ARTICLE
By now, you know that advocacy remains one of the Texas Chiropractic Association’s primary purposes. But our efforts to advocate for the chiropractic profession aren’t restricted to the halls of the State Capitol in Austin during legislative years. TCA also represents the interests of Texas chiropractors in front of government agencies like the Texas Board of Chiropractic Examiners (TBCE) and the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI). TCA recently notched a major victory before TDI’s Department of Workers’ Compensation (DWC). In recent years, there has been a steady decline in the number of designated doctors in Texas due to billing and reimbursement issues, disputes, and heavy administrative burdens. Chiropractors, who make up a majority of the health care providers in the designated doctor program, were hit particularly hard. DWC reached out to stakeholders like TCA to solicit their input. After just missing an opportunity to get a designated doctor bill passed during the 88th Texas Legislative Session in 2023, TCA leadership and our lobby team at State Craft worked closely with DWC to offer potential solutions. Earlier this week, DWC announced the adoption of new and amended rules in 28 Texas Administrative Code Chapter 133 and Chapter 134 to increase billing and reimbursement for certain workers’ compensation-specific services, including designated doctor examinations, required medical examinations, work status reports, and maximum medical improvement evaluations and impairment rating examinations by treating and referred doctors. Finally, designated doctors will get a (long overdue) raise! However, the real winners are the citizens of Texas, especially those in rural areas with a lack of health care providers. TCA played a pivotal role in these administrative changes with DWC, adding to a rapidly expanding list of victories that includes 10 pro-chiropractic bills signed into law over the past decade and landmark legal triumphs that protected your right to treat nerve-related conditions and perform chiropractic acupuncture. Wonder what TCA is all about? No other association is fighting for you! We take our duty seriously because we care about you and your patients. As we celebrate this win, we want to thank our incredible members, especially designated doctors who offered their insights on improving the program. We couldn’t have done it with you! It’s time for a victory lap. Please join us at the 2024 TCA Tour of Texas, which kicked off this week in Abilene. We are stopping in El Paso, Lubbock, and McAllen over the next few weeks and hope to visit a city near you in the future. Or, join us next month at the 2024 TCA West Texas Conference. Thank you for being a TCA member. And, if you’re not a member, what are you waiting for? Join today! Ryan Bailey, DC TCA President