May 20, 2009
ASIPP 11th Annual Meeting - Early Registration Discount Ends June 5 |
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The ASIPP Annual Meeting is the premier Educational Forum for Evidence-based Medicine for Interventional Pain Management! This is a first-time opportunity to learn about the importance of evidence-based medicine in IPM as it applies to you, your patients, and your practice. In addition, this year we offer an extensive program that covers the essential elements of practice management including extensive presentation on Billing and Coding.
Listen to our distinguished faculty and learn from these experts the cutting-edge research and the importance of guidelines, IPM techniques as they apply to evidence-based medicine. Discover many important "pearls" for Billing and Coding. Hear how you can run your ASC or office more efficiently through best practices. Interventional Pain Management is continually growing and evolving, and there is no better time to stay abreast of the field and learn about emerging issues. On Saturday we once again offer many thought provoking abstract presentations.
We welcome and encourage all ASIPP members and guests to attend the 11th Annual Meeting. This program offers something for everyone; physicians, administrators, nurses, educators, etc. We also invite you to attend the ASIPP "Night at the Oscars" Business Dinner Meeting on Saturday evening. The night will hold dinner, awards, entertainment, and dancing.
On Tuesday we will bring Capitol Hill to you. Presentations will be made by many distinguished congressional and governmental speakers who will address how the changing economy and administration will affect healthcare and Interventional Pain Management in particular, MCAC, etc.
You won't want to miss the award winning 2009 ASIPP Annual Meeting! Join us on June 27-30, 2009, in Washington, DC.
Brochure
Online Registration |
New Democrat Coalition Proposes Independent Panel To Oversee Comparative Effectiveness Research |
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Members of the moderate New Democrat Coalition on Tuesday proposed legislation (HR 2502) that would establish a non-governmental, independent office to oversee research efforts to compare the effectiveness of medical treatments, CQ HealthBeat reports. The bill would create the Health Care Comparative Effectiveness Research Institute, which would use money remaining from the $1.1 billion included in the economic stimulus package for comparative effectiveness research and additional funding from fees on Medicare and private insurers. HCCERI would be overseen by a 21-member board -- appointed by the U.S. Comptroller General -- that would include HHS officials, patients, physicians, private insurers and others (Kaiser Daily Report, May 20, 2009).
Kaiser Network |
SAMHSA Seeks Public Comment on Issues Related to the Implementation of the National All Schedules Prescription Electronic Reporting Act |
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In the April 29 Federal Register, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration announced plans to implement the National All Schedules Prescription Electronic Reporting Act (NASPER). NASPER was enacted in 2005 to provide grant support to States to establish State- administered prescription drug monitoring programs (PMP) in order to ensure that health care providers have access to the accurate, timely prescription history information. Health care providers will use such systems for the "early identification of patients at risk for addiction in order to initiate appropriate medical interventions and avert the tragic personal, family, and community consequences of untreated addiction."
ASIPP encourages you to take the opportunity to send your comment letter.
SAMHSA |
Justice Department to Widen Health Care Fraud Investigation |
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The Obama administration today announced it would expand Justice Department health-care strike forces to Detroit and Houston, part of a broader commitment to root out fraud in Medicare and Medicaid programs (Johnson, The Washington Post, May 20, 2009).
The Washington Post |
Docs Spend About $31B Haggling with Insurers Annually |
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Physicians spend three hours per week-43 minutes on average per workday-haggling over claims, credentialing, authorizations, formularies, and other issues with health insurance plans, according to a recent study (Commins, HealthLeaders Media, May 14, 2009).
The Costs to Physician Practices of Interactions with Health Insurance Plans found that total staff interaction time systemwide converted to dollars equaled $21-$31 billion annually-an average of more than $68,000 per physician per year.
HealthLeaders Media |
FDA Commissioner to Be Sworn In |
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Dr. Margaret A. Hamburg will be sworn in as commissioner of food and drugs this week after the Senate voted unanimously on Monday night to confirm her. (Harris, The New York Times, May 19, 2009).
The New York Times |
Report: Pushing Healthcare into Digital Age Could Save Trillions? |
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Automating the nation's healthcare system could save the government nearly $600 billion in spending over the next decade and $9 trillion over the next 25 years, according to the Center for American Progress Action Fund and the Democratic Leadership Council (Monegain, Healthcare Finance News, May 12, 2009).
The progressive think tank's report, "Health System Modernization Will Reduce the Deficit," was written by David M. Cutler, a health economist and professor at Harvard University.
Healtcare Finance News |
Survey: Doctors Say Recession Lowers Patient Volume |
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More than half of physician respondents in a nationwide survey said their patient volume has decreased since the recession began, according to survey results the American Academy of Family Physicians released Tuesday.
The Leawood, Kan.-based organization surveyed its membership and found that 54 percent reported seeing fewer patients during "the most recent economic downturn (the past year or so)."
Business Journal |
Don't Toss Practice E-mails in the Virtual Trash |
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Reading and deleting e-mails might be customary when e-mailing for personal use. But physicians incorporating e-mail into their practices might have to get out of that habit and enter the unfamiliar territory of e-mail archiving (Dolan, American Medical News, May 18, 2009).
"A lot of people think that e-mails are just e-mails, that it's like a telephone conversation that you have with someone, you hang up and you have no record of it," said William J. Spratt Jr., health care partner for the Miami offices of K&L Gates. "But that's not the case. It actually is a written record, and it must be maintained if it is considered a health record."
amednews.com |
Attorney General and HHS Secretary Announce New Interagency Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team |
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Attorney General Eric Holder and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced the creation of a new interagency effort, the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT), to combat Medicare fraud. Holder and Sebelius also announced the expansion of Strike Force team operations to Detroit and Houston. Medicare Fraud Strike Forces, currently in operation in South Florida and Los Angeles, fight Medicare fraud on a targeted local level.
"With this announcement, we raise the stakes on health care fraud by launching a new effort with increased tools, resources and a sustained focus by senior-level leadership," said Attorney General Holder. "Every year we lose tens of billions of dollars in Medicare and Medicaid funds to fraud. Those billions represent health care dollars that could be spent on medicine, elder care or emergency room visits, but instead are wasted on greed. This is unacceptable, and the Justice Department is committed to working with the Department of Health and Human Services to eradicate it."
HHS Press Release |
Texas Bill Regulating Pain Management Clinics Sails Through House Committee |
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Concern that opposition might arise in the Texas House to bills relating to pain management clinics proved to be unfounded as Senate Bill 911 sped out of committee Tuesday with no testimony for or against it (Ortmann, Beaumont enterprise, May 12, 2009).
SB 911 would regulate pain management clinics and those who own and operate them, including a requirement that those who run the clinics be physicians.
Beaumont Enterprise |
Physicians Wanted |
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Visit the ASIPP Web site to find available positions for IPM physicians.
Physicians Wanted |
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Copyright © 2008
American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians ®
81 Lakeview Drive, Paducah, KY 42001
Phone 270.554.9412, Fax 270.554.5394
E-mail asipp@asipp.org
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