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American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians News | December 3, 2014
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 Technology Squeeze Affects Families and Medicine
Basic Costs Squeeze Families
The American middle class has absorbed a steep increase in the cost of health care and other necessities as incomes have stagnated over the past half decade, a squeeze that has forced families to cut back spending on everything from clothing to restaurants.
Health-care spending by middle-income Americans rose 24% between 2007 and 2013, driven by an even larger rise in the cost of buying health insurance, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of detailed consumer-spending data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That hit has been accompanied by increases in spending on other necessities, including food eaten at home, rent and education, as well as the soaring cost of staying connected digitally via cellphones and home Internet service. Wall Street JournalAccess to this article may be limited.
A timely article has been published by Manchikanti et al which shows how technology is affecting medicine and the entire society. The article, titled " Metamorphosis of Medicine in the United States: Is Information Technology a White Knight or Killer Whale?" is in this month's issue of Pain Physician journal.
Authored by Laxmaiah Manchikanti, MD, Ramsin M. Benyamin, MD, Frank J.E. Falco, MD, and Joshua A. Hirsch, MD, the article tackles the pros and cons of technology in medicine.
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ASIPP Hosting Ultrasound for Non-spinal Techniques Review and Hands-on Workshop in Vegas
 The Ultrasound for Non-spinal techniques Review and Hands-on Workshop will be Feb. 27, 2015 and the Hands-on Cadaver Workshop for IPM with be Feb. 28 - March 1, 2015
The course will have three levels: Basic, Intermediate, and ABIPP Exam Preparation (Advanced) plus online Videos and Presentations.
Click HERE to view brochure
Room block:
The Venetian
3355 South Las Vegas Boulevard
Las Vegas, NV 89109
Phone: 702-414-1000
Click HERE for Hotel link.
Click HERE to register
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Register Now Open for ASIPP's 17th Annual Meeting
April 9-11, 2015 | Loews Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando� | Orlando, Florida
The American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians' (ASIPP) 17th Annual Meeting, Embrace the Future: Survival Strategies for Interventional Pain Management, in collaboration with the Florida Society of Interventional Pain Physicians will take place in Orlando, Florida on Thursday, April 9 through Saturday, April 11, 2015 at the Loews Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando� Loews Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando�.
This year's program should prove to be one of the most exciting, enriching, and memorable of any meeting we have ever held. This year's educational events will include evidence-based medicine , practice management, drug therapy, refinement in evidence synthesis, advocacy in IPM, abstract presentations, Resident/Fellow session for emergence into practice, and much more.
The meeting will feature:
- John J. Nance: New York Times Best-Seller Author, ABC Analyst, Professional Speaker, & Consultanthttp://www.johnnanceassociates.com
- Dr. Devi Nampiaparampil: Physician, Researcher, and Assistant Professor at NYU School of Medicine http://doctordevi.com/
- P. Christopher Music:Best-Selling Author, International Speaker, and Financial Prosperity Coach http://www.pchristophermusic.com/
- Laxmaiah Manchikanti, MD: Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, ASIPP and SIPMS
Lecture Series Highlights:
Thursday: Manchikanti Distinguished Lecture Series
Surviving the Affordable Care Act Earthquake: Implications and Survival Strategies for Interventional Pain Management
Speaker: John J. Nance (http://www.johnnanceassociates.com)
Friday: Raj-Racz Distinguished Lecture Series
IPM in the Age of Explosive Information Technology and Media: Is it Indispensable or Irrelevant
Devi E. Nampiaparampil, MD (http://doctordevi.com/ )
BROCHURE COMING SOON!
Click HERE to Register
Click HERE for Exhibitor Prospectus
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Exclusive: U.S. CEOs threaten to pull tacit Obamacare support over 'wellness' spat
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Leading U.S. CEOs, angered by the Obama administration's challenge to certain "workplace wellness" programs, are threatening to side with anti-Obamacare forces unless the government backs off, according to people familiar with the matter.
Major U.S. corporations have broadly supported President Barack Obama's healthcare reform despite concerns over several of its elements, largely because it included provisions encouraging the wellness programs.
The programs aim to control healthcare costs by reducing smoking, obesity, hypertension and other risk factors that can lead to expensive illnesses. A bipartisan provision in the 2010 healthcare reform law allows employers to reward workers who participate and penalize those who don't.
Yahoo News
House Republicans sue Obama administration over PPACA: 5 things to know
House Republicans have filed a lawsuit against the Obama administration focused on two parts of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, according to The New York Times.
Here are 5 things to know about the lawsuit.
1. The lawsuit is narrowly focused on the administration's decision in January 2013 to postpone the employer mandate to 2015. The employer mandate requires businesses with 50 or more employees to provide health coverage to their full-time employees or pay penalties. The lawsuit also addresses the Obama administration's decision to further delay the employer mandate for businesses with 50 to 99 employees until 2016.
2. The lawsuit also alleges President Barack Obama gave $175 billion to insurance companies in violation of the law. In April, the Congressional Budget Office predicted the administration would pay $175 million to insurance companies over the next 10 years in the form of subsidies to help low- and middle-income people pay for their health insurance premiums. However, those funds have not been appropriated by Congress, and the lawsuit argues the president in unlawfully transferring the funds, according to the Times.
Becker's Hospital Review
More Americans delaying medical treatment despite Obamacare
Despite a drop in the number of uninsured Americans under Obamacare, more put off medical treatment this year because they can't afford it, according to new survey data.
A third of Americans say they have put off getting medical treatment that they or their family members needed this year because of the cost. That's in line with the roughly 30 percent figures seen in recent years, but still among the highest readings in the 14-year history of asking the question, according to a Gallup poll released Friday.
Washington Times
The president rewrites the ObamaCare law - again
On Thanksgiving eve, the Obama administration dumped reams of mind-numbing ObamaCare regulations into the Federal Register - including yet more unilateral rewrites of the Affordable Care Act.
Dropping the rules as most Americans were busy preparing for the holiday made a mockery (again) of President Obama's promise to have "the most transparent administration in history." The stunt has even worked to keep most of the media from reporting on the rules.
Yet the changes these regulations make in the health care law are substantial.
New York Post
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Glucosamine Study: No Help for Knee Pain
The popular dietary supplement glucosamine showed no evidence of structural benefits on MRI among patients with chronic knee pain typical of osteoarthritis, a randomized trial found.
In an adjusted model, cartilage deterioration was no less in patients who used the supplement for 6 months than in controls, with an odds ratio of 0.938 (95% CI 0.528-1.666) for decreased worsening, according to C. Kent Kwoh, MD, of the University of Arizona in Tucson, and colleagues.
Moreover, patients receiving glucosamine were no more likely to have improvements in subchondral bone marrow lesions, with an adjusted odds ratio of 0.537 (95% CI 0.291-0.990, P<0.05), the researchers reported online in Arthritis & Rheumatology.
MedPage Today
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New ACO Rules Would Delay Penalties an Extra 3 Years
Healthcare systems experimenting with a new way of being paid by Medicare would have 3 extra years before they could be punished for poor performance, the federal government proposed Monday.
The proposal is one of dozens of changes that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services wants to make to rules governing accountable care organizations. ACOs are affiliations of doctors, hospitals, and other providers that jointly care for Medicare patients with the goal of pocketing a portion of what they save the government. Those that spend above Medicare estimates stand to lose money.
MedPage Today
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CDC Approves New Ebola Treatment Centers
While there are currently no active cases of Ebola virus infection in the United States, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced that 35 hospitals across the country are now designated treatment centers for the virus.
Prior to the most recent Ebola crisis there had been only a handful of hospitals specifically set up as treatment facilities for patients infected with the virus, including Emory University Hospital, the Nebraska Medical Center, and the National Institutes of Health. The expanded list of designations was announced after extensive work and coordination between officials on the local, state, and national levels. According to a press release from the CDC the newly designated centers "are staffed, equipped and have been assessed to have current capabilities, training and resources to provide the complex treatment necessary to care for a person with Ebola while minimizing risk to health care workers."
HCP Life
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NSAID Effective for RA Symptoms, Celebrex Easier on Stomach
Pelubiprofen, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that is related structurally and pharmacologically to ibuprofen, is as effective as celecoxib for reducing pain and stiffness in moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA) but it has a less favorable gastrointestinal (GI) profile than the COX-2 selective NSAID, a head-to-head study indicates.
At the end of 6 weeks of treatment, the mean decrease in pain severity from baseline was 26.2 mm (range: 0.0-80.0 mm) in the pelubiprofen group compared with 21.2 mm (range minus 20.0-90.0 mm) in the celecoxib group, an indication that pelubiprofen is noninferior to celecoxib with regard to reduction in VAS pain severity.
MedPage Today
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Electronic Medical Records Webinar To be Rescheduled for January 2015
ASIPP's Webianr for Dec. 11 titled No Electronic Medical Record (EMR) at your office yet? Let the penalties begin...
has been postponed until January 2015. T
This webinar will include information on: Choosing a 'right sized' EMR for your practice, Implementation process and the technology choices available, CMS Incentive Program, Hardship application and exclusions by specialty, Privacy & Security and more. With a new year approaching CMS will be mandating a schedule that will penalize providers who are not using and EMR. Considerations that will be considered are:
- What is an EMR and why do you need it?
- Pain points of an implementation that include patient interaction
- Increased loss of revenue every year you are not on an EMR
- Different types of EMR's (on-site or hosted)
- Medicaid incentives still around in 2015 for implementation
- Improving patient outcomes from shared EMR systems
- Security and Privacy of your 'Electronic Chart'
- Patients want to be 'connected' and how to control this
- Improved Revenue Cycle through an EMR
he date has not been set yet. More information to be available soon.
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Questioning Medicine: The Vitamin D Craze
Now that the vitamin D research fires have begun to die down, I wanted to look into this apparent health fad to see what, if any, evidence came from the intense focus on this particular supplement. In 2012 alone, there were more than 3,600 publications in PubMed on vitamin D: opinion articles, small studies, large studies, evidence reviews, and meta-analyses. Then a review of the meta-analyses with a little "expert opinion" to top things off.
In the end, I think an overwhelming lack of definitive evidence was, in and of itself, the conclusion. We did, however, learn a few things about screening for hypovitaminosis D, potential outcomes associated with it, and potential benefits from treatment.
MedPage Today
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In Search of a 'Safe Harbor'
At the dead center of the healthcare reform debate is the tension between saving lives and saving money. The reformers say that American healthcare costs too much and one of the ways to cut costs is to pay providers less. Providers warn that such cuts incentivize them to see more patients in a shorter amount of time, relying more and more on lab testing. Thus, these kinds of cuts could actually end up costing the system more in the long run. Providers are also incentivized to overtest because doing otherwise can expose them to potentially devastating litigation.
We all feel this push to practice defensive medicine, and in the moment it can feel like a win-win. More tests means more lives saved and less exposure to litigation -- let someone else worry about the tab. Well, more and more, the government is being left holding this massive bill caused by defensive medicine, and politicians are taking notice. Some are even beginning to think outside the box.
MedPage Today
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5 sites patients are using to rate your practice -- and why you should care
Online reviews aren't just for cars and coffee shops anymore. More patients than ever before are taking to the web to see how your practice measures up.
The number of patients now utilizing online physician practice reviews has increased by 63 percent compared to 2013 numbers, according to the latest IndustryView survey from practice management research group Software Advice.
Forty-two percent of the 4,620 patient respondents to this year's survey said they've turned to websites like Yelp and ZocDoc at least once.
Medical Practice Insider
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8 latest healthcare industry lawsuits, settlements
The following is a roundup of recently reported healthcare industry lawsuits, lawsuit updates and settlements, beginning with the most recent.
1. Advocate Lutheran General faces lawsuit over endoscopes, infections
A woman filed a lawsuit against AdvocateLutheran GeneralHospital in Park Ridge, Ill., claiming she contracted an infection after an improperly cleaned endoscope was used during a procedure.
2. Former CEO of Pacific Hospital of Long Beach files $50M defamation lawsuit
A former CEO of the now-closed Pacific Hospital of Long Beach (Calif.) filed a defamation lawsuit claiming plaintiffs' attorneys in a pending case falsely stated he was involved in selling counterfeit spinal screws that were allegedly used in thousands of spinal surgeries.
3. DaVita to pay $389M to settle False Claims, Kickback case
Denver-based DaVita Healthcare Partners, Inc., agreed to pay $350 million and forfeit an additional $39 million to resolve allegations it paid kickbacks for patient referrals in violation of the False Claims Act.
Becker's Hospital Review
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Last Chance to Participate in Physician Survey on Epidural Steroid Injections
A survey is being conducted to support a study on the technical performance of epidural steroid injections.
The benefit of completing this survey will be a peer-reviewed publication of the group data that informs the clinical community of the current practices that relate to performance of epidural steroid injections.
Click on the following link to take the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/STATEOFESI
The survey takes about 5-10 minutes to complete.
The study has been approved by the Institutional Review Board of NYU School of Medicine.
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Submit Your Abstract Today for 17th Annual Meeting Abstract Session
Make your plans now to participate in the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians abstract and poster presentation at the 17th Annual Meeting, April 9-11 in Orlando Florida.
This year's abstract session will be bigger and better. In response to your many suggestions, the top 20 posters will be on display through our new electronic poster presentations with Q & A time with poster presenters. They will also be published in Pain Physician journal.
In addition the Top 8 posters will be presented for judging during Friday's session. The top three abstracts will receive cash prizes.
Posters will be on display during the meeting on both Thursday and Friday in the exhibitor hall.
The abstract submission deadline will be February 6, 2015.
For a complete set of rules and to access the online submission application, please go to: http://www.asipp.org/0415-Abstract-registration.htm
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State Society News
FSIPP Annual 2015 Meeting a Huge Success
In 2015 we will be having our FSIPP Annual Meeting in association with ASIPP. The meeting will be held in Orlando at the Lowe's Royal Pacific Resort, Universal, on April 9, 10, 11, 12 of 2015. We anticipate several hundred participants and expect the educational agenda to blow your mind.
Save The Date! CASIPP Meeting set for October 2015
The 2015 Annual Meeting of the California chapter of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians will be Oct. 16-18, 2015. The event will take place at the Monterey Plaza Hotel in Monterey, California. Registration will open early next year.
* Please send your State Society meetings and news to:
Holly Long at hlong@asipp.org
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Physicians Wanted
To view or post a job, please go to: http://jobs.asipp.org/home
to receive a member discount for posting a job, use member code: 20Member
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