Editor's Note: The following is excerpted and revised from Sam Collins' latest article in Dynamic Chiropractic's sister publication, Acupuncture Today, to disseminate timely information to the chiropractic profession regarding the looming fee cuts, which would impact DCs as well.
Medicare is scheduled to make a significant reduction in Medicare rates in 2021. CMS has proposed finalized changes to increase the reimbursement for the outpatient / office physician evaluation and management (E/M) CPT codes in CY 2021 (as proposed by the AMA), which will result in an approximately 8 percent cut in payment for outpatient chiropractic, acupuncture, PT and OT services, effective 1/1/2021 (despite receiving over 10,000 comments against the proposal).
Thirty-six (36) different specialties face cuts in 2021 (including chiropractic, acupuncture, PT/OT, ophthalmology, audiology, and clinical social work) with the increase in payment for the physician E/M codes. However, CMS has not determined the actual cuts to each code as of press time.
All Medicare provider groups have formed a coalition to block these scheduled cuts and there are things that you can do. Several House representatives have introduced the Holding Providers Harmless from Medicare Cuts During COVID-19 Act. This comprehensive bill has wide support in Congress and among Medicare providers. H.R. 8702, through what is known as a "hold harmless" approach, would ensure that payments to Medicare providers, including chiropractic providers, remain at current levels through 2022.
Take a moment today to send a letter to your local congressperson and urge them to co-sponsor this critical legislation. (To find your congressional representatives in the House and Senate, visit here.) This rule is not finalized and with the support of doctors of chiropractic and others, hopefully, it will be blocked. Let's do our part.
Financial pressure, enrollment declines and institutional challenges are emerging at several U.S. chiropractic colleges. Life Chiropractic College West's and Life University's struggles may be the most talked about but appear to be part of a larger story. And with recent USDE requirements threatening to hamstring federal student financing for DC degree programs, chiropractic education is facing questions for which it has no immediate answers.
Musculoskeletal pain in perimenopause and menopause reflects a broader physiologic shift rather than an isolated structural problem. Declining estrogen, increased inflammation, metabolic dysfunction, and nervous system dysregulation collectively alter tissue quality, pain perception, and recovery capacity. Recognizing this interconnected model enables clinicians to move beyond symptom management and toward more effective, systems-based care that improves long-term outcomes for midlife women.
As the world remembers Dolly Parton following her death Aug. 25 at age 80, there is a little-known connection to the chiropractic profession worth revisiting: Dolly publicly acknowledged using chiropractic care and another famous entertainer even recalled meeting her at a chiropractor's office.
