We encourage anyone to write testimony on any issues regarding their experience with
worker’s comp patients, billing, or compensation.

The deadline for correspondence to the Department of Consumer and Business Services Workers’ Compensation Division on this matter is midnight of April 27, 2010.

Christo Gorawski, OAAOM Legislative Chair, spoke with Fred Bruyns, policy analyst/rules coordinator, Department of Consumer and Business Services Workers’ Compensation Division and relayed the concern from our OAAOM members that they are feeling slowly squeezed out of the opportunity to offer one of the most effective therapies for work related injuries, acupuncture, which, under the designation of “medicine”, is going to see a decrease in compensation starting this July.

It was also explained to Christo by Ada Waymire, Medical Services and Outreach Analyst, 503-934-6049, ada.l.waymire@state.or.us, that compensation for “Medicine” is going down while “Evaluation & Management” (E&M) codes are going up. This is to encourage practitioners to spend more face-to-face E&M time with the patients and, if acupuncturists are doing this, during their first 15 min. of their billed 97810 or 97813 they should add the E&M 99201-99203 code, initially, and then follow up each time thereafter with a 99211- 99213, if, and when appropriate. This will correct the problem of acupuncture treatments being treated as “Medicine” only under the present schedule. This should be good news for all CAM practitioners as it means more support for those therapies that offer more hands on and face-to-face time with the patient.

• Here is a chart showing current and proposed conversion factors.