The ASIPP 9th Annual Meeting and the SIPMS 2nd Annual Meeting will be held on June 23-27 in Washington, DC. This year we are offering a special Ethics Seminar. CMEs specially gained from ethic training is a requirement of the Board of Medical Licensures, as well as for acquiring hospital privileges.
A second important highlight of the Annual Meeting is our Legislative Session and Capitol Hill visits. We will again this year take our legislative session to Capitol Hill where we will be joined by several members of Congress. These speeches will be informative and very helpful in preparing for our Congressional visits. The meeting this year will convene in the Russell Room on Capitol Hill.

We encourage you to sign up for and participate in the Capitol Hill visits which will take place on June 26- 27. This is your opportunity to make your voice heard!

Please register early to assure your visit with your state's representative. We will make every effort to schedule your personal request but to increase the likelihood of your visit; we strongly encourage you to register early.

If you have never attended the Legislative Session before, we urge you to do so this year. Interventional pain management is facing many grave issues in the upcoming year so please take advantage of this rare opportunity to express your concerns face-to- face with your elected officials. Remember there is great strength in numbers. Join us on Capitol Hill and let's make it the largest ASIPP group ever!

See Brochure

ASIPP Meetings

A few states responded last week to our request for increased letter writing. Florida and Kentucky made a significant increase this past week but other states either remained the same or increased very little. We urge ASIPP members to continue contacting the their State Senators to support the CMS reevaluation of the pending ASC cuts. See the totals for your state below and determine for yourself if this number is enough to show your elected officials your concern. We think you will agree that most states can do much better.

State Totals (These totals represent letters sent through Capwiz only and do not reflect any letters sent through standard mail.)

The following link will take you to the Capwiz site where you can effortlessly e-mail your senators with this important message. http://www.asipp.org/cms-asc/

Please encourage your colleagues to join in the effort. Additionally, we urge you to have your patients sign the letter and support this effort as well.    If you feel you are too busy to send letters, please consider that If Congress does not act, these proposed major changes to the Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) payment system, currently under review by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), will have devastating effects on interventional pain management and ultimately hurt patient access. It will also transfer to and effect office based procedures and physician fees.

Please act today!

ASC Alert

A prominent pain doctor was convicted yesterday for the second time of trafficking in narcotics, handing prosecutors another victory in a nationwide debate over the prescribing of dangerous narcotics to patients who may abuse or sell the medication. (Markon, Washington Post , April 28, 2007)

Federal jurors in Alexandria found William E. Hurwitz guilty of 16 counts of drug trafficking, determining that he prescribed massive quantities of medicine to patients in chronic pain. The 12-member jury acquitted Hurwitz on 17 other trafficking counts, but Hurwitz faces up to 20 years in prison for each count on which he was convicted. He will be sentenced July 13.

Washington Post

The ASIPP Comprehensive Imaging Review in Interventional Pain Management will be held on July 13-15, 2007 in Las Vegas, NV with a competency certification in Fluoroscopic Interpretation and Radiation Safety for Physicians only to follow on July 16. The online brochure and registration are now available.

The comprehensive seminar is designed to provide interventional pain physicians with the ability to understand radiological evaluations and fluoroscopic interpretation.

This course is an essential component for interventional pain physicians and will provide educational opportunities to assist you in providing high quality, competent, safe, and cost-efficient services to your patients.

Register

The manufacturer of the potent painkiller OxyContin and three current and former executives at the company yesterday pleaded guilty to falsely marketing the drug in a way that played down its addictive properties and led to scores of people becoming addicted, prosecutors said. (Johnson, Washington Post, May 11, 2007)

The drugmaker knew as early as 1995 that health professionals feared the addictive potential of OxyContin, an opium derivative, but looked the other way, according to court papers. From 1996 to 2001, Purdue claimed that the "miracle drug" was safer than rival medications despite repeated studies that suggested patients had developed a risk of abuse and had serious trouble withdrawing from OxyContin. Purdue collected $2.8 billion through sales of OxyContin during that time, court papers said.

Washington Post

Joseph T. Rannazzisi,  Deputy Assistant Administrator for the DOJ Office of Diversion Control Drug Enforcement Administration testified today before the Members of the Judiciary Committee on the alarming rise in prescription drug abuse. Rannazzisi sited illegal Internet sales to be a major contribution in this crisis.

Non-medical use of addictive prescription drugs has been increasing throughout the United States at alarming rates. In 2005, an estimated 6.4 million Americans age 12 and older reported past month use of prescription drugs for non-medical purposes. Of these, 4.7 million used pain relievers non-medically. Nationally, the misuse of prescription drugs was second only to marijuana in CY 2005.

Part of this increase in abuse is fueled by the perception among many that prescription drugs are relatively safe when compared to what some might consider more conventional "street" drugs such as heroin or cocaine. There is relatively little stigma associated with prescription drugs. Because they are manufactured for a legitimate medical purpose, many take these drugs without the anxiety of thinking they will be ostracized for their habit. Perhaps even more alarming is the false sense of security associated with the abuse of these substances. Many feel as though if a doctor can prescribe it, the drug can't be as harmful to your health.

Rannazzisi testimony

On Friday, the House passed and sent to the governor a measure that would turn the state into a bill collector for hospitals and other health care providers. The state would intercept tax refunds and lottery prizes belonging to people with delinquent medical bills. As a fee, the state could keep up to 20 percent of the money. The rest would go toward the person's debt. The provision was part of a wide-ranging insurance bill that flew through the Senate late Thursday and the House on Friday. The Senate passed it 31-0; in the House, the vote was 106-4. (Young, Post Dispatch, May 12, 2007)

STLToday.com

Interventional Techniques in Chronic Spinal Pain is  the premier manual for interventional pain management physicians. This must have text book has an expected publication date of Summer 2007. All proceeds go to the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians.

Order your copy

Kerry N. Weems, a longtime federal health official, is President Bush's choice to oversee the Medicare and Medicaid programs. If confirmed by the Senate, Weems would succeed Mark McClellan, who resigned in October. Weems is deputy chief of staff to Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt. (Washington- AP)

Leslie Norwalk has served as the acting CMS administrator since McClellan's resignation. She said she was not ready to commit to staying throughout the president's second term, and she indicated to Leavitt early on that she did not want to be considered for the position.

Northwest Florida Daily News

ASIPP is offering a Comprehensive Pain Medicine Board Review Course for physicians seeking board certification or re-certification for ABMS Pain Medicine examination or for American Board of Interventional Pain Physicians Part I examination.

The review course will be held on Aug. 5 - 10 in Nashville, TN This six-day intensive Board Review Course is a CME activity which is geared to prepare physicians for their pain boards but can also serve an in-depth review of the specialty of pain medicine.

To register on-line or for more information on the review course or to register, visit our Web site.

Meetings

ABIPP Part I To Be Administered in August

ABIPP Part 1 exam will be administered in Nashville, TN, on Aug. 11, 2007 and registration is now open. The minimum requirements for eligibility are:

• A Primary ABMS or AOA board certification
• An active license to practice medicine in the United States

ABIPP Application

The Medical Protective Co., a malpractice insurer that raised its Connecticut rates nearly 90 percent three years ago, plans to reduce rates an average 24.2 percent and insure more physicians in the state.

The company, which is known as "MedPro" and was acquired in June 2005 by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc., is seeking approval for the rate cut from the Connecticut Insurance Department. It would take effect Aug. 1.

The rate reduction follows a trend in many states that began about two years ago when malpractice premiums--which had been soaring--began to level off. Some companies around the nation have reduced rates in certain states.

Courant.com

Addison has joined ASIPP as a Bronze Sponsor. The WritePad EMR System is the flagship product of Addison Health Systems, currently used daily by over 4,500 doctors nationwide to track patients, create exam notes, and compile detailed patient reports.

Clint Pharmaceuticals has also joined ASIPP as a membership sponsor. Clint Pharmaceuticals is committed to offering practical solutions to the Interventional Pain Physicians' needs.

Visit our sponsor Web page