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Sorry of the misinformation. I should have gone on line instead of listening to the lawyer (I've got to remember never trust a lawyer)
From what I've read you must X-Ray Medicare patients to prove the necessity of acute care. Is this true?
Also, since we are on the subject. Please don't ever tell a patient that they have heel spurs. Nothing bugs me more than that. FP and DC are notorious for doing this. It is plantar fascia not the bone. Also, if they have heel pain refer them don't X-ray them b/c I haven't seen a good foot or ankle x-ray from a DC yet. 🙂
Yes, never trust a lawyer. Good call. What sucks about Medicare is they cover one service from chiropractors and that is manipulation. They use to require an x-ray. We did not, they did. On top of this we were not reimbursed by Medicare for the x-ray. It was required by them for us to get paid yet they would not pay for it or the exam. Try to explain that to a Medicare patient. The x-ray requirement was dropped a few years ago. The treatment now requires the treatment is for an active condition. You can no longer treat a Medicare patient as preventive with regard to a chronic condition. If the chronic condition is exacerbated then they will pay for treatment. Acute conditions are not an issue. There is a demonstration project going on now where Medicare is covering exams, x-rays and treatment beyond manipulation. Hopefully for us it will be covered in the future.
I only tell patients who actually have heel spurs that they have them. I don't blanket every foot problem as a spur. I take great films so diagnosing the problem is not an issue. Like many chiropractors, I have treated many foot problems. Some plantar fasciitis, some heel spurs, hammer toes etc. Don't worry; I have my line up of podiatrists and orthopedists that specialize in the foot and ankle for second opinions. Do me a favor; don't tell patients that they just have a muscular spasm without even touching them.
