The following is a tentative list of what the OSCA will try to achieve in the following year. This list has been compiled for TCCA members to rate them in the order of importance. For a list of "SHOULD DO AND COULD DO" projects please contact me at 330.867.0919.

1) TREATMENT GUIDELINES TO MCOs
Establishing a training program whereby chiropractic physicians meet with the staffs of each MCO to educate the MCOs and their claims reviewers on chiropractic.

2) PURSUE WORKERS COMPENSATION SIMPLIFICATION PROCESS
Continue to work with the Bureau to help simplify the manner in which chiropractic physicians, MCOs and Bureau can successfully interact with the Health Partnership Program (HPP).

3) PAC
Help gain support for your state and federal political action committees, C-PAC and Fed-PAC which are responsible for protecting your practice and the chiropractic physician profession.

4) INCREASE MEMBERSHIP
Establish a program to increase association membership. The more chiropractic physicians that belong to OSCA, the more services we can provide members.

5) RETAIN MEMBERSHIP
Work to ensure that the current membership base is receiving valuable member services, and that doctors and affiliates are retained for long-term membership.

6) RECODING/BUNDLING BY MCOs
To clarify discrepancies created by MCOs when MCOs recode and bundle codes submitted by providers in an effort to lower reimbursement rates.

7) DIRECT PAY LEGISLATION
Push for state legislation that would allow a patient to sign an assignment of benefits agreement that instruct insurers and other third party payers to directly reimburse providers  for approved health care services.

8) PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS ACT
Comprehensive legislation currently being drafted that will bring IMEs under the jurisdiction of the Ohio State Board of Chiropractic Examiners, extend the physician/patient confidentiality privilege to chiropractic physician/patient relationships, and create a impaired physician statute.

9) PROJECT DAYS
How to structure Project Days to effectively gain members input and assign project responsibilities to committees and doctors for successful completion.

10) HELP DCs SERVIVE IN PRACTICE
Educational programming to help chiropractic physicians learn the fundamentals of successful practice management.

11) PARCA LEGISLATION
Federal legislation that would establish national standards to ensure patient choice of provider and improve quality in health plans, including managed health care plans.

12) S.B. 31 TRAINING
Educational programming that will allow chiropractic physicians to take advantage of the integrated practices law to combine with other medical professionals to create "one-stop" health care services.

13) STATEWIDE PR PROGRAM
Establish a program to promote chiropractic in Ohio within the membership and to the general public.

14) SOLICITATION
Create restrictions and parameters of solicitation by chiropractic physicians of accident victims.

15) DISTRICT DIRECTOR BENEFITS
Identify the needs and types of benefits that should be afforded OSCA District Directors.

16) MINIMUM HOURS FOR MANIPULATION
Establish educational requirements for providers who want to manipulate.

17) HAVE FUN WITH OSCA
Making volunteering and service to OSCA more fun, as well as creating more fun for membership at OSCA events.

18) EC AND BOARD COMMITMENT LEVEL
Provide accountability to board members to measure commitment and service.

19) VOLUNTEER "FARM TEAM"
Continue to "grow" the list of those members committed to serving OSCA and committed to developing into roles such as District Director and Committee Chair.

THE FOLLOWING "MUST DO" ITEM WERE DISCUSSED AT THE CAUCUS:

TREATMENT GUIDELINES TO MCOs
The bureau is adopting the Mercy Guidelines. The MCOs "are suppose to" follow the guidelines. The OSCA guidelines are based on Mercy and easy to follow. Representatives of the OSCA have already presented the OSCA guidelines to the reviewers of some of the MCOs. These presentations were welcomed by the MCOs as they know very little about chiropractic and chiropractic treatment regimes. If you have any personal contacts with an MCO and would like someone to speak with the reviewers and or management of the MCO please contact me at 330.867.0919. I would be more than happy to instruct them on the implementation of the OSCA guidelines. Remember the key here is personal contact. Either through your staff, patient, or yourself must know someone who is in management or is a claims reviewer. Doctors you must also have a thorough understanding of the guidelines as these will be the parameters which the reviewers "are suppose to" base their discussions on. If you do not currently own a copy of the guidelines please contact the OSCA for a copy. The cost is $20.

PAC
Cheryl Bennett is calling all the doctors in the state for donations for PAC. Please donate as much as you can.

RECODING/BUNDLING BY MCOs
Several physicians from the Cleveland area are in discussions with representatives of large MCOs. They are going to try to get this handled through conservative measures rather than legislative procedures which are very expensive and time consuming.

DIRECT PAY LAW
Direct pay law is currently dead in the water for now as new legislatures are coming into office. Word has it that they don't want to test the waters on new legislation of this kind.