Office Closed for Thanksgiving – November 28 & 29
The Kansas Chiropractic Association office will be closed this Thursday and Friday in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. We will resume normal operations on Monday.
As we pause to reflect on the year, we are especially grateful for the chiropractors, students, volunteers, sponsors, and leaders who make this association strong. Your dedication to advancing chiropractic in Kansas through advocacy, education, community, and service keeps the profession moving forward.
Thank you for your ongoing support and for the work you do every day to help Kansans live healthier, happier lives. We are proud to stand with you.
Warmest wishes for a safe and meaningful Thanksgiving holiday.
Dr. Travis Oller
Chiropractic Education Protected Under New Department of Education Rules — A Major Win for the Profession
The U.S. Department of Education has finalized a major restructuring of how advanced degrees are classified for federal student-loan purposes. Going forward, the federal government will officially distinguish between “professional degrees” and general graduate degrees, and that distinction will determine how much a student can borrow and which types of loans they’re eligible for.
This change may sound procedural, but it carries real implications — especially for healthcare education.Under the new definition, several well-known healthcare degrees, including nursing, physical therapy, and physician assistant programs, were not classified as professional degrees. Students in those programs will soon face lower annual and lifetime borrowing limits, and may lose access to certain federal loan programs that have historically made graduate healthcare education financially possible.
However, there is significant good news for chiropractic:
Doctor of Chiropractic programs were explicitly classified as professional degrees.This means chiropractic students will retain eligibility for the higher “professional-level” borrowing caps, preserving access to the federal financial-aid resources necessary to complete a DC education. Without this designation, many future chiropractors could have been pushed into costly private financing or priced out of the degree entirely.
This outcome is not an accident or luck.
Chiropractic’s inclusion as a federally recognized professional degree is the direct result of long-term advocacy and lobbying efforts by chiropractic associations at both the national and state levels. When federal policies affecting higher education and healthcare were being drafted, the chiropractic profession was present, organized, and persistent in making sure our degree, our academic rigor, and our professional status were not overlooked.
A takeaway for every chiropractor
Decisions like this shape the future of our profession — and they are made years before most people ever hear about them. Advocacy doesn’t happen only when there is a crisis. It happens quietly and consistently in legislative offices, regulatory meetings, and agency listening sessions where the profession must have a voice.That’s why every chiropractor should be a member of their state association.
Membership ensures:
- The profession has a seat at the table when major decisions are made
- Policies affecting education, reimbursement, and scope are not made without chiropractic input
- The next generation of chiropractors has access to the opportunities we have today
This victory for chiropractic education is proof that organized advocacy works. The work we do today protects the profession for tomorrow.
If you are already a member of the KCA, thank you.
If you’re not yet a member, we invite you to join us.
The future of chiropractic is shaped by those who show up.
Evaluation and Management (E/M) Coding and Re-Exams: Getting It Right and Getting It Paid
Thursday, December 4, 2025 – Noon to 2:00 PM (available on demand after air date)
Hour 1 — Making Sense of E/M Coding for Chiropractors
Description: Chiropractors must comply with the same E/M documentation rules as other healthcare providers—but most guidelines were never written with chiropractic in mind. In this first hour, Dr. Gwilliam simplifies the 2021–2024 E/M changes, showing which rules actually apply in a chiropractic setting and how to use them to accurately select and document the proper level of service. Attendees will gain practical examples and note verbiage that make E/M compliance less confusing and more consistent.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this hour, attendees will be able to:
- Interpret the 2021–2024 E/M coding guidelines as they apply to chiropractic encounters.
- Differentiate between MDM-based and time-based code selection, and identify which is most defensible in chiropractic practice.
- Construct compliant documentation that supports the selected E/M level and withstands payer review
Hour 2 — Re-Exam Reality Check: When E/M and CMT Can Coexist
Description: In this second hour, Dr. Gwilliam explores one of chiropractic’s most common billing and compliance headaches: performing and documenting a re-exam on the same day as a CMT. Learn how to identify when a re-evaluation is clinically justified, how to document it as a “significant, separately identifiable” service, and how to apply the correct modifiers and diagnosis pointers to minimize denials while maintaining ethical compliance.
- Learning Outcomes
- By the end of this hour, attendees will be able to:
- Identify clinical situations that justify a separately reportable E/M service in conjunction with CMT.
- Apply payer and coding guidance—including the 25 modifier and NCCI edits—to create compliant re-exam documentation.
- Distinguish between routine care and medically necessary re-evaluations to ensure accurate, defensible records.
Chiropractic Roots: Dr. Karl May
In this episode of Chiropractic Roots, Dr. Travis Oller sits down with Dr. Karl May of Clearwater and Harper, Kansas — a practitioner whose chiropractic journey began with a life-changing injury and grew into more than two decades of service to his rural communities. Dr. May shares how mentorship from Kansas chiropractors guided him from a path toward medicine to a lifetime calling in chiropractic, why he believes time and connection are a doctor’s most powerful tools, and how his practice blends traditional hands-on care with modern innovations like shockwave therapy. He also talks about mentorship, community involvement (including his annual stint as Santa Claus), and his philosophy of “being the doctor you want to be.” Whether you’re a student, new graduate, or veteran DC, this conversation is packed with real-world wisdom about purpose, balance, and staying rooted in the profession’s core values.
CAT III CE: Chiropractic Manipulation and Chronic Pain
Join KCA Member, Dr. Katie Benson, for an overview of the research into Chiropractic Manipulation for Chronic Pain. This Webinar satisfies the Kansas Board of Healing Arts Category III CE requirement.
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