Today, Governor Kathy Hochul delivered her fourth State of the State address from the Hart Theater at the Egg in Albany. During the State of the State, the Governor mainly focused on making New York a more affordable place to live. The speech contained numerous policy proposals, and the Governor also released a briefing book containing over 200 distinct proposals organized in fifteen main topics areas, including:  supporting families, helping children thrive, public safety, economic development, housing, health, and sustainability.  We are reviewing this briefing book and will send along proposals of interest.

If you participate with UnitedHealthcare / Optum you may have received notice of the change in the aforementioned prior authorization program.  Based upon the volume of calls, texts, and emails received by the NYSCA Insurance Committee (NIC), there has been several interpretations of the information published by UHC. For more information please access the following link:

UnitedHealthcare Updates

In light of a recent federal court order, reporting companies are not currently required to file beneficial ownership information with FinCEN and are not subject to liability if they fail to do so while the order remains in force. However, reporting companies may continue to voluntarily submit beneficial ownership information reports.

On November 1, 2024, the Board issued a reminder that it will require health care providers to contract with an electronic submission partner to submit the CMS-1500 universal medical billing form electronically on their behalf beginning August 1, 2025.

The 2025 Medicare Fee Schedule has been posted to the NGS Medicare website.

On the Agenda, the official publication of the New York State Chiropractic Association (NYSCA), is published quarterly. It is designed to provide information about the Chiropractic profession and NYSCA activities and initiatives. 

Hello, NYSCA members and friends!

Effective November 16, 2024, the New York State’s Clean Slate Act goes into effect.

Chapter 56 of the Laws of 2021 amended Social Services Law § 413 to require additional training to include protocols to reduce implicit bias in decision-making processes, strategies for identifying adverse childhood experiences, and guidelines to assist in recognizing signs of abuse or maltreatment while interacting virtually within the New York State Mandated Identification and Reporting of Child Abuse and Maltreatment/Neglect coursework. This law requires that mandated reporters (which includes New York State Chiropractors), including those who have previously undergone the current training, complete the updated training curriculum by April 1, 2025.

All Medicare providers and suppliers, including pharmacies, must not bill Medicare beneficiaries in the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) eligibility group for Medicare Part A or Part B cost-sharing. This includes Medicare Part A and Part B deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments.

Read More: MLN Matters Fact Sheet October 2024

Mergers. Acquisitions. Affiliations. Increasingly common and complex. These relationships may have no bearing or influence on our practice and ability to provide high quality care to our patients, while others can have a profound impact. A current affiliation awaiting approval from New York State involves CDPHP and Lifetime Healthcare.

We are pleased to announce that registration is now open for ACA Engage 2025, which will take place in Washington, D.C., Jan. 22 - Jan. 25 2025. A luxurious landmark in one of D.C.'s premier neighborhoods, the Omni Shoreham Hotel is the optimal location to host Engage 2025. Join us in the heart of our Nation’s Capitol for an unforgettable chiropractic event.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2025, the $15 copayment for the EmblemHealth-GHl portion of the Senior Care Plan will resume. Senior Care members will be required to pay a $15 copay each time they use the health services listed below. Copays are limited to one copay per provider per date of service.

Starting today 11/18/2024, healthcare providers won’t have access to beneficiary eligibility information on the NGS Medicare interactive voice response (IVR) system. This includes all beneficiary eligibility information that was obtained under Option 1, Eligibility. The IVR will continue to offer the other non-eligibility transactions.

Northeast College of Health Sciences will celebrate Veterans Day and its longtime partnership with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) by providing Veterans with complimentary healthcare screenings at its outpatient health centers in Depew, Levittown, and Seneca Falls, N.Y., throughout November. 

Northeast College Holds Long Island Campus Ribbon Cutting, Brings Chiropractic Education Back to Greater NYC Area

Northeast College of Health Sciences celebrated the official ribbon cutting of its new branch Long Island Campus on Oct. 11, 2024. During the event, local and state leaders welcomed Northeast and recognized the College for bringing chiropractic healthcare education back to the Greater New York City area.

UnitedHealthcare's Prior Authorization requirements for certain Medicare Advantage members (including UHC and AARP) are now in effect.  For more information, and to join us for a lunch and learn next week, please visit the UnitedHealthcare page in the members' only section of our website:

UnitedHealthcare

Every year there are updates to the ICD-10 codes. Listed below please find the codes most relevant to the Chiropractic profession per the cms.gov website. These changes take effect 10/1/2024. 

National Chiropractic Health Month to Promote Musculoskeletal Health for Aging Well

Arlington, Va. – The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) and doctors of chiropractic nationwide will celebrate National Chiropractic Health Month this October with the theme “Plan for a Strong Healthspan.” The campaign will raise awareness of the importance of a strong musculoskeletal (MSK) system for healthy aging and the benefits of chiropractic care.