Chiropractic Economics Blog

We have been watching in amazement as readers weigh in on two hot topics in the news. A story on Alabama’s chiropractic association survey on expansion of scope of practice generated a great deal of passionate comment.  But that paled in comparison to the lively debate still ongoing about New Mexico’s Bill HB 127, which also seeks to allow qualified chiropractors to prescribe controlled medications, among other expansions of practice.

We read these discussions with interest and talk about them in our editorial meetings at Chiropractic Economics, because your voices matter. We can better meet your needs when we know what you think is important, and we can make better decisions about content when we understand where areas of contention and controversy exist. We encourage readers to engage in these kinds of frank and open exchanges of opinion.

It is not our policy to favor one side or another in such debates, however, and some commentators have questioned whether our publication is biased, inasmuch as we may be reporting news that is in itself slanted. Our mission is to keep you informed of news and information that may affect your practice and your success in the field. We make no attempt to “balance” the news we find; we go where the stories are and follow them where they lead, trusting that you – the readership – will be able to interpret them in context.

Responses to us here in the blogs, on our news pages, on Facebook, and on Twitter, demonstrate the kind of active, two-way flow of information that marks modern-day publications in a fully wired era. My request to you: don’t hold back. Speak strongly for yourself and your profession. You have an attentive audience.

You may have noticed that blog comments are being handled correctly now. If you are a blogger, be sure to check and approve any comments to your posts.

Also, we’ve improved the commenting feature on regular magazine articles. Comments are limited to 500 characters, and a “countdown” feature now shows how many characters are left while you are typing a comment. This will prevent longer comments from being cut off.

If you’re having any problems, have an idea for a new feature, or spot a bug anywhere on the website, let me know: dsosnoski@chiroeco.com

Based on everything I’ve heard since, this year’s Parker Seminars in Las Vegas was a hit and attendees and vendors posted gains over last year’s event. Some 3,500 DCs and CAs were on hand for the 4-day festival of all things chiropractic.

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A major highlight was the opportunity to meet with NFL legend Jerry Rice and Amanda Mitchell, Denise Medina and Barbra Beach of the Washington Redskins Cheerleaders – who signed photographs and posed for photos on behalf of the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress.

I was quite pleased to meet a number of our magazine’s regular contributors, and locate some new voices for upcoming issues.  Some of the notable new products and ideas presented at the show will find their way into articles I look forward to sharing with you.

Update: We’re continuing our video series, meeting with vendors and creators of the products you use in your practice, and getting sneak previews of new items soon to be released.

Keep your eye on our homepage as these will be posted soon.

The big event this morning was the general session, “Mastering the Art of Manifestation,” by Wayne Dyer, with over 1000 attendees. His story of finding purpose renewed in the face of mortality was deeply moving.

The energy and excitement here are palpable. The Chiro Eco team has been running at full tilt! Notable presentations today were “Increasing Your Healing Conciousness” by Brandi MacDonald, CA, and “Matching Lifestyle Choices to Your Genetic Blueprint” by James Chestnut, DC.

Another packed hall was “Creating a WOW Practice” by Larry Markson, DC, a dynamic speaker.

There are some amazing booths with cutting-edge products, ranging from nutrition to device demos.

Whatever your interests, there’s something here to engage and enlighten. More to follow…

The Chiropractic Economics staff are here in Las Vegas at the nation’s largest conference for chiropractors, allied healthcare, and exhibitors.

Last night’s event was a reception for Dr Fabrizio Mancini, who will be opening the convention ceremonies this morning. There’s definitely more people, more products, more buzz this year.

Visit us at our booth, no. 326 and say hi. More updates from the floor later!

This month Congress issued a clarification on the Red Flags Rule scheduled to take effect at the end of this year. It should come as a relief that doctors are no longer subject to this new federal regulation.

The basic idea behind the Red Flags Rule is a good one: Entities who are creditors possess sensitive information about customers and should safeguard that data carefully. They should have policies in place to detect and respond to signs of ID theft.

The clarification ruling asserts that doctors are not “creditors” in this respect, even if they accept credit cards as payment for services rendered. As it is, doctors and their practices are already subject to HIPAA regulations, which reinforce patient data protection and confidentiality.

This, along with the one-year extension of the Medicare healthcare provider payment rates, is some welcome end-of-year good news.

Happy New Year everyone, from the staff at Chiropractic Economics.

Whether you blog here or on your own webpage – or both – there are a few things you can do to help out your readers and gain more traffic. Here, then, are 7 rules for effective blogging:

1. Stay focused – stick to your main point.
2. Be brief – readers on the Internet are usually skimming and scanning. Give yourself a limit of 200-300 words.
3. Write like you talk – avoid “writerly speech,” be as lively and enthusiastic as you are when addressing a group. But go easy on the exclamation points!
4. Learn to love linking – the hyperlink is the life-stuff of the Internet. When entering your text, just look for a “hyperlink” button, which works like this one in PowerPoint. Your links can go to definitions, extended discussions, another blog, a video, whatever you think readers will appreciate.
5. Paragraphs are good – a solid wall of text is a daunting prospect. Add a paragraph break every few sentences so the reader can scan your text more easily. Also, use bulleted and numbered lists for the same reason.
6. Edit thyself – after posting, take a critical look at your blog. You’ll usually find something that could be improved or fixed. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but it should show your thoughts in a good light.
7. Keywords are critical – try to put your topic into your title and use keywords about your topic in the body of your post. The Internet will automatically categorize your blog, and you want readers who are searching for your topic to find you.

There are no hard-and-fast rules for weblogs, and rules are always made to be broken, but if you look at the best examples, you see that good bloggers tend to follow these guidelines more often than not. With practice, these habits become as natural as breathing.

Mark your calendar! “First Tuesdays” are back – the Chiropractic Economics Webinar series continues on Tuesday, Dec 14, 2010, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. EST. Sign up now to attend this dual presentation titled “Focus on Nutrition.”

Our first expert, Keith Randolph, PhD, will be reporting on the role of phytonutrients in diet and health, detailing the research findings of America’s Phytonutrient Report (pdf.). Attend this Webinar to sharpen your understanding of supplements and their use in the clinical setting.

Also in this Webinar, renowned chiropractic coach and author Mark Sanna, DC, will present techniques and concepts for marketing nutrition in your practice. We’ll be taking questions from the audience, too, so register now to learn more about the position nutrition can play in the health of your patients and your practice.

The National Board of Chiropractic Examiners has released the Practice Analysis of Chiropractic 2010.

You can download the full report for free here.

The practice analysis reports are used extensively to inform and educate state licensing boards, associations, legislators, and insurance companies on the practice patterns of full-time chiropractors.

The findings are based on approximately 2,400 respondents from all 50 states.

Some interesting findings in the report:

Work Load

Amongst full time chiropractors:

49.8% work 30-39 hours /week

24.4% work 40-49 hours/week

3.5% 50-59 hours/week

Chiropractic as “healthcare plan gatekeepers”

59% fewer hospital stays

62% few outpatient surgeries

83% low pharmaceutical costs

Work Environment

6.9% Work in a hospital setting

4.4% are under contract to serve active or non-active duty military personnel.

39% have an office in the city

24.7% have an office in the suburbs

20.4% haven an office in a small town

15.9% have an office in a rural setting