Please don't let the deadlines pass without sending your comments to CMS on two important proposed rules. Proposed Changes to the ASC Payment System and CY 2009 Payment Rates ; Revisions to Payment Policies under the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Revisions to Part B for CY 2009.

It is very important that CMS hear from you. They have no reason to reconsider these rulings if they do not know that we oppose the proposed rules and why. Please don't assume that someone else will write a letter. It is up to each one of us to take the time to voice our concern.

The proposed rulings are as follows:

CMS-1404-P: Proposed Changes to the ASC Payment System and CY 2009 Payment Rates (CMS Fact Sheet)

Comments on the proposed rule will be accepted until September 2, 2008, and a final CY 2009 OPPS/ASC payment rule will be issued by November 1, 2008.

CMS-1403-P, Revisions to Payment Policies under the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Revisions to Part B for CY 2009 - Deadline for comments August 29, 2008.

Comments may be submitted electronically or by mail. If mailing your comments please send, along with the original, two copies of your letter as required by CMS.

For sample letters and instructions on how to send and on how to involve your patients click here.

ASIPP will hold a specialty course in spinal cord stimulation and intrathecal implantable techniques. The review course and hands-on cadaver workshop will take place on Oct. 24-26, 2008 in Memphis, TN.

To take advantage of the early registration discount and the special hotel group rate, register today!

Online registration is now available.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed that the evidence is adequate to conclude that thermal intradiscal procedures do not improve health outcomes. Because of this CMS has determined that thermal intradiscal procedures are not reasonable and necessary for the treatment of low back pain and we propose to issue a national noncoverage determination for TIPs.

There is still time to send your comments which will be used by CMS to make a final determination.

For a sample letter and mailing or electronic submission instructions click here.

More information on CMS proposed decision on Intradiscal Procedures, click here

Experts blame Nevada's skyrocketing rate of prescription narcotic use on hurried doctors who don't adequately examine the patient's history and source of pain, leading to inadequate treatment and the risk of addiction. (Allen, Las Vegas Sun, Aug. 13, 2008)

Some doctors are quick to prescribe the drugs to increase their patient volume at a time when they are being squeezed by low insurance reimbursements, the experts speculated.

Many doctors are wrestling with questions of how and when to treat thousands of legitimate patients who need those same drugs. It's all part of perhaps the hottest national debate in medicine today. (Warren, McClatchy Newspapers, August 16, 2008)

GrandForksHerald.com

Forty-four states now merit a grade of "C" or higher for policies that support appropriate medical use of opioid analgesics while controlling diversion and abuse, according to a report card published in July by the University of Wisconsin Pain & Policy Studies Group. (O'Reilly, AMNews, Aug. 25, 2008 issue)

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A lawsuit testing the constitutionality of Illinois' medical malpractice reforms is expected to come before the state's Supreme Court this fall. State Sen. Bill Haine was one of the leaders in a long bipartisan effort to draft the legislation, which was approved after dozens of doctors retired or relocated due to spiraling malpractice insurance premiums.

What do salt, bleach, soap, drain cleaner, detergent, lemon juice and white vinegar have in common? All are promoted on Web sites as substances that can be added to urine to mask the presence of illegal drugs.(Landers, amednews, Aug. 25, 2008 issue)

Thousands of sites provide information on how to cheat on drug tests, and many of the techniques have been publicized for decades. No sooner had regulations been developed to institute President Ronald Reagan's 1986 call for a drug-free federal workplace than people began searching for ways to evade detection, said Amitava Dasgupta, PhD, professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston.

The ASIPP News will now feature a section for member news and updates. We ask for your assistance in developing this section by sending in member news items.

We are looking for diverse items such as recent committee or board appointments, awards, honors, publications of all types. If you have news you would like to share with the membership send an e-mail to Molly White at mwhite@thepainmd.com or Melinda Martin at mmartin@asipp.org.

Illinois Society of Interventional Pain Physicians will hold an dinner lecture on Wednesday, September 10, 2008 at 6 p.m., at Nick's Fishmarket in Rosemont, IL

The meeting will feature a dinner lecture by Dr. David Schultz, ASIPP President, speaking on "Spinal Cord Stimulation for Chronic Pain - the Current and Future Trends".

Invitation

"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 42,000 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 18,900 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 15,300 times, and as the articles mentioned above, is available to open access on the BioMed Central Web site. Access these articles on BioMed Central.

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ASIPP is now offering a new feature for those who advertise on our Positions Wanted section of the ASIPP Website. As a service to our advertisers and our members, please find the link to each current job posting.

Fellows hip Trained Physician - Northwest Indiana

Out patient Interventional Pain Physician - Atlanta, Georgia

Pain Management Opportunity - Pennsylvania

Entrepre neurial Opportunity - Lake Tahoe, Nevada

Florida Opportunities

Pain Medicine Fellowship Program Opportunity

BC/ BE Physiatrist - Shrewsbury, New Jersey

Part nership Opportunity - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

100% Pain Practice - Eau Claire, Wisconsin

Natio nal Pain Institute - Florida

Interv entional Pain Specialist - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

MAYO CLINIC - Cardiac Anesthesiologist

Interven tional Pain Physiatrist Wanted - Nevada