The Future of Interventional Pain Management! See It At ASIPP Annual Meeting. Register Now!

See Brochure for complete schedule. 

Who is the future of interventional pain management? All of us are, of course. But it is always exciting when we see a new generation of IPM physicians become actively involved in our specialty.

Three younger physicians will present programs during the Friday General Session that you will find interesting and informative.

First there is Dr. Devi Nampiaparampil doctordevi.com who will present, "IPM in the Age of Explosive Information Technology and Media: Is It Indispensable or Irrelevant?" Dr. Devi, as she is known, has appeared on numerous national television programs giving general medical commentary and commentary specifically about IPM.

Dr. Kaylea Boutwell will present, "Getting Involved in Advocacy: It is Never Too Early." Don't sit on the sidelines and let others do all the advocating for our specialty. She will tell us how we can all become involved.   

           

 

It takes a lot courage to run for political office. The scrutiny alone is more than many people can take.

There is a lot we can learn from this upcoming generation of interventional pain management practitioners. I urge you to join us in Orlando to learn from them as well as us "old-timers" and to share your knowledge with us. We all need to work together to overcome this strategy deficit that plagues us and together Overcome the Obstacles.

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

The Cabana Bay Beach Resort is ASIPP's overflow hotel. It is just a short walk for the Loews and joined by a walkway.

Universal Cabana Bay Beach Resort

6550 Adventure Way

Orlando, FL 32819

Alternate Hotels

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Universal Studios Orlando
5780 Major Blvd, Orlando, FL 32819

Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Universal Studios Orlando
5905 South Kirkman Road, Orlando, FL 32819

Hyatt Place Hotel Universal Orlando
5895 Caravan Court, Orlando, FL 32819

Registration Now Open for July Board Review Course in Chicago

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:  

ASIPP To Offer Controlled Substance Management, Coding, Compliance and Practice Management Courses in Chicago

The ASIPP Comprehensive Review Courses and Exams in Controlled Substance Management and Coding, Compliance, and Practice Management will be held in Chicago, Illinois, on July 22-24, 2015.

The Coding, Compliance and Practice Management is so beneficial to practices, both office-based and ASCs, that many physicians send their staff early to keep them current on the cutting edge aspects of practice management. These intensive review courses are designed to present interventional pain management specialists and other health care providers an in-depth review of multiple areas of interventional pain management-the areas we were never taught, yet are crucial for our survival.

 The course features many nationally recognized experts in pain management billing and coding and practice management as well as controlled substance management. In today's environment of regulations and litigations, you can't afford not to broaden your knowledge and refresh your skills in these areas.

 * Discuss documentation

 * Review practice management topics

* Discuss coding and billing

* Examine compliance issues

CLICK HERE to register for Coding, Compliance and Practice Management Course

 * Review basic science and core concepts

* Discuss pharmacology

* Identify clinical use and effectiveness

 * Identify substance abuse

* Discuss topics with documentation, regulatory issues, legal issues, and ethical issues

CLICK HERE to register for Controlled Substance Management Course

 In addition to the review course, the American Board of Interventional Pain Physicians (for physicians) and the American Association of Allied Pain Management Professionals (for non-physicians) offers the opportunity for examination in order for physicians to obtain competency certification to and non-physicians to obtain associate certificates in Controlled Substance Management and Coding, Compliance, and Practice Management.

Click HERE for Reservations at The Palmer House Hotel 17 East Monroe Street, Chicago, IL 60603

Drs. Laxmaiah Manchikanti, Frank J.E. Falco: Safeguards to prevent neurologic complications after epidural steroid injections 

After extensive debate and investigation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Rathmell et al (1) published the final document of Safeguards to Prevent Neurologic Complications after Epidural Steroid Injections. This is a product of consensus by 13 national organizations known as the Multisociety Pain Workgroup (MPW), excluding the American Society of Intervention Pain Physicians (ASIPP), an organization with mission and objectives to promote the development and practice of safe, high quality, cost-effective interventional pain management techniques. This article follows the warning issued by the FDA on April 23, 2014 hat the injection of corticosteroids into the epidural space of the spine may result in rare, but serious adverse events, including "loss of vision, stroke paralysis, and death" (2). This warning was issued without consensus or consultation of the safe use initiative (SUI) established by the FDA (3). Following this, significant controversy with multiple manuscripts and a citizen petition opposing the warning along with communication to the FDA, members of Congress, and, finally, a letter signed by 1,040 interventional pain physicians to withdraw the FDA warning and a request not to implement regulations emerged (3-7). The final version of Rathmell et al's (1) article which appeared in press is slightly different than the MPW's press release (8). The final version published and considered by MPW failed to meet consensus of FDA SUI (9). In fact, these were considered by MPW which ceased to develop LCDs.

Becker's Spine Review

WASHINGTON-The long-awaited sustainable growth-rate fix that passed the House on Thursday is wired to boost the use of health information technology, even beyond electronic health records.

The new Medicare framework for paying physicians would include a merit-based incentive payment system (MIPS) that would award bonuses and impose penalties based on whether physicians score above or below a certain threshold on quality measures, including meeting the requirements for the meaningful use of health IT.

The incentive program essentially rolls together and is intended to harmonize three existing quality-incentive programs: the EHR incentive program, the Physician Quality Reporting System and the value-based payment modifier established under the Affordable Care Act.

Modern Healthcare

WASHINGTON -- Medicaid providers cannot sue the government seeking to raise their reimbursement rates, the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.

"Spending Clause legislation like Medicaid 'is much in the nature of a contract,'" wrote Justice Antonin Scalia, speaking for himself and justices Stephen Breyer, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Chief Justice John Roberts in the 5-4 decision. "The notion that respondents have a right to sue derives, perhaps, from the fact that they are beneficiaries of the federal-state Medicaid agreement and that intended beneficiaries, in modern times at least, can sue to enforce the obligations of private contracting parties.

MedPage Today

The EMR Webinar scheduled for tomorrow, April 2, has been postponed.

We will let you know once a date has been set for this.

Please address any questions to Ray Lane, [email protected]

The need for safer and more effective analgesics has never been greater. That's why it is time for a more rational cannabis policy.

Should we take treatment for chronic noncancer pain in a new direction? asks Peter Przekop, DO, PhD.

Patient satisfaction scores aren't affected by the amount of opioids given in the emergency room.

MedPage Today

The OIG released a report on 25 unimplemented recommendations that could have saved HHS programs billions of dollars.

The report, the Compendium of Unimplemented Recommendations, includes a section on an OIG recommendation issued in April 2014 that focused on reducing Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System rates for ambulatory surgery center-approved procedures

The OIG recommended that OPPS rates for ASC-approved procedures be determined in a non-budget neutral manner. The OIG recommended CMS seek legislation to achieve this goal.

Becker's ASC Review

It's not perfect, but it will pay huge benefits in the long term.

The House of Representatives is poised to pass H.R. 2, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015, today by a wide margin. The Senate is expected to follow suit, again by a wide margin, and President Obama is expected to sign H.R. 2 into law.

The major components of this bill are: the permanent avoidance of a long-planned 21 percent payment cut to doctors who take Medicare patients; asking wealthier seniors to pay for more of their own benefit; and requiring that "Medigap" plans have a modest amount of cost sharing in their plan design.

National Review

WASHINGTON -- Despite pressure from the House and President Obama, the Senate adjourned early Friday morning for a 2-week recess without passing any kind of fix for the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula for Medicare physician reimbursement, leaving doctors once again in limbo.

Without passage of the permanent SGR fix or another temporary "patch," physicians face a 21.2% cut in Medicare reimbursement on April 1. However, in similar situations the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has avoided having to implement such cuts by delaying physician claims processing for several weeks until Congress could pass some sort of fix. A CMS spokesperson said Friday that the agency is "assessing what's possible and will do our best to limit the impact for Medicare beneficiaries and providers."

The Ebola epidemic is not over yet, but the CDC is focusing much of its $6.2 billion fiscal year 2016 budget request more on domestic matters, such as antibiotic resistance and prescription drug abuse.

On Wednesday, CDC director Thomas Frieden, MD, MPH, asked the House Committee on Appropriations for $283 million -- an increase of $264 million from last year -- to fight antibiotic resistance.

MedPage Today

This is the first of a four-part series looking back, and ahead, at Medicare as the 50th anniversary of its enactment approaches.

On July 30, 1965, an 81-year-old Missourian proudly accepted the nation's first Medicare card.

Former President Harry S. Truman was awarded this honor by his greatest admirer, President Lyndon B. Johnson. Johnson had been a young Texas congressman when Truman first proposed a national health insurance plan in 1945. Faced by implacable congressional opposition led by most Republicans and several conservative Democrats, national health insurance never had a chance and had disappeared ignominiously from national consideration even before Truman left office in 1952.

Now, 13 years later, Truman found himself able to thank Johnson for giving him the "highlight of his post-White House days."

MedPage Today

A February 2015 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provided updated estimates of prescription opioid analgesic use among adults ages 20 and over. The authors concluded that "the percentage who used only a 'weaker-than-morphine-opioid' in the past 30 days declined from 42.4% in 1999-2002 to 20% in 2011-2012, while the percentage who used a 'stronger-than-morphine-opioid' significantly increased from 17.0% in 1999-2002 to 37.0% in 2011-2012."

Weaker-than-morphine opioids included codeine, dihydrocodeine, meperidine, pentazocine, propoxyphene, and tramadol; morphine-equivalent opioid analgesics included hydrocodone, morphine, and tapentadol; and stronger-than-morphine opioids included fentanyl, hydromorphone, methadone, oxycodone, and oxymorphone.

MedPage Today