’m sure you’ve heard all the hoopla about ICD-10. This is a huge shift for the entire healthcare industry, and one nobody could possibly have envisioned when I graduated from Chiropractic College years ago.
The point I am trying to make is that it just isn’t as simple to be in practice today with all the regulatory shifting and pivoting going on around us. I understand. I’m here learning how to keep my practice compliant and in-step with current policy right alongside the rest of the profession. It’s one of the reasons I became a Medical Compliance Specialist (MCS-P); to keep myself and my practice abreast of new requirements and regulations and remove a huge chunk of that anxiety off my plate. I don’t share this with you to scare you, but to help prepare you for life after you receive your license. The truth is that even after you leave chiropractic college, your education is not over. Healthcare is constantly changing and evolving and it will be up to you to keep yourself educated and on top of those changes.
Knowing how challenging it is to be in practice today and keeping up with all the changes is one of the reasons ChiroHealthUSA offers a free webinar series. We want to help doctors (and students) stay informed and be more successful. Every Tuesday afternoon, ChiroHealthUSA hosts a free webinar presented by the top names in chiropractic. Our presenters discuss everything from compliance, coding, audits, to how to build a successful practice. You can view a list of upcoming webinars here.
In an environment of rapid change and intense scrutiny, now is not the time to ignore the signs. Winter is upon us and spring, with its opportunity for renewal and rejuvenation, is coming. And for some of you, so is graduation.
Dr. Ray Foxworth is the founder and President of ChiroHealthUSA. Since it’s inception in 2007, ChiroHealthUSA has donated over $750,000 to help support state associations, COCSA, F4CP and the CCGPP. The Foxworth Family Scholarship is funded by ChiroHealthUSA and will be awarding one student a $10,000.00 scholarship in August 2016. The winning student’s school will also receive a donation of $10,000.00. For more information on how to apply, go to www.chusascholar.com.
Why is the Discount Challenge prize amount $11,181? Because that is the average “per-occurrence” fine for Medicare inducements. That’s not $11,181 per patient, that’s not per provider, that’s PER VISIT. Stinks, doesn’t it? To us, the prize amount is worth the investment if we can help our profession better understand proper discounting.