4129 Documenting Quality Spine Care - and Getting Paid for It
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Dynamic Chiropractic – December 1, 2017, Vol. 35, Issue 12

Documenting Quality Spine Care - and Getting Paid for It

By Editorial Staff

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas has announced a unique partnership with the Spine Institute for Quality whereby BCBSKS-contracted chiropractors who utilize the clinical data registry to submit metrics to Spine IQ regarding spine care will qualify for quality reimbursement payments. According to BCBSKS, the partnership is designed to establish benchmark performance measures that will improve patient care and documentation.

"Chiropractors provide important conservative spine care to thousands of BCBSKS members each year," said Dr. Daryl Callahan, DO, medical director for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, the state's largest insurer. "By establishing performance measures, they will follow best practices that are even more valuable to patients and payors."

spine care - Copyright – Stock Photo / Register Mark According to the insurance carrier, "The registry will help BCBSKS and its network of chiropractors better define an episode of care for treatment ... by collecting data such as date of service, pain intensity and imaging within the first 28 days of pain."

As discussed in our October 2017 issue, clinical data registries such as Spine IQ are increasingly utilized as a means to gauge clinical efficacy, cost-effectiveness and overall quality of care. Relative to the chiropractic profession in general and the BCBSKS-Spine IQ partnership in particular, data reporting via clinical data registries allows the profession to define quality as it relates to spine care and demonstrate value, leading to increased utilization and reimbursement for services.


Dynamic Chiropractic editorial staff members research, investigate and write articles for the publication on an ongoing basis. To contact the Editorial Department or submit an article of your own for consideration, email .


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