December 10, 2008

In this issue


Nov/Dec Issue of Pain Physician Now Available Online
Interventional Techniques Review Course, Cadaver Workshop and ABIPP Part II Preparation
11 Leaks to Plug in Your Billing Department to Ensure Total Reimbursement
HHS Sets Rules for Confidential Medical Error Reporting System
Illinois High Court Hears Challenge to State Medical Liability Cap
Medicare Aims to Resolve Late Payment Problems by Dec. 31
The Doctor Is Out
Painkillers Linked to Increase in Overdose Deaths
State Society News
State Society Updates
ANS Announces Neuromodulation Division Name Change to St. Jude Medical
Abstracts Submission Now Open
2009 AMA CPT Books Now Available Online
Physicians Wanted

Nov/Dec Issue of Pain Physician Now Available Online

The Nov/Dec. issue of the Pain Physician journal is now available online. To view the online version, go to http://www.painphysicianjournal.com/

Pain Physician

Interventional Techniques Review Course, Cadaver Workshop and ABIPP Part II Preparation

Plan to attend the March 6-8, 2008 Interventional Techniques Review Course, Cadaver Workshop, and ABIPP Part II Preparation.

The review course includes one day of didactics covering various interventional techniques and one and a half days of hands-on cadaver workshop designed to meet the needs of interventional pain physicians seeking to refresh or learn new skills and also for those who desire instruction for the ABIPP Part II examination.

During this 3-day event, you can improve existing skills, learn new skills, prepare for the interventional techniques certification, or prepare for the board examination. Whether you have been practicing interventional pain management for many years or are new to the field with basic skills, we are confident you will find this review course and cadaver workshop to be beneficial as it is essential to keep learning. We trust you will be eager to join us for this opportunity to professional enhancement.

The seminar will be conducted at the Westin Memphis Beale Street and the world famous Medical Education and Research Institute (MERI) in Memphis, TN. Make your plans early to attend. We look forward to seeing you in Memphis.

Meetings

Brochure

Online Registration

11 Leaks to Plug in Your Billing Department to Ensure Total Reimbursement

Most offices leave from 5 to 42 percent of their potential reimbursement on the table because they either lack proper processes, are understaffed, their staff is not adequately trained or appropriately incented, or the office has not invested in appropriate technologies. This is money that you have already worked for and should have earned but that insurance companies are keeping from you (Howard, Becker's ASC Review, Oct. 15, 2008).

Becker's ASC Review

HHS Sets Rules for Confidential Medical Error Reporting System

Physicians, hospitals and others in the health care system may never report medical errors exactly the way airline pilots report close calls. Still, health professionals could learn from having their mistakes pooled into confidential databases and analyzed, patient safety experts say (Trapp, AMNews, Dec. 15 issue).

amednews.com

Illinois High Court Hears Challenge to State Medical Liability Cap

The fate of Illinois' cap on noneconomic damages in medical liability cases rests with the state Supreme Court after justices heard oral arguments Nov. 13 in a constitutional challenge to the 2005 law.

A trial judge in 2007 invalidated the statute, which limits noneconomic jury awards to $500,000 for physicians and $1 million for hospitals. The court found the law unconstitutional, saying it violated the separation of powers between the Legislature and the judiciary.

amednews.com

Medicare Aims to Resolve Late Payment Problems by Dec. 31

Medicare officials are stepping up efforts to resolve tardy reimbursements for doctors and other health-care providers in California, Nevada and Hawaii in the wake of complaints that millions of dollars for treating patients are on hold (Gumz, Mercury News, Dec. 4, 2008).

Mercury News

The Doctor Is Out

Glenda Fried had heard the stories but never quite believed them. While she had had no problem getting her primary care physician in suburban Chicago to accept her Medicare health insurance, friends across the country were telling her about the devil of a time they were having. They talked of having to make at least 15 calls before finding a new primary care physician who participated in the taxpayer-funded medical insurance program largely for those 65 and older. Fried, 68, chalked it up to bad luck (Jenkins, Washington Post, Dec. 9, 2008).

Washington Post

Painkillers Linked to Increase in Overdose Deaths

Deaths from overdoses of prescription drugs, primarily pain relievers, appear to be on the rise throughout the United States, new research suggests (Reinberg, U.S. News & World Report, Dec. 9, 2008).

U.S. News and World Report

State Society News

The Minnesota Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (MSIPP) meeting will be held at the Medtronic World Headquarters on January 27th, 2009 from 6:00pm-8:00pm. Agenda will be annoucnecd soon.

Address: Medtronic World Headquarters 710 Medtronic Parkway Minneapolis, MN 55432-5604 Phone: (763) 514-4000 To join MSIPP or to find out additional information about our organization please call me.

Contact Georgann Gillund Minnesota Society of Interventional Pain Physicians 612-385-8342 for ggillund@painphysicians.com for more information.

Send in your state society's news, annoucements and updates to mmartin@asipp.org.

State Society Updates

Please visit the ASIPP State Society Web page to verify that we have your board information correct. If you have held elections but have not notified us, this information may be outdated.

Also please send in your meeting announcements or write-ups so that we can publish this information in the ASIPP News and ASIPP E-news. Send your news to martin@asipp.org

State Societies

ANS Announces Neuromodulation Division Name Change to St. Jude Medical

ST. PAUL, Minn. - (Business Wire) St. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE:STJ) today announced that its neuromodulation division, formerly Advanced Neuromodulation Systems, has adopted the St. Jude Medical name. The St. Jude Medical Neuromodulation Division unveiled its new brand identity and showcased its flagship products - including the recently introduced Eon Mini neurostimulator - at the 12th Annual North American Neuromodulation Society (NANS) Meeting, which begins today in Las Vegas.

Press Release

Abstracts Submission Now Open

The Online Abstract Submission (see step-by- step procedures below) for the 11th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP) is now open. The meeting will be held June 26- July 1, 2009 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, VA.

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) Monday, January 19, 2009.

Click on the following link for full instructions and to submit. http://www.asip p.org/abstracts/

Submit

2009 AMA CPT Books Now Available Online

The AM CPT 2009 Professional Edition, AMA HCPCS 2009 Level II, and AMA Physician ICD-9-CM 2009 - Vol. 1 & 2 are now available online. Get prepared for the new year by purchasing your copies today.

Order Online

Physicians Wanted

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

Physicians Wanted