Presentation Reviews the Relevance of Clinical Practice Guidelines to Better Patient Care and Proper Reimbursement
ACA’s annual meeting, the National Chiropractic Leadership Conference (NCLC), is packed with great educational content and world-class presenters. Join us Feb. 28-March 3 in Washington, D.C., to hear from some of the profession’s most compelling thought leaders. Here we pose several questions to one of our featured speakers: Jay Greenstein, DC
Dr. Greenstein’s Presentation: “Clinical Practice Guidelines: What Good Are They?” on Friday, March 2. (For complete conference information and schedules, click here.)
How did you become interested in the topic you are presenting?
Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) are a critically important driver of improving outcomes for patients, educating other health care providers (i.e., MDs), ensuring payment for care delivered and changing anti-chiropractic policies. So, in summary, think about the fact that CPGs impact the “4 Ps” – Patients, Providers, Payers, and Policymakers! I became interested in this work back in 2010 when I began serving on the Clinical Compass board. I was voted in by my Congress of Chiropractic State Associations (COCSA) district and, at the time, I had no clue about the work being done by the Clinical Compass. But as I attended meetings and learned more, I realized that this work was critical to our profession’s success. CPGs are one of the three arms of evidence-based practice (the others being patient values and provider experience). So to help our doctors provide evidence-based care, we need to continue to publish and update our CPGs.
Who should attend your presentation and why?
Certainly, practicing DCs will gain a tremendous amount of knowledge by learning how to translate the evidence into clinical practice. It’s also important for academics and researchers to know (1) how and what to teach the students and (2) what research gaps exist that they can help fill.
What about your presentation topic (or you) may surprise people?
Research is COOL! Learning how to apply the evidence will make doctors more successful as they build trust with their patients and others in the health care community. And when an insurance company tries to deny care, they will have the ammunition to fight back!
Are there any new developments in your specialty/topic area that make your presentation at NCLC 2018 especially relevant or timely?
Yes! The Clinical Compass is taking on a BIG initiative to create a special guideline called a Best Practices Guideline (BPG). A CPG reports on the literature and the evidence to make recommendations. A BPG uses both the evidence and provider feedback from the Delphi Process to establish even more applicable recommendations. This is especially important when there aren’t a lot of studies for a given subject matter (e.g., chiropractic adjusting and hypertension). We will be the first group to truly define a BPG and then create them for the many conditions that chiropractors treat in their offices on a daily basis.
What’s your best advice to a recent chiropractic college graduate (or, alternatively, what is your best advice to someone who has been in the field for several years and is looking for new challenges or ways to expand their practice)?
I have three pieces of advice
- Never stop learning. There is so much to learn and the world is changing rapidly. To be a great provider of health means you must stay on top of the most recent scientific developments. It’s an investment worth making!
- Get involved in the profession. Don’t just join your state and national association, take action. As my roles in chiropractic advocacy work have grown, so have my skill sets, my impact, my network and my friendships–all of this leading to a very fulfilling life.
- Develop grit. Grit is the No. 1 predictor of success. The more you have, the more you have. 🙂
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Learn more from Dr. Greenstein about this topic by joining us Feb. 28-March 3 in Washington, D.C. Register for the annual meeting today by clicking here. Join the conversation online by using the hashtag #NCLC2018.
