On December 8, 2006. The U.S. Congress voted to stop the Medicare physician payment cuts slated for 2007. In addition, the bill also includes a 1.5% increase in reimbursement for voluntary reporting of quality measures. The Medicare pay package was added onto a tax and trade bill (HR 6111).

Thanks to millions of patients and physicians including numerous letters from ASIPP this action has been taken. We would like to thank all the members of ASIPP and patients who have supported the issue. The fight was lead by AMA, state medical societies, multiple specialty societies and component societies including ASIPP and its component societies.

We may not see the reversal of the cut immediately in January however, it will be adjusted eventually once the bill is signed into law and CMS works on it. While we continue to fight for future cuts we ask that you take the time to send out a thank-you letter to the senators and representatives who responded to our calls and letters. Go to Capwiz.com to send your letter.

To illustrate the impact of this reversal, click on the following link for the 2007 Physician Fee Schedule with and without cuts Physician Fee Schedule .

Thank you all again,

Laxmaiah Manchikanti, MD, Chief Executive Officer, ASIPP

Doctors appeared to have missed being the "biggest losers" of all by avoiding a scheduled 5 percent cut in 2007. Their basic payment rates stay flat unless they report data on quality of care starting in July of next year, at which time, they can receive a 1.5 percent increase. (CQ Healthbeat News - Dec. 11)

ASIPP invites you to attend an exciting, focused, and comprehensive, didactic and hands-on cadaver workshop covering vertebroplasty, kyphoplasty, and sacroplasty on February 16-18, 2007 in Memphis TN. This state-of-the-art educational program of didactic courses will cover various aspects of vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty, followed by a comprehensive hands- on cadaver workshop. All of which will assist interventional pain physicians who would like to perform these procedures in meeting the credentialing needs. It is also appropriate for those who would like to learn more about the procedures.

The course is planned as a CME activity to prepare physicians seeking credentialing and as an in-depth review of vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty. Participants will experience a comprehensive and focused learning opportunity; focusing on all aspects of vertebroplasty, kyphoplasty and sacroplasty. This 3- day event will provide the opportunity to improve existing skills, learn new skills, and expand your knowledge in interventional pain procedures.

Visit our meetings page for more information

The NSDUH Report (formerly The NHSDA Report) recently published a report that looked at the ever problematic issue of young adults obtaining prescription pain relievers for non-medical use. This report, issued by the Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), addressed specifically how these young adults obtain the pain relievers.

Highlights of the report are:

• In 2005, 12.4 percent of young adults aged 18 to 25 used prescription pain relievers nonmedically in the past year, and 1.7 percent met the criteria for past year prescription pain reliever dependence or abuse
• Among young adults aged 18 to 25 who used prescription pain relievers nonmedically in the past year, over half (53.0 percent) obtained them from a friend or relative for free when they last used pain relievers nonmedically
• Among young adults aged 18 to 25 who used prescription pain relievers nonmedically in the past year and met the criteria for prescription pain reliever dependence or abuse, 37.5 percent obtained the prescription pain relievers that they used most recently for nonmedical purposes for free from a friend or relative, 19.9 percent bought them from a friend or relative, and 13.6 percent obtained them from one doctor

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The Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Pharmacy Benefits Management Strategic Healthcare Group, Medical Advisory Panel and Center for Medication Safety (VA MEDSAFE) issued a national bulletin advisory on methadone late last month.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued the public health advisory to warn providers about the potential for death, overdose, and serious cardiac arrhythmias associated with methadone, particularly when methadone therapy is initiated, during opioid rotations / conversions, and when methadone dosage is changed.

The FDA revised the product information for methadone to include an additional black box warning regarding methadone-associated deaths and other serious adverse events and to provide additional dosing.

A coalition starting with five big employers attempting to convince physicians to adopt new information technology. But some say the the initiative to promote personal health records is a step toward squeezing out physicians who don't adopt this technology.

Wal-Mart Stores, Intel, BP America, Pitney Bowes and Applied Materials are launching an initiative under which they will invest at least $5 million to give electronic portable personal health records to employees through a Web-based framework called Dossia. Other employers are being invited to join the coalition, which launches its service in mid-2007.

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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that the Medicare Coverage Advisory Committee has been re-chartered through 2008. As part of this re-charter, the agency has updated the Committee’s role in the Medicare national coverage process extending the life of the Committee through autumn 2008, and signals three important changes.

First, the new charter re-designates the Committee from the Medicare Coverage Advisory Committee (MCAC) to the Medicare Evidence Development & Coverage Advisory Committee (MedCAC

The Committee’s new name follows in response to the second change made in this year’s charter— MedCAC now has an explicit responsibility to advise CMS as part of its coverage with evidence development (CED) activities. The CED initiative involves the issuance of national coverage determinations that include, as a condition of payment, requirements for developing additional clinical data on a particular medical technology.

Thirdly, the new charter formalizes the role of patient advocates on the Committee. Since 2005, each Committee meeting has included a patient advocate as a voting member on each expert panel. By establishing the patient advocate as a permanent MedCAC role, CMS is ensuring that the beneficiary community is represented on the panels—these advocates will identify issues most important to patients, communicate the patient perspective, and vote on the Committee’s recommendations with patients’ general interests in mind.