Greetings Future Chiropractors, 

Welcome to the first edition of the Spízzerínctŭm, the official newsletter of the Student International Chiropractors Association.  The purpose of the newsletter is to keep the student members of ICA informed about happenings with the International Chiropractors Association and highlights on current issues in Chiropractic legislation, health care policy, and other developments.  This newsletter will provide focused commentaries on current events with SICA chapters and chiropractic education, legislation, and history sections. 

Please let us hear from you with news updates of your own so that we can keep each other more informed about life in our different campus communities and in chiropractic as a profession around the globe.

           Yours in Chiropractic,

                        Eric Russell, DC, FICA, LCCP
                       ICA Student Affairs Committee Chair

ICA MAKES HISTORY WITH NEW CONFERENCE ON CHIROPRACTIC PHILOSOPHICAL CHIROPRACTIC STANDARDS

ICA’s Annual Meeting and SICA Congress

The ICA Annual Meeting and the first ICA Conference on Chiropractic Philosophical Standards were held May 15-18 in Kansas City, Missouri.  It was a special opportunity for fellowship and also connecting with students at Cleveland Chiropractic College-KC!  On Wednesday, May 15^th, Dr. Coralee VanEgmond (Director of Professional Development for ICA), Serry Pizarro (SICA Congress Chair), Hugo Michael Gibson (SICA President-Cleveland) and Marcus Anderson (Vice-President Cleveland SICA) represented the ICA at the first trimester student meeting where SICA is introduced and students are updated on ICA activities.  Several students won raffle prizes of free registration to the ICA Philosophy Conference and were able to attend the historic event held there in town that weekend.

Cleveland College hosted an ICA Day on Thursday, May 16^th and the distinguished Dr. Fred Barge, Vice-President of the ICA, and Dr. Eric Russell, ICA Board member and one of the Legion of Chiropractic Philosophers, gave a philosophy presentation during an all school assembly.  Students were able to ask questions and visit the SICA booth outside the auditorium, providing great activity and interaction following the assembly.  

East Meets West:  The SICA Day held at Cleveland Chiropractic College-Kansas City in conjunction with the ICA's Annual Meeting and Philosophy Conference provided an opportunity for fellowship and networking with SICA leaders from coast to coast:  L-R, SICA Chapter Secretary Carrie Hoskins, President Michael Gibson, and newly elected SICA Congress Chair Marcus Anderson with Serry Pizarro, SICA Congress Vice-Chair and SICA leader from Cleveland-LA.

Special SICA Developments

The SICA International Congress held elections during the Friday, May 17^th sessions of the ICA Annual Meetings.   Before we announce the newly elected officers, let's take a minute to thank the outgoing officers that donated so much time and energy to help the SICA membership and services grow: Serry Pizarro, SICA Chair (Cleveland-LA), Tyson Carter, Vice-Chair (Palmer), and De'un Howland, Secretary/Treasurer (Parker). 

The newly elected SICA Congress Executive Committee officers for 2003-2004 have already met several times for the year’s plans and goals for supporting SICA chapter development on chiropractic college campuses:

Chair: Marcus Anderson (Cleveland-KC) taotiger@asia.com
Vice-Chair: Serry Pizarro (Cleveland-LA) in8doc@sbcglobal.net
Secretary: Liisa Salo Hall (Palmer) saloliisa@hotmail.com
Treasurer: Cherylena Simmonds (Palmer) hotamale10@hotmail.com

Saturday, May 18^th brought the kickoff of the First Annual ICA Conference on Chiropractic Philosophical Chiropractic Standards.  Special appreciation is in order for the hard work that Molly Rangnath, ICA’s Director of Programs, and Drs. Fred Barge, Rob Sinnott and Janice Hughes did for this program.  It was an outstanding landmark conference that can only expand in interest and participation in the future.  A fantastic array of speakers presented a fascinating variety of perspectives of chiropractic philosophy and issues impacting practice.  This was truly an inspiring and informative meeting. 

Students joined together with panelists for a picture following the lively discussions at "Ask the Philosopher" night during the ICA Philosophy Conference in Kansas City, MO.

Students attending Saturday night pitched into a great exchange of perspectives and concerns about chiropractic philosophy and practice with the "Ask the Philosophers" reception and session.  A panel of prominent individuals in chiropractic education, practice management and practice, including Drs. Fred Barge, Rob Sinnott, Carl Cleveland, Janice Hughes, Michael Schmidt and Rob Scott answered questions from the students.

It was a fantastic panel, debate and dialogue between the audience and panel participants that all in attendance enjoyed.  (A special thank you to Student Dr. Serry Pizarro for helping compile this information.)

WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH MEDICARE LEGISLATION?

Many campuses are hearing about different sorts of chiropractic legislation for Medicare, and about different views on the merits of that legislation.  ICA and the Chiropractic Coalition, which includes the ICA, the WCA (World Chiropractic Alliance) and the FSCO (Federation of Straight Chiropractic Organizations),  has developed a bill identified as HR 2560.

The International Chiropractors Association has joined the Chiropractic Coalition in enthusiastically endorsing legislation crafted by Illinois Representative Don Manzullo that would significantly enhance the status of the doctor of chiropractic and chiropractic patient in the federal Medicare program. HR 2560, the “Chiropractic Medicare Freedom and Benefit Protection Act” would set up a separate doctor level category for doctors of chiropractic, making chiropractic services uniquely theirs. No longer would an MD, DO, or physical therapist be able to provide or receive reimbursement for subluxation correction services. According to the bill’s author, the bill will "not only reshape the definition of chiropractic in federal policy...it will blow the lid off the definition of chiropractic in federal policy... We will make it clear once and for all that chiropractic is equal -but unique."  

HR 2560 would:   *Amend the Social Security Act to expand and clarify the scope of chiropractic services that may be furnished under the Medicare program and to state specifically that "chiropractors are the only health care professionals qualified under that program to furnish those services."
		Student ICA members participating in Legislative Work Day in Washington, DC, pause for a picture with members of the ICA Leadership and field doctor members of ICA here in on of the Senate office buildings between appointments while lobbying for Chiropractic.

*Set up a separate provider category just for chiropractic – we’ll no longer be lumped into the same box as medical doctors.

*Prevent MDs and DOs from claiming to provide chiropractic services (and get paid for them).

*Ensure that "medical necessity" criteria and the resulting endless harassment in validating chiropractic claims that presently dominates the Medicare process will no longer apply to chiropractic care.

*HR 2560 won’t restrict any D.C. from practicing the way he or she chooses – from neuromusculoskeletal to subluxation-based. It doesn’t prohibit any chiropractic service allowed by state scope laws.

Medicare is a limited reimbursement program only and HR 2560 would have no impact at all on chiropractic scope of practice, ability to bill for evaluation and management codes, or the status of the DC as a doctor level professional. Medicare law only deals with what DCs are paid for under this one program. Presently, the only reimbursable Medicare service is subluxation correction. HR 2560 would significantly expand the list of chiropractic services recognized by the Medicare program.

The bill adds a provision to the Medicare code that states that the term "chiropractic services" means "clinically necessary care by means of adjustment of the spine (to correct a subluxation) performed by a chiropractor legally authorized to perform such adjustment by the State or jurisdiction in which such care is provided."   This wording was carefully chosen to ensure that the bill will protect a DC's right to correct subluxation, and to perform services as specified by his or her state statutes. To avoid the use of the "medically necessary" criteria, the bill further states that services are considered "clinically necessary" when examination by a chiropractor demonstrates objective evidence of a subluxation. The bill, therefore, gives DCs -- and only DCs -- the authority to determine when chiropractic care is needed.

The bill also states that such examination may include physical examination, radiological examination, and "specialized diagnostic instruments used in the practice of chiropractic." This provision will be used to obtain Medicare reimbursement for a broad range of examination services, including x-rays.

PLEASE ACT TODAY!

Click here for a legislative alert summary on HR 2560 (.doc)

MERGER?

There hardly is a time when SICA officers are not approached about the rumor of merger.  Most of these rumors are started by other organizations that would like to merge with ICA and capitalize on ICA’s heritage, reputation and resources. 

If you get asked by classmates about chiropractic associations merging together, you can put this issue to rest immediately.  Some individuals and organizations would like for there to be just one big chiropractic organization based in the US, thinking that this would make the profession somehow stronger and have more clout in legislative and other arenas.  However: unity does not have to mean homogenization.  For ICA, unity in the profession means having several different chiropractic organizations representing diverse perspectives on chiropractic, working together on common goals, means that there is Unity in Diversity, and ensures that ICA’s resolute protection of chiropractic as a unique, separate, drug-free healing art is maintained. ICA is committed to working together on common goals—but as separate organizations representing different elements in the profession.  We have experienced the vital importance of that on numerous occasions, when ICA’s voice on Capitol Hill had been the only one protecting chiropractic, specific adjustments, and ensuring recognition of the term "Subluxation" in legislative documents and proposals.

When rumors periodically circulate about merger taking place, please know that merger not an automatic or instantaneous process and that if someone says something like “ICA and ACA are merging” it is unfounded gossip.  ICA is a democratically run organization with provisions in the Constitution and Bylaws for governance of decision-making, and merger is not a simple or automatic process.  

In a future issue of Spízzerínctŭm we can revisit the ICA membership’s decisions to refuse merging with the ACA back in the ‘80’s.  For now, you can rest assured that the ICA Board of Directors has been approached on different occasions about merger all the way up to recent times, and had each time unwaveringly declined. 

What if the possibility of merger really came up again?  According to the governing documents of ICA, the Board of Directors must vote for merger by 2/3's majority, then it must be approved by 2/3's of the Assembly Representatives, and then finally it must be agreed to by 2/3's of the membership.  These constitutional safe guards assure that merger will not automatically come to pass.  Let's take a look at the ICA Constitution to see what is specified about merger. 

HOW DID ICA FORM AS AN ORGANIZATION?

(From Vol 28, Answers)

Thank you Dr. B. J. Palmer and Dr. Heinrich Dueringer!  The current ICA as we know it was formed on September 6, 1926.  According to Dr. A.E. Lill at the 1951 ICA Annual Convention, the organization’s roots include special pioneers like…

Dr. Heinrich Dueringer who, back there in 1926, made such an urgent plea for the necessity of an organization to perpetuate Chiropractic for posterity. His arguments were forceful and logical, so much so that the conviction became solidly established that the time had come when a new organization MUST be effected, if the best interests of Chiropractic were to be served, and for the protection and advancement of Chiropractors. He pleaded with us to disregard the destructive criticisms and condemnations emanating from those who had never contributed to Chiropractic’s welfare; that a great deal of subtle misinformation was being spread throughout the profession by forces which had always sought to destroy Chiropractic.

The following people were elected as officers of the ICA (click here)