Chiropractic Care for Veterans
Veteran chiropractic care continues to be an underutilized healthcare option for tens of thousands of Veterans and their families. The VA states that chiropractic care needs are growing at a rapid rate for Veterans from Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn, pain management, and older Veteran populations. Unfortunately, there is still a widespread belief that the only thing that is covered by Veteran Affairs (VA) Benefits are spinal adjustments. The reality is that benefits of pain reduction or relief, physical therapy, acupuncture, and many other chiropractic techniques are in fact now covered.
According to the US Department of Veterans Affairs website, chiropractic doctors provide management of non-operative neuromuscular and musculoskeletal conditions, which most commonly include problems in the low back, neck, and other joints. Chiropractors are integrated with primary care, rehabilitation, pain management and other specialty teams. Additionally, chiropractic treatment options include patient education, active rehabilitation, spinal manipulation, and other manual therapies. Chiropractors may also provide acupuncture or other novel therapies as non-pharmacologic options for Veteran Care. (For those who might not currently be serving Veterans and would like to learn more, and become part of the VA’s Community Care Network (CCN) check out this helpful article from the VA on how to establish a Veterans Care Agreement.)
Here are a few things to keep in mind regarding chiropractic care and coverage when treating Veterans:
- The VA reimburses medical services up to the maximum allowable rate, which is the applicable rate established by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). For the Community Care Network (CCN) if there is no Medicare rate the VA Fee Schedule dictates the maximum allowable rate where applicable. (If there is no CMS or VA schedule available, Third-Party Administrators reimburse a percentage of billed charges.)
- For a current list of billing codes from the VA CLICK HERE I
- If you are into some light reading, check out this 315-page Medicare Claims Processing Manual from the VA.
- Don’t have time to read a 315-page Medicare Claims Processing Manual? If you or your staff are spending a lot of time dealing with claim denials, struggling with billing codes for Veterans, or having a challenging time keeping up with the ever-changing rules when working with Veterans, contact the chiropractic industries billing experts at Money Tree Billing.
- Since Veterans are an underserved patient group when it comes to chiropractic care consider a targeted marketing campaign to invite Veterans and their families to learn more about the health benefits of chiropractic care.
Providing care to Veterans and their families creates a whole new set of rules for chiropractors to follow, but the rewards both personally and professionally of helping this important population cannot be measured. Partnering with Money Tree Billing, where all we do is chiropractic and physical therapy billing, will eliminate insurance hassles, bring you stability, and get you paid! Reach out today to find out how our billing experts can help you and/or your staff take care of your billing hassles so you can take care of your patients.