Congress is currently discussing a Medicare Package fix which means they need to hear form their constituents immediately. We can not afford to put this off until a later date.

We have created a new Capwiz letter in an effort to gain renewed attention from our legislators to this dire situation. We are facing devastating physician reimbursement cuts and even greater cuts to ASC and office-based procedures. It will take a concerted effort on the part of the entire ASIPP membership if we are to get the ears and eyes of Congress and convince them to act.

Send a letter addressing all three issues through Capwiz: http://capwiz.com/asipp/issues/alert/?alertid=11058511&type=CO

Our government officals need to hear from our patients as well. This is easy to accomplish; print out the patient letter we have provided and ask all your patients to sign it (the last page of the word document for your state, see link in paragraph above). After you obtain these signatures your staff can send them as a Capwiz letter using the following link: http://capwiz.com/asipp/issues/alert/?alertid=11058731&type=CO

If you have any questions, call the ASIPP office for assistance: 270-554-9412.

Please join us for the ASIPP 10th Annual Meeting on June 21-25, 2008. This year marks an important milestone; ten years as "The Voice of Interventional Pain Management."

This year's highligts are:

• ASIPP 10th Annual Meeting Celebration
• Featuring Practice Management for Interventional Pain Physicians and Professionals
• Legislative Session and Capitol Hill Visits
• Abstract Presentations

Brochure and online registraion are now available.

Register Today

On May 16 - 18, ASIPP will hold a Review Course in Fluoroscopy & Cadaver Workshop in Spinal and Non-Spinal Interventional Techniques covering basic and intermediate levels. The course will be held at the Memphis Marriott Downtown and the Medical Education Research Center (MERI) in Memphis, TN.

At the completion of the Fluoroscopy course, physicians will also have the opportunity to sit for the ABIPP Competency Certification Examination in Fluoroscopic Interepretation and Radiation Safety.

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 early and save. Registrations received on or before April 25 may take advantage of the early registration discount.

The Memphis Marriott Downtown is our host hotel for this event. Book your room on or before April 23 to recieve the ASIPP discount group rate of $159. Call 1- 888-557-8740.

Meetings

The scope and direction of pain medicine have been rapidly changing, fueled by training programs, new techniques, improved education and the increasing availability of pain providers. Unfortunately, that improved education has often not reached the "soldiers in the trenches"-the primary care physicians (PCPs) who typically are the first clinicians to see patients with chronic pain (Trescot, Pain Medicine News, March 2008).

(This article was provided to Pain Medicine News by ASIPP President Andrea Trescot, MD.)

Free registration is required to view article.

Pain Medicine News

The Parish Council (St. Tammany, Louisiana) on Thursday is expected to once again renew a six-month moratorium that halts pain clinics from opening.

The moratorium, designed to battle "pill mills" sometimes known for dolling out hundreds of prescriptions with little to no consultation, started in 2005 and has been renewed every six months since.

The moratorium began in 2005 when FBI and DEA agents raided several pain management clinics in and around St. Tammany, with owners accused of writing prescriptions for addictive painkillers, muscle relaxers and other medication in turn for millions of dollars in profit. In some cases doctors would write several prescriptions at once to a roomful of patients.

Read More

Supporters of legislation that seeks to limit frivolous medical malpractice lawsuits say they're pleased to see their efforts paying off after several years. House lawmakers voted 93-1 on Thursday for the bill that includes requiring defendants be given 60 days notice before a lawsuit is filed. The Senate unanimously passed a similar bill last year.

The Tennessean

Pain Physician journal will feature three special topical issues this year, in addition to the regular bimonthly publications. The American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians' official journal, Pain Physician, will feature these special issues:

Ethics - Topics will cover:

1. General issues in normative and applied medical ethics as relevant to the care of pain;
2. Clinical ethical issues focal to under- and/or over- treatment of pain;
3. Conceptual and practical issues related to informed consent;
4. Conceptual and practical issues related to (institutional) review of (experimental, quasi- experimental and/or clinical) studies of pain assessment, and/or therapeutics;
5. Ethical issues relevant to medico-legal concerns and/or development and articulation of health policy and law.
   

Health Policy and Practice Management

All written materials should follow Pain Physician manuscript for author's instructions. The topical issues will also undergo peer review. For more information contact Holly Long at hlong@asipp.org

Take advantage of ASIPP's online payment method to renew your dues. It's quick and easy just click on the link below and submit.

No password is required to renew. If you have questions or need assistance contact the ASIPP office at 270-554-9412 Ext. 208

Renew Membership

"Prevalence of facet joint pain in chronic spinal pain of cervical, thoracic and lumbar regions," a May 2004 article by Laxmaiah Manchikanti, Mark V. Boswell, Vijay Singh, Vidyasagar Pampati, Kim S. Damron and Carla D. Beyer. This article has been accessed by more than 40,200 people since it first appeared on BioMed Central.

Visit Spinal Disorders and Techniques for the article "Facet Joint Pain in Chronic Spinal Pain: An Evaluation of Prevalence and False-positive Rate of Diagnostic Blocks", Rajeev Manchukonda, BDS; Kavita N. Manchikanti, BA; Kimberly A.Cash, RT; Vidyasagar Pampati, MSc; Laxmaiah Manchikanti, MD

More than 18,550 people have accessed the article "A randomized, controlled trial of spinal endoscopic adhesiolysis in chronic refractory low back and lower extremity pain," earning it a "highly accessed" flag on BioMed Central's online journal, Anesthesiology. The article, authored by Laxmaiah Manchikanti, Mark V. Boswell, Jose J. Rivera, Vidyasagar Pampati, Kim S. Damron, Carla D. McManus, Doris E. Brandon and Sue R. Wilson, has been on the web site since Aug. 1, 2006. This article is also listed as the 7th all-time most viewed article.

"Risk of whole body radiation exposure and protective measures in fluoroscopically guided interventional techniques: a prospective evaluation." The article, written by Laxmaiah Manchikanti, Kim A. Cash, Tammy L. Moss, Jose Rivera, and Vidyasagar Pampati, was published in 2003, has been viewed over 14,700 times, and as the articles mentioned above, is available to open access on the BioMed Central Web site. Access these articles on BioMed Central.

BioMed Central

Massachusetts Society of Interventional Pain Physicians Annual Meeting

The Massachusetts Society of Interventional Pain Physicians Annual Meeting will take place on Saturday May 10, 2008 at the Marriott Boston Newton Hotel.

The meeting will include a luncheon and Dr. David Kloth will be a keynote speaker. A board meeting will take place immediately following the Annual Meeting.

Plans are still in progress but you may contact James Murphy at 508-824-0035 or jmurphy@pain- management-center.com

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.

National Pain Institute — Florida

Fellowship Trained Physician — Northwest Indiana

Outpatient Interventional Pain Physician — Atlanta, Georgia

BC/BE Physiatrist — Shrewsbury, New Jersey

100% Pain Practice — Eau Claire, Wisconsin

Partnership Opportunity — Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Interventional Pain Physiatrist Wanted — Nevada

Interventional Pain Specialist — Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Pain Management Opportunity — Pennsylvania

Interventional Pain Specialist — Paducah, KY and Marion, IL

Interventional Pain Medicine Physician — St. Cloud, Minnesota