ASIPP 17th Annual Meeting - Survival Strategies for Interventional Pain Management

It has been a long, hard winter for most of us. But spring is coming soon and so is ASIPP's 17th Annual Meeting, April 9-11 in Orlando, Florida. Wouldn't it be nice to go somewhere warm after so much snow and ice?

So we have survived a rough winter, but will IPM survive this year and in the years to come? We will address survival strategies for interventional pain management. As the great Reverend Martin Luther King put it, we hope to find "Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope."

P. Christopher Music is one of our keynote speakers. The topic of his talk is certainly timely: "Survival of Independent Practice of Interventional Pain Management: Strategies for the Present and Future."

The theme of survival is also included in another of our featured speakers. John J. Nance will talk about "Surviving the Affordable Care Act Earthquake: Implications and Survival Strategies for Interventional Pain Management." He will also have another lecture titled, "Medical Errors: Prevention and Management in Interventional Pain Management."

Other key note speakers and their topics include:

• Dr. Devi Nampiaparimpil-"IPM in the Age of Explosive Information Technology and Media: Is It Indispensable or Irrelevant?"
• Dr. Laxmaiah Manchikanti-"Strategy Deficit for Interventional Pain Management: Overcoming the Obstacles"

Our breakout sessions have something for everyone. Breakout sessions will be devoted to

• Steroid Issues
• Drug Therapy
• Practice Management
• Neuromodulation
• Resident and Fellow Section
• Emerging Concepts and Controversies
• Evidence-base Medicine
• Advocacy

See Brochure for complete schedule. 

And doesn't your family deserve a break from such a harsh winter? Orlando is one of America's most family-friendly cities. Bring the family along and have a "working vacation." Don't forget your staff, either. Sign them up to attend too. The practice management sessions could be just what they need to help your practice survive in the next year and the years to come.

Survive and thrive with us in Orlando. We look forward to seeing you on April 9 in Orlando! Register today.

ASIPP Announces Election Results

The results have been tabulated for the 2015-2016 ASIPP Board of Directors election.

The new ASIPP Board of Directors is as follows:

Officers

Laxmaiah Manchikanti, MD - Chairman of the Board and CEO

Ramsin Benyamin, MD - Immediate Past President

Peter Staats, MD - President

Aaron Calodney, MD - President Elect

Francis Riegler, MD - First Executive Vice President

David Bryce, MD - Second Executive Vice President

Sudhir Diwan, MD - Vice President of Strategic Planning

Harold Cordner, MD - Secretary

Frank Falco, MD - Treasurer

Lifetime Directors

Cyrus Bakhit, MD

Laxmaiah Manchikanti, MD

Vijay Singh, MD

Directors

Salahadin Abdi, MD, PhD

Sanjay Bakshi, MD

Mark Boswell, MD, PhD

Kaylea Boutwell, MD

Kenneth Candido, MD

Christopher Gharibo, MD

Joshua Hirsch, MD

Alan Kaye, MD, PhD

Dharam Mann, MD

Devi Nampiaparimpil, MD

Sandford Silverman, MD

Amol Soin, MD

Directors Emeritus

Hans Hansen, MD

Standiford Helm, II, MD

Resident/Fellow Board Members

Sunny Jha, MD

Mikiko Murakami, DO

AMA Delegate

Lee Snook, MD 

Registration Now Open for July Board Review Course in Chicago

Make plans today to attend the 2015 Board Review Course set for July 21-24 at the Palmer House in Chicago, IL.

This intensive and comprehensive high-quality review will prepare physicians appearing for the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS)-Subspecialty Pain Medicine examination and for the American Board of Interventional Pain Physicians (ABIPP)-Part 1 examination.

* A five-day review covering anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, psychology, ethics, interventional techniques, non-interventional techniques, controlled substances and practice management

* Unique lectures by experts in the field

* Extensive educational materials

Click HERE to Register:  

Last Chance to Take Epidural Steroid Survey

If you haven't already completed the survey on technical performance of Epidural Steroid, this is your final chance.

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. The survey takes about 5-10 minutes to complete.

Here is a link to the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/STATEOFESI

Permanent SGR 'Fix' Unlikely in Near Term - Get out the patch kit, it's SGR time again

WASHINGTON -- Another patch for the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula for Medicare physician reimbursement is very likely on the way before the formula can be repealed for good.

"I believe ... in March we'll come up with a patch, likely for 4 to 6 months, and then come forward with full-scale repeal," most likely tied to the reauthorization of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which expires at the end of September, Rep. Tom Price, MD (R-Ga.), who chairs the House Budget Committee, told the audience at the American Medical Association's (AMA) national advocacy conference here.

MedPage Today

After years of anticipation, the U.S. government last fall launched the Open Payments database, which tracks money and other items of value that drug and device makers give physicians for consulting, speaking and research, among other things. The effort reflected growing concern that financial ties between physicians and industry may have undue influence on medical practice and research.

But what do doctors think of the database?

Most physicians - 72%, to be specific - say they were aware the database exists, according to a new survey of 461 doctors. But only 53% say they are familiar or somewhat familiar with the law that created the database and the impact it can have on their activities. The survey was conducted by MedPanel, a market research firm, last November and December, several weeks after the database launched

Wall Street Journal

WASHINGTON -- Remember when the Supreme Court upheld the mandate requirement of the Affordable Care Act? Well, it will be "deja vu all over again" for mandated insurance when the court considers the King v. Burwell case involving the legitimacy of Obamacare's insurance subsidies.

In the King v. Burwell case, the plaintiffs argue that the subsidies being issued in the exchanges run by the federal government to help people pay their insurance premiums are illegal because of the wording allowing for the subsidies for employed persons.

Under the ACA, employers with 50 or more employees must offer health insurance to their workers. If the employer doesn't offer insurance and at least one of its employees goes instead to an ACA health insurance exchange and obtains coverage with a subsidy (in the form of a tax credit or cost-sharing reduction), the employer is fined $2,000 per employee, excluding the first 30 employees.

States Mull New Path for Interstate Licensure

For physicians in rural states, the "windshield time" -- the hours spent driving from one rural community to another -- is often nonproductive and frequently unnecessary. Telemedicine is one alternative, but regulations preventing physicians from treating patients across state lines are a barrier.

Now, lawmakers in several states are advancing a proposal, called the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, to fast-track the licensure process enabling qualified doctors to practice in more than one state. The compact would expand opportunities for eligible providers to practice telemedicine across state lines.

Low Back Pain Triggers: Many Are Modifiable 

Triggers for an episode of low back pain include both physical factors, such as manual tasks involving heavy loads and awkward posture, and psychosocial factors, such as fatigue, during performance of a task.

Odds ratios for these triggers ranged from 2.7 to 25.0, according to results from a case-crossover study, led by Daniel Steffens at the University of Sydney, Australia.

MedPage Today

ASIPP Extends Abstract Deadline, Expands Number of Presenters

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 selected by a panel to 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 10 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 has been extended to March 5, 2015.

The annual meeting is a great opportunity to share your abstract with hundreds of physicians who specialize in interventional pain management.