Make your plans to attend the Comprehensive Review Course and Cadaver Workshop (Basic, Intermediate, and Comprehensive Interventional Pain Management Examination Preparation Course) Or the Controlled Substance Management Review Course to be held concurrently February 26-28, 2010 Memphis, Tennessee

Book your room at the Peabody by February 3, 2010 to receive the discounted group room rate of $175.

Changes to CPT-2009 for IPM Physicians CPT-2009 has some relevant information for interventionalists. Changes are as follows: Click Here to see CPT changes .

Be aware that beginning Jan. 1, 2010, CMS will halt payment for the in-office consultation codes (99251-99245) and inpatient consultation codes (99251-99255) in 2010. These codes remain listed in the AMA CPT 2010 manual, but this does not guarantee coverage as Medicare did adopt the proposal to no longer pay for the consultation codes.

There has also been significant confusion with language for coverage for implantable neurostimulator electrodes in an office setting. CMS has posted a correction for code L8680, maintaining the 2009 code through 2010. The change was the result of a collaboration among industry and multiple societies.

The new definition for L8680 effective January 2010 is "IMPLANTABLE NEUROSTIMULATOR ELECTRODE, EACH". CMS corrected the description that it published on November 5th and it is now the same as it was in 2009.

Mark your calendar this critical webinar now. ASIPP is presenting a webinar January 13. This session titled 'Are You Ready for Coding in 2010' will be presented by Joanne Mehmert, a leading consultant and speaker on billing and coding.

The session, which will qualify for CEU credits, will feature a 90 minute lecture including a question and answer session. Excellent for physicians and administrative staff.

Program highlights include:

• The Latest on CMS and Consultation Codes
• Significant changes in the neurostimulator and facet codes
• Urine Testing in the Physician's Office
• Additional Information in this 2010 Update

More information on the session and registration will be coming in the next week.

Mark your calendars now to participate in the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians abstract and poster presentation at the 12th Annual Meeting, June 26 - June 30, 2010 in Arlington, Virginia.

This year we are offering an early bird deadline of March 31, 2010. This early deadline will ensure that your abstract gets first preference and an opportunity to grab one of our limited spots for presentation.

A final abstract submission deadline will be April 31, 2010. Those selected will be notified and will receive free registration to the annual meeting.

In our continuing efforts to bring you educational excellence, we are pursuing webinars as an alternative means for you to acquire your educational requirements. To maximize this endeavor we need your opinion and ask that you complete a quick online survey. Thank you for your participation, ASIPP Staff

The Senate health care reform bill cleared a pair of hurdles Tuesday, putting Democrats halfway through a series of key votes and another big step closer to passing the bill by Christmas Eve.

The Senate health care reform bill cleared a pair of hurdles Tuesday, putting Democrats halfway through a series of key votes and another big step closer to passing the bill by Christmas Eve.

NEW YORK -- The health care reform bill on track to pass the Senate on Thursday would do more than any proposal yet to reduce the deficit over time - by an estimated $132 billion over 10 years and by substantially more thereafter.

But reducing the deficit is not entirely synonymous with the oft-stated goal of health reform: reducing the growth rate in health care costs and expenditures - often referred to as "bending the cost curve."

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama has signed a measure that will postpone a 21.2 percent Medicare physician pay cut until March 1, 2010.

The measure was part of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, passed last week by Congress.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration today added a new search feature to its National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP) Web site. The feature allows users to identify NREPP interventions that have been evaluated in comparative effectiveness research studies.

Both the Obama Administration and the U.S. Congress have championed additional investments in comparative effectiveness research to enhance public understanding about which healthcare interventions are most effective in different circumstances and with different patients. The new NREPP feature can provide added information for States and communities seeking to determine which mental health and substance abuse prevention and treatment interventions may best address their needs. To use this new search feature, interested parties should go to the NREPP Web site ( www.nrepp.samhsa.gov ), click on the "Find Interventions" tab, click in the checkbox labeled "Evaluated in comparative effectiveness research studies."

Washington -- The American Medical Association announced Dec. 21 that it would support passage of the Senate's health system reform bill, which was moving toward a planned final vote during a rare Christmas Eve session.

AMA President-elect Cecil B. Wilson, MD, appeared with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D, Nev.) and several other top Democratic lawmakers at a Capitol Hill event to call for Senate passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

ASIPP has identified a need in the IPM marketplace and is in the process of establishing a Group Purchasing Organization (GPO) for ASIPP Members. This would give us a great advantage in purchasing power for all of the supplies that we use on a regular basis.

We look forward to working with you in the coming months to make the ASIPP GPO a vital and increasingly valuable benefit to your ASIPP Membership.

This Christmas, the Pennsylvania Medical Society is asking children to ease up on the milk and cookies for Santa Claus. That way, his ample waistline won't be further widened by the 787.5 million calories he would otherwise consume in that state alone.

The society's Institute for Good Medicine said 96% of Pennsylvania households it polled are likely to put out cookies and milk for Santa on Christmas Eve. A medium-sized chocolate chip cookie, made with butter, has 75 calories, and a cup of 1% milk has 100 calories. Santa's overall caloric intake was computed by multiplying 4.5 million cookie-and-milk-offering households in Pennsylvania with the 175 calories in each snack

Make plans today to bring your ASIPP membership up-to-date.

The New Year is right around the corner and you don't want to miss being a part of our organization. We are actively contacting Congress on your behalf, negotiating with insurance companies for continued coverages, offering training sessions, cadaver workshops, and new in 2010 --the ABIPP Part II exam.

Three ways to pay: Click HERE to renew dues. or you can send in a check to ASIPP, 81 Lakeview Drive, Paducah, KY 42001. Or call 1-270-554-9412 or fax 1-270-554-5394 in credit card

or Join Us today!

If you are not sure of your current dues status, please contact Cindy Rogers at 1-270-554-9412 ext. 208 with your questions.

WVASIPP Plans Annual Meeting June 11-13, 2010

Mark your calendars now and make plans to attend West Virginia Society of Interventional Pain Physician annual meeting at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas, June 11-13, 2010.

Featured topics include SCS for Angina, Facial Pain, Peripheral Nerve Pain, Epigastric and Abdominal Pain, Pelvic Pain, Pulsed Radiofrequency, Minimally invasive techniques for spinal disease and much more

Featured faculty includes: Timothy Deer, MD, course director; Ken Alo, MD, Giancarlo Barolat, MD, Ricard Bowman, MD, Christopher Kim, MD, Matthew Ranson, MD, Lou Raso, MD, Harold Cordner, MD, Nagy Mekhail, MD, Sudhir Diwan, MD, Raj Patel, MD, John Schmidt, MD, Stan Golovac, MD, Lora Brown, MD, Richard Weiner, MD, Salim Hayek, MD, Leo Kapural, MD and cochairs Richard Rauck, MD, Robert Levy, MD, PhD, and David Caraway, MD, PhD.

Session fees discounted for WVSIPP and ASIPP members. For more information call Michelle Byers, Director of Education: michellebyers@roadrunner.com

To Register

Save the Date: CASIPP Annual Meeting in May

Mark your calendar for the California Society of Interventional Pain Physicians Annual Meeting May 14-16, 2010 in Santa Barbara.

Join Your CASIPP Colleagues On The American Riviera:

• Earn CME hours with distinguished faculty
• Stay at the storied Biltmore Four Seasons
• Book Now! Special Room Rate for early
• For more information or to register contact sbcme2010@aol.com or by phone at 661-435-3473

FSIPP Annual Meeting Dates Set for May

The Florida Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (FSIPP) has scheduled it's annual meeting for May 22 and 23, 2010 at Gaylord Palms on Orlando.

Keynote speakers and topics include:

Visit the ASIPP Web site to find available positions for IPM physicians.