Upcoming Events on Saturday, Feb. 6
Schedule at a Glance
- Professional Development Workshop (10 a.m. ET)
- Live Education Session – Treating Concussion Beyond the Adjustment in a Chiropractic Practice (10 a.m. ET)
- Lunch and Learn – Internet Marketing for Chiropractors 2.0 (11:30 a.m. ET)
- Live Education Session – Creating an Effective Pre-habilitation Program for ACL Injury (1:15 p.m. ET)
- Live Education Session – Mechanics and Management of Acute Recurrent Low Back Pain (2:45 p.m. ET)
- Closing Remarks (4 p.m. ET)
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Friday, Feb. 5 News in Brief
New ACA Leadership Team Announced
Members of the ACA House of Delegates voted earlier this week to fill one seat on the association’s six-member Board of Governors (BOG). BOG members subsequently met and elected a new president and vice president for the next year. ACA’s new leadership team is:
- President: Michele Maiers, DC, MPH, PhD, of Minneapolis, Minn.
- Vice President: Kathy Boulet, DC, of Lewiston, Maine
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Robert C. Jones, DC, of Albuquerque, N.M.
- Leo Bronston, DC, of Onalaska, Wis.
- Michael R. Martin, DC, of Plano, Texas
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Steve C. Roberts, JD, LLM, of St. Louis, Mo.
Stepping down from the board this year is Karen Konarski-Hart, DC, of Little Rock, Ark.
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Advocacy Update: Medicare Parity Bill Will Be Reintroduced
Medicare parity for the chiropractic profession and its patients remains ACA’s No. 1 legislative priority in the new congressional session, which began in January. During the Engage 2021 Advocacy Update today, members of ACA’s team shared information with the ACA House of Delegates on what to expect in the next few months as the association prepares to reintroduce its Medicare parity bill, which aims to increase coverage of services provided by doctors of chiropractic within the full extent of their licensure.
John Falardeau, ACA senior vice president of policy and advocacy, explained that the previous Medicare parity bill received strong support, but now with the 117th Congress underway, protocol requires the bill to be reintroduced (it will receive a new bill number) and cosponsors must once again sign on in support.
“It’s all about cosponsors on the bill,” said Brian Sutter of the Capitol Hill Consulting Group, which is working with ACA to get the Medicare legislation passed. He encouraged doctors to be fully acclimated with the bill and to be ready to reach out to their members of Congress, set up appointments, and discuss the importance of Medicare parity for chiropractic patients once it is reintroduced.
Tom Wharton, also of the Capitol Hill Consulting Group, said their plan is to go after cosponsors of the bill from the last congressional session first then focus on obtaining new supporters. “We hope 50 or 60 of the original cosponsors will come on board right away,” he explained. “We are trying to get over 200 cosponsors so the committees of jurisdiction can’t ignore the bill.”
With one party in control of Congress, legislation will be moving, Sutter predicted. “We have to get the cosponsors up and find a way to attach ourselves to a ‘train’ that is leaving the station.”
Keith Overland, DC, chair of the ACA Legislative Committee, emphasized that ACA’s bill is ultimately about patients and doctors should focus on how the bill will help them. “This is about the seniors in our country, and how when they turn 65 they can no longer access our services because of the antiquated Medicare statute,” he said.
“We want to break down any fears people may have in reaching out to their members of Congress about the bill,” he added. “Most of our federal representatives don’t understand the restrictions that patients encounter when they turn 65.”
To that end, ACA members Drs. Andrea Ohmann, Dan Schatzberg, and Quinn James each offered advice based on their personal experiences lobbying on behalf of the profession.
PAC Election Results
During the Advocacy Update, Lewis Squires, DC, chair of the ACA Political Action Committee (PAC), reported that 98% of the congressional candidates supported by the ACA-PAC in the November elections won their races. He urged ACA members to continue to support the PAC generously.
Virtual Advocacy Day Planned for May 6
To wrap up the session, Meghan O’Brien, ACA associate director of federal government relations, presented information on ACA’s virtual Advocacy Day planned for May 6. A representative of the firm that will partner with ACA to set up virtual appointments with members of Congress previewed the system’s capabilities, which also includes follow-up messaging.
Falardeau ended the session by saying he was confident Advocacy Day will yield positive results for the new Medicare parity bill: “We should be able to come out with 100 cosponsors in a day.”
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House of Delegates Meeting and Deliberative Session
As part of its role to provide ACA leadership with key strategic direction, the House of Delegates today participated in a deliberative session, guided by a professional facilitator, to discuss key issues of importance to ACA governance: the role of the delegate and delegate term limits. Delegates were divided into breakout sessions to dive deeper into the issues. Several ideas presented focused on helping better prepare and support delegates in their critical roles, laying the foundation for future discussions and action.
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ACA’s Annual Awards Presented
ACA was proud to present several of its Annual Awards today to deserving individuals who went above and beyond in demonstrating their dedication to the chiropractic profession over the past year:
The Delegate of the Year Award was presented to ACA Missouri Delegate Margaret “Marty” Freihaut, DC, for her tireless dedication and passion for the chiropractic profession.
The Alternate Delegate of the Year Award was presented to ACA Nebraska Alternate Delegate Sam Mark, DC, for his hard work on the ACA Political Action Committee (PAC) and beyond.
The Flynn-Lynch Memorial Award, recognizing a member of the House of Delegates who has served no more than five years but who has, in that brief time period, demonstrated a passion and drive in their work that is beyond their years, was presented to ACA Pennsylvania Delegate Daniel Schatzberg, DC.
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NextGen Announces New Leadership Team
NextGen, ACA’s early career practitioners, announced a new leadership team during its annual meeting. NextGen’s new leadership team is:
- Kaelyn Mead, DC – Chair
- Maithy Ta, DC – Vice Chair
- Michael Solla, DC – Committee Member
- Stephen Thompson, DC – Committee Member
- James Walters, DC – Committee Member
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NextGen Annual Awards Presented
The NextGen Member of the Year Award, officially called the Dr. Michele Maiers Leadership Award, recognizes someone who has significantly contributed to NextGen by showing exceptional service, achievement, and leadership to the chiropractic profession This year’s recipient of the award is William “Beau” Foshee, DC, of Dallas, Texas.
Additional NextGen Award recipients:
Don White, DC, of Fort Worth, Texas, received the NextGen Alley Award for going above and beyond in assisting the members and mission of NextGen.
Andrew Miller, DC, MS, of Wichita, Kan. received the NextGen Heart Award for inspiring collaborative work within the organization regarding ACA initiatives, working groups and committees.
Four Service Awards were given to members who have done an outstanding job this year. This year’s recipients are:
- Brendan McCann, DC, of Portsmouth, N.H.
- Annabelle MacAuley, DC, of Gainesville, Fla.
- Andrea Ohmann, DC, of White Bear Lake, Minn.
- Rebekah Wilks, DC, of Bay Pines, Fla.
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SACA Welcomes New National Executive Board
Congratulations to the 2021/2022 SACA National Executive Board:
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SACA National Chair: Ary Laudeman of New York Chiropractic College
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National Vice Chair: Jonathan Morales of Parker University
- Legislative Chair: Ben Degenhardt of Northwestern Health Science University
- Legislative Vice Chair: Caitlin Jones of the University of Western States
Assuming the position of Immediate Past Chair is Alli Totzke, DC.
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SACA Annual Awards Presented
The Student American Chiropractic Association (SACA) presented its annual awards: Chapter of the Year and Most Improved Chapter of the Year.
Palmer College – Iowa received the Chapter of the Year Award, which recognizes a chapter that demonstrates extraordinary teamwork, collaboration and commitment to further the mission, vision and values of ACA, and is a positive, visible force on both the national and campus levels.
The University of Western States received the Most Improved Chapter of the Year Award, which recognizes a chapter that demonstrated growth and leadership despite facing challenges in previous years.
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Standard Process Scholarship Awards
ACA corporate partner/ACA Engage sponsor Standard Process presented its annual scholarship awards to SACA members Alli Totzke of National University – Illinois, Caitlin Jones of the University of Western States, Ellene Dilican of Keiser University, and Samuel Schut of Palmer College – Iowa. Each received a $2,500 prize in recognition of winning essays they submitted as part of the competition.
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See You at ACA Engage 2022!
Thank you for your attendance and participation in Engage 2021. We hope to see you at Engage 2022, from Feb. 2-5, 2022! Please check your email tomorrow evening for a brief feedback survey.
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