A 1990 magna-cum-laude graduate of Life West College of Chiropractic, Dr. Niles has taught at Life Chiropractic College West since 1992. She is a diplomate of the American Chiropractic Academy of Neurology.
Prior to becoming a doctor of chiropractic, Dr. Niles served as a national student officer with the American Chiropractic Association, the International Chiropractors Association, and the ABCA.
The ABCA was founded in St. Louis, Missouri in 1981 by the late Bobby Westbrook, DC.
Logan Students Complete 1,000 Mile "Tour de Spine"
The mother of all bike rides, Le Tour de France, this year covered 2,404 miles of French countryside in 21 stages. No doubt inspired by that competition, on August 6, a small, determined group of students from Logan College of Chiropractic inaugurated the "Tour de Spine," a 1,000 mile bike jaunt from southern Illinois to Orlando, Florida.
Logan students Terri Leap and Owen Bartruff organized the bike trip. Terri traveled with the team by van to provide the necessary support and team management. Joining Owen on the ride were Logan cyclists Keith Duguid, Mary Beth Larsen, Christopher Roeder, Jean Thompson and James Wagner. The ride began on the campus; they wound through parts of Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama before reaching their Orlando, Florida destination only nine days later.
The sacrifices in sweat and saddle sores were the student's way to help raise money for the American Spinal Research Foundation (ASRF), a nonprofit organization funding research to identify effective treatments to reduce pain and increase mobility for back pain suffers. The riders secured more than $16,000 in sponsorship proceeds, contributions and pledges to be donated to ASRF.
The students all finished the race without serious injury, and arrived just in time for the start of the Florida Chiropractic Association convention, where they were welcomed by several attendees, including Logan President Dr. George Goodman, and his wife, Linda.
Dr. Goodman praised the students for their hard work in organizing the trip, their fundraising, and as role models of physical fitness.
Northwestern Doctors, Interns Provide Chiropractic Care during AIDS Ride
Early on the morning of July 7, the second annual AIDS ride from the Twin Cities to Chicago, Illinois got underway, with more than 1,700 cyclists pedaled off on a six-day, 477 mile trek.
The long hours of riding, coupled with the hot summer months, exacted a toll on many of the riders. A five-member volunteer team from Northwestern College of Chiropractic stepped in to assist: Daniel Conway, DC; and NWCC interns Randy Briesacher; Kerri Butteris; Pok Liew; and Matt Wasmund.
Lynn Hvidsten, DC, a faculty clinician at NWCC, knows how some of those riders felt. A participant in the first AIDS ride in 1996, she recalls the general exhaustion of riding all day, and trying to recover for the next day's ride. Dr. Hvidsten credits the chiropractic care she received with helping her finish that race.
Dr. Conway reports that he and the interns averaged 120-130 patients a day at one of five different campsites along the event's route. He commended the interns from Northwestern on their good work. "It was a wonderful experience to be a part of a program that is so needy of chiropractic care, and also so accepting. At the end of the day, many of the bikers would come through the camp site and thank us personally."
The Twin Cities to Chicago route was one of five national multi-day, cross-country rides scheduled to take place that week. In all, the AIDS rides generated some $25 million, which will go towards both research and providing services to AIDS patients.
Medical E/M Guidelines Now Available at HCFA's Website
The Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), in conjunction with the American Medical Association (AMA), has produced new medical record documentation guidelines to explain appropriate use of the evaluation and management codes related to "comprehensive multi-system examination and single system examination."
If your curious about medical guidelines, the HCFA has posted a full version of the guidelines on its website. Go to www.hcfa.gov/medicare/mcarpti.htm and click on the "Documentation Guidelines for Evaluation and Management Services" section.
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