The Online Abstract Submission for the 10th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians is now open. The meeting will be held June 21- June 25, 2008 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Washington, DC.

To be considered for a presentation at the meeting, abstracts must be submitted and completed by the submission deadline of 5 pm Central Standard Time (CST) Friday, December 28, 2007.

Click here for rules an submission direction

"In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins- not through strength but by perseverance." - H. Jackson Brown

The Senate Finance Committee will soon mark- up the much-anticipated Medicare package in the first week of December. They are struggling with a one- year or two-year physician fix. This is the time to push for a two-year fix with deficits not coming back to haunt us in the third year. Please continue to write letters. It is more important now than ever before.

The links below have been edited to address our specific request. Even if you have already sent letters, please send these again as they have new content.

To send a letter from yourself click on the Physician Capwiz Letter link below. You may edit the letter or send it as it is. You may send it through Capwiz or fax or mail the letter on your personal or business letterhead. The choice is yours.

Please take the time to send a letter today. Additionally, we urge you to have your patients sign the letter and support this effort as well.

• Capwiz Physician Letter
• Capwiz Patient Letter
• Capwiz Staff Letter
• Capwiz Citizen Letter
  

1. Customize and print off copies of the sample
2. Identify patients' state, putting the names of their Senators and Representative at the top of the page along with the President. Only one letter with all the names is necessary (see example).
3. As your patients sign out, ask them to fill out and
4. Using the patient Capwiz link assign a staff
5. Also you can print off the ASIPP Advocacy page and post or hand out to your patients for more information
   

• Example Physician Letter
• Example Patient Letter
• Example Staff Letter
• Example Citizen Letter

Make plans to attend ASIPP's comprehensive review course and hands-on cadaver workshop dedicated solely to vertebroplasty, kyphoplasty and Sacroplasty on February 8-10, 2007 in Memphis TN. This CME educational program will consist of didactics covering various aspects of vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty, followed by a comprehensive hands- on cadaver workshop.

The course is designed to prepare physicians seeking credentialing or as an in-depth review of vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty. Participants will experience a comprehensive learning opportunity focused on all aspects of vertebroplasty, kyphoplasty, and Sacroplasty.

Register before Jan. 18, 2008 to obtain the early registration discount! Visit the ASIPP Web site for more information.

The Illinois cap on noneconomic damages in medical liability cases hangs in the balance, now for the third time. The case heads to the state Supreme Court, which twice before declared noneconomic damage limits unconstitutional.

A trial court struck down the award limit as unconstitutional. A number of other state tort reforms were felled along with it. The Nov. 13 ruling propels the issue directly to the state Supreme Court.

Texas's changes in medical malpractice law are being credited with helping to attract out-of-state doctors who are drawn to the increased protection from high jury awards and steep drops in insurance rates. But consumer groups also criticize the state's cap on pain-and-suffering awards because they limit legitimate claims, and they say the increase in doctors has yet to benefit rural areas (Boston Globe, Nov. 26, 2007)

Behind the scenes of Rx drug dealing, prescription drug dealers can be both users and doctors. Around Ft. Lauderdale, Fl. - there's an epidemic.

"Upper-middle class individuals from good families, solid families that are becoming addicted to pharmaceutical drugs," said Sgt. Lisa McElhaney of the Broward County Sheriff's office.

McElhaney told CBS News anchor Katie Couric that Florida's a hot-spot. "The accessibility to these drugs is tremendous," she said.

"The supply is right there." Right there in the family medicine cabinet and increasingly, kids are trading drugs at school. Kids as young as middle school.

CBS News

Back pain and other acute and chronic pain conditions are common among U.S. and coalition soldiers serving in Iraq, and anesthesiologists specializing in pain management can play an important role in managing these non-battle-related injuries. (Newswise)

The December issue of the journal Anesthesiology features an article describing the experience at a forward-deployed specialty pain clinic at Ibn Sina Hospital in Baghdad, the only fixed U.S. medical facility in Iraq.

While trauma management is the primary mission at Ibn Sina, Maj. Ron L. White, M.D., and Col. Steven P. Cohen, M.D.-anesthesiologists with special training in pain management-felt that "down time" at the hospital could be used to treat some of the non-battle- related pain conditions that are common among deployed troops.

"These soldiers had acute and recurrent chronic pain problems that, in the civilian sector, would normally be addressed by either a well-trained primary care doctor or a pain management specialist," says Dr. Cohen. "In a previous study, we found that low back pain- specifically sciatica-was the number one reason for treatment in pain clinics at U.S. Army hospitals among soldiers medically evacuated out of Iraq. However, when these soldiers were treated at pain clinics in the United States and Europe, less than two percent returned to duty."

Newswise

DEA has announced that the the rule entitled, "Issuance of Multiple prescriptions for Schedule II Controlled Substance," will take effect on Dec. 9, 2007 and was published in the Federal Register on Nov. 19, 2007.

The final rule amends DEA's previous regulation to allow practitioners to provide individual patients with multiple prescriptions for a specific schedule II controlled substance, written on the same date, to be filled sequentially.

The new rule allows physicians to write three separate prescriptions with staggered fill dates. Patients can still be given the equivalent of a 90-day prescription for schedule II controlled substances when medically appropriate.

Tandy's Sept. 6, 2006 presentation "Dispensing Controlled Substances for the Treatment of Pain"

While alcohol still remains the substance of choice among Canadian teens, an Ontario study released yesterday shows use of prescription painkillers is a growing cause for concern. According to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, 21% of students surveyed about their drug use revealed they had tried a prescription pain medication for non-medical purposes at least once in the past year. More than 75% of teens reported getting the pills from home. Doug Beirness, manager of research and policy for the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, said Ontario's youth opioid statistics are the first of their kind in Canada but should serve as a wake-up call across the country. An opioid is a chemical substance that has a morphine- like action in the body and is used for pain relief. He said past surveys conducted nationally only asked about the opioid painkiller OxyContin and showed about 1% of students had tried the drug. (National Post)

On Nov. 20, 2007, FDA announced that it is evaluating adverse event reports for Chantix (varenicline), a prescription medicine to help adults stop smoking. The manufacturer, Pfizer, Inc., recently submitted reports to FDA describing suicidal thoughts. In the wake of a case report citing erratic behavior in an individual who had used Chantix, FDA has also asked the company for any information on additional cases that may be similar in patients who have taken the drug. There are also reports of patients experiencing drowsiness that affected their ability to drive or operate machinery.

ASIPP is offering a new feature for those who advertise on our Postions Wanted section of the ASIPP Website. As a service to our advertisers and our members, we will list the link to each current job posting.

Interventional Pain Physician -- Louisville, Kentucky

Pain Management -- Florida

Pain Management Opportunity -- Pennsylvania

Entrepreneurial Opportunity -- Lake Tahoe, Nevada

Florida Opportunities

Pain Medicine Fellowship Program Opportunity

Interventional Pain Specialist -- Toledo, Ohio

Interventional Pain Specialist -- Paducah, KY and Marion, IL

Interventional Pain Medicine Physician -- St. Cloud, Minnesota

Entrepreneurial Opportunity -- Wooster, Ohio

Musculoskeletal Interventionalist -- Dallas, Texas

Interventional Pain Specialist - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Interventional Pain Physician -- New Hampshire

Interventional Pain Physiatrist Wanted - Nevada

ASIPP is now offering the Interventional Techniques In Chronic Spinal Pain to all meeting registrants at the special price of 50% off.

Interventional Techniques in Chronic Spinal Pain is the premier manual for interventionalists. With detailed descriptions of practical techniques in interventional pain management this is a must have publication for all interventioanl pain physicians. Additionally Eeach book comes with a complimentary CD version of the book.

To order your copy, go to ASIPP Web site.

ASIPP Publishing