Jan. 25, 2006

Last Week to Register for FIPP Examination  

Applications are now being accepted for the FIPP examination which will be held on March 12, 2006 in Memphis, TN. Successful completion of FIPP will satisfy requirements for the American Board of Interventional Pain Physicians (ABIPP) Part II examination.

The deadline for applications is Feb. 1. Extensions may be granted upon request up to Feb. 10. For more details on the FIPP exam or to access the application follow this link…FIPP or contact Paula Brasher at (806) 743-3112 or by e-mail: paula.brasher@ttuhsc.edu

Review Course and Cadaver Workshop

Along with the FIPP examination ASIPP is offering the Interventional Techniques Review Course (March 10) and a Comprehensive Interventional Cadaver Workshop (March 11).  For information on the review course, cadaver workshop and exam, visit our Web site…March brochure

FAQs on ABIPP Examination

To answer your questions regarding ABIPP Diplomate exam and certification, visit the ASIPP web site for newly updated FAQs.  http://www.asipp.org/faqsabippdiplomate.htm.

May Review Courses and Examinations

Register soon for the May 4-8, Intensive Certification Review Courses in Controlled Substance Management and Coding, Compliance and Practice Management and the 2006 Competency Certification Examinations which will be held in Chicago.

Passing both exams will satisfy completion for ABIPP-Part I for physicians with current ABMS subspecialty certification in pain medicine by ABA, ABPMR, ABPN (but NOT non-ABMS certifications). Online registration is available. Visit our Web site at http://www.asipp.org/meetings.htm for more information.

Efforts Begin for NASPER Funding

In a January 10, 2006, letter to Joshua Bolton, Director for the Office of Management and Budget, 22 members of congress, representing states across the country, requested that funding for the NASPER program be added to the FY 07 budget. Among the supporters were Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-KY), Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI), Rep. Anne Northup (R-KY), and Rep. Charlie Norwood (R-GA)

NASPER was singed into law on August 11, 2005 making it the only statutorily authorized program to assist states in combating prescription drug abuse of controlled substances through a prescription monitoring program.

NASPER is administered by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and provides grants to states to establish and improve prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs). The law authorizes $15 million in FY 07 and $10 million each year through FY 10. The letter calls authorization of the full allowed amount of $15 million vital to the grant awards process.

Read the letter…

Authorization No Longer Needed for Pain Management Procedures

Effective January 1, 2006, pain management procedures for Bluegrass Family Health (BFH) members will no longer require prior authorization. The removal of Pain Management procedures from the mandatory Prior Authorization/Pre- certification has come about after great efforts on the part of ASIPP and KSIPP over the past 5-years. 

To access  current BFH coverage guidelines for pain management procedures go to www.bhfh.com

Vermont Approves Prescription Drug Database

The Vermont Senate has approved a bill that will create an electronic drug database designed to crack down on the illegal use and sale of dangerous drugs. Sen. James Leddy, D-Chittenden, was quoted as saying the state is seeing “a tremendous impact from the abuse of legally prescribed medicines.”

A $350,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice will pay for the database.

Read more on the bill at Boston.com

Study finds smoking down in teens: prescription drug abuse up

The latest Monitoring the Future study released in Dec. 2005, has found that while cigarette smoking is down in adolescents’ the non-medical use of Vicodin and OxyContin has continued at high levels.

The study found that among 12th grade students, 9.5% reported using Vicodin and 5.5 % had used OxyContin. More than 49,000 students in 402 public and private schools participated in the project. The survey is funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

To see the survey go to www.monitoringthefuture.org

Medicare Panel recommends 2.8% payment hike for 2007

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) voted to recommend a 2.8% increase in doctors’ payments next year. This vote took place at the Commission’s January meeting. Congress will officially receive the advice upon the release of MedPAC’s annual payment report in March.

Analysts say if lawmakers decide to act on the commission’s advice, Medicare would pay physicians an estimated $1.5 billion more next year and as much as an additional $10 billion over the next decade The AMA contends this funding is vital to keeping doors open to senior patients.

AMA President J. Edward Hill, MD, was quoted as saying the AMA agrees with MedPAC’s recommendation. “We encourage Congress to accept MedPAC’s recommendation to update physician payments 2.8% in 2007 to help preserve seniors’ access to care.”

While lawmakers have no obligation to accept the commission’s advice, they do often use MedPAC’s figures as the starting point for budget negotiations. These recommendations often become the “rallying point” for physician lobbyists working for rate updates.

Subscribers can read the full story along with the following American Medical News stories at...http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/

Pilot Project Launched to expand Electronic Prescribing

The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced last week the launch of a pilot project to test initial standards for electronic prescribing. These standards may ultimately be adopted as the final standards that will create a system of electronic transmission of prescription information for the new Medicare Part D prescription drug program.

In the press release HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt explained, “The new e-prescribing pilot project represents a major step forward in our work to develop and adopt standards for electronic medical and personal health records.”

The pilot project, which will be administered jointly by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), will assess resulting changes in workflow in pharmacies and physician offices that may demonstrate a return on investment resulting from e-prescribing.

Real the HHS press release

Smaller ASCs Often More Profitable

A recent study by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) found that smaller ambulatory surgery centers (ASC) reported higher income per case than larger facilities. Surgery centers with fewer than 3,000 cases per year had a mean net income of $473.02 per case in 2004, compared with larger centers’ mean net income of $341.31 according to the study.

The MGMA report, prepared with the American Association of Ambulatory Surgery Centers, was based on responses form 166 surgery centers nationwide.

Read this news brief at Modernphysician.com or for more on MGMA click here…

FDA Releases New Rx Product Labels

Last week the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released new product label guidelines that are intended to emphasize information most useful to physicians and patients while decreasing the small-print disclaimers. Legal warnings and diagrams of each drug’s chemical structure have been replaced with more up-to-date and reader friendly information.

You can read the FDA press release by visiting www.fda.gov or Report

Other news in the Jan. 30 issue …

Innovative funding opens new residency slots – Despite a lack of fresh federal dollars, some hospitals are adding residency positions.

National spending growth on doctor services rises – Medical breakthroughs and demand generated by an aging population are tow reasons for the increase.

Almost 80% of internists maintain board certification – Two-thirds of physicians surveyed said patients and peers value board-certified doctors more than non-certified doctors.

Nevada drug importation program gets go-ahead – The state’s attorney general sparked debate when he issued an opinion concluding that no drugs from Canada could be legally imported.

Subscribers can read the full story along with the following American Medical News stories at...http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/

Articles in the Jan. 23 issue...

Medicare warns of annual pay battles - Current struggles on Capitol Hill to prevent Medicare pay cuts will likely become an annual event for physicians unless doctors can prove they will be active players in a future pay-for-performance system.

CMS plans swift action on Medicare pay – Physicians will not need to resubmit Medicare claims after Congress approves the rate freeze in late January or early February.

Medicare Part D less of a bargain than the VA for prescription drugs, study finds – The AMA and Families USA say the solution is to allow Medicare to negotiate directly with pharmaceutical companies.

AFL-CIO backs bills requiring health benefits – As state legislatures reconvene this month, the AFL-CIO and its member unions are preparing to battle Wal-Mart in state capitols over the issue of employee health benefits.

Wisconsin group to measure physician quality, efficiency – Wisconsin physicians lead an effort to make the first public report analyzing program that will measure the efficiency of physician practices based on a statewide repository of health insurance claims data.