Chiropractic Contractor Advisory Committee members meet at NCLC

March 11, 2011 — In conjunction with the National Chiropractic Legislative Conference (NCLC), the doctor of chiropractic representatives to Medicare Contractor Advisory Committees held their annual face-to-face meeting. Chiropractic Contractor Advisory Committee (CCAC) members serve as the Medicare contractor liaison, representing the opinions of the chiropractic profession with regard to decisions about Local Coverage Determinations (LCDs) and contractor policies.

In 1990, Congress created the Carrier Advisory Committee (CAC) to serve as a democratic advisory body for Medicare contractors. CACs are commissioned by states and contractors and are comprised of physicians from most specialty groups, including chiropractic, as well as representatives from medical societies and other relevant entities. ACA later developed CCAC to facilitate collaboration among the chiropractic representatives.

ACA facilitates a conference call each month to ensure that CCAC representatives are kept up to date and have the most accurate information available on Medicare policy. In addition to regular teleconferences, CCAC representatives attend a face-to-face meeting in Washington, D.C., during NCLC. This meeting provides the opportunity for CCAC members from around the country to share local Medicare coverage issues and to brainstorm solutions.

During the most recent NCLC, the agenda for the CCAC meeting included reports on the following items:

• Comparative Billing Reports — Representatives from SafeGuard Services, the contractor hired by CMS to develop Comparative Billing Reports, provided a presentation on the recent reports issued regarding chiropractic services in Medicare.
• Medicare Learning Network Update — Representatives from CMS provided an update on efforts to develop chiropractic-specific educational resources.
• Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) — An update was provided on recent changes to the quality reporting system.
• New Medicare Enrollment Policies — An update was provided on recent changes to Medicare enrollment procedures.
• States are encouraged to send their CCAC representatives to NCLC 2012 for next year’s meeting.

Source: American Chiropractic Association, www.acatoday.org