ACOM Health Chief Consultant Bharon Hoag Launches Seminar Series with Ohio State Chiropractic Association; Plans to Expand Nationally

COLUMBUS, Ohio, June 17, 2010 – In a joint effort to support unified institutional purpose and direction as well as elevated clinical and management effectiveness in the state's chiropractic community, ACOM Health and the Ohio State Chiropractic Association (OSCA) are presenting a series of six-hour district-level Coding and Documentation seminars that will culminate in November 2010 with a concluding presentation to the OSCA Annual Convention.

Bharon Hoag, a prominent consultant and speaker in the chiropractic field for more than 12 years, developed the Ohio seminar series over a period of several months with the encouragement of Dr. Jeff Zaika, D.C., president of the Ohio State Chiropractic Association and a partner in the Sazdanoff Chiropractic Clinic, Mansfield, Ohio. With three seminars completed, each with an attendance of about 60 doctors, Hoag expressed gratification that response from the profession had validated his perception of the need for these educational seminars.

"This series addresses several realities," said Hoag, "One is that state associations are often so immersed in legal and governmental affairs that they lack sufficient time to devote to professional development programs. This can lead to diminished enthusiasm among association membership, which in turn impacts the ability of the associations to develop additional programs for their members."

Instead of a cohesive movement working together for common goals, a Catch-22 situation often exists among the state associations and their memberships, Hoag said. Doctors often feel that they are not well-served and the associations correspondingly lack the support necessary to serve them. He noted that the broad purpose of the new program is to address both ends of the problem; to get people working together and to build professional muscle from both directions.

"The quality of a doctor's claims submissions not only impacts his/her reimbursements but also paints a broader picture of the doctor's professionalism and by extension, that of the chiropractic field," Hoag noted. "Within the profession, effective treatment is a given, but perceptions outside the field are influenced by the way the treatment story is told. It is, in fact, the way the doctor and the profession define themselves."

Hoag said that he hopes to build on the success of the Ohio program, eight months in the making, by extending it to state associations throughout the United States. Dr. Zaika said that the associations should seize the opportunity.

"Proper coding and documentation is one of the most critical success factors in the chiropractic profession, and when Bharon presented the idea of a series of district-level seminars to me it was a no-brainer," Dr. Zaika said. "They are ideally sized to convey a wealth of information while also allowing for audience interaction. After experiencing one of the seminars, I'm even more enthusiastic, and my associate said that it was the best event she ever attended on coding and documentation. Further, implementing some of the points in the seminar is already showing improvements in our revenue stream."

About ACOM Health Division
ACOM Health serves chiropractors with software and services that enhance efficiency, cut costs, and increase practice revenue. ACOM Health's RAPID Chiropractic Software Suite consists of Clinical Documentation and Soap Notes; Patient Education; Home Exercises; and Chiropractic Practice Management for billing, scheduling, patient management and detailed reporting. ACOM Health's Chiropractic Services team helps practices ethically and legally maximize their billings and collections, while streamlining practice operations. For more information, call 866-286-5315 ext. 217, email acomhealth@acom.com, or visit http://www.acomhealth.com