May 31, 2006

Attend ASIPP Annual Meeting- Register Today to Assure Your Capitol Hill Visit!

The ASIPP 8th Annual Meeting and SIPMS 1st Annual Meeting will be held on June 24-28 in Washington, DC. Discounts are still available for those who register to attend the Legislative Session and take part in the Capitol Hill visits. This year’s event promises to be not only informative but also memorable with the second day of our legislative session taking place on Capitol Hill.

On Tuesday, June 27, the ASIPP annual meeting will convene in the Cannon Caucus Room on Capitol Hill where we will be honored with the presence of several congressional speakers. We encourage you to sign up for and participate in the Capitol Hill visits which will take place on June 27- 28.

Among some of the distinguished speakers scheduled to attend the session are: Rep. Ed Whitfield, Sen. Jeff Sessions, Rep. Sherrod Brown, Rep. Anne Northup, Rep. Bart Stupak, Rep. Bobby Jindal, Rep. Frank Pallone, Rep. John Shimkus, and Rep. Ben Chandler.

To date 31 states have member participation in the Capitol Hill visits. The remaining states without representation are: Alaska, Arizona, colorado, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, N. Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming. If your state has no representation, register today - this is your opportunity to make your voice heard.

Please register early – late registrants (after June 12) may not be able to meet with their state representative. We will make every effort to schedule your request but to increase the likelihood of your visit; we strongly encourage you to register soon.

Don’t miss this opportunity to “make your voice heard.” The Annual Meeting Brochure along with registration and hotel information can be found on the ASIPP Web site. Make Plans to Attend ASIPP Annual Meeting-Register online today! Or if you have questions, call us directly at 270.554.9412.

http://www.asipp.org/meetings.htm

Test Results Mailed Today

The results to the 2006 Competency Exams are in and were mailed out today. The passing rates for the exams are as follows:

Coding, Compliance and Practice Management - 79%

Coding, Compliance and Practice Management Expert (non-physician) - 71%

Controlled Substance Management - 75%

Associate Certificate in Controlled Substance Management (non-physician) - 75%

The Spine Diagnostic Center and ASIPP Challenges Louisiana Board

With support from ASIPP, the Spine Diagnostic Center of Baton Rouge, Inc. is heading back to court to challenge the Louisiana State Board of Nursing.

In a January 26, 2006 letter to Keogh, Cox & Wilson, Ltd., the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners announced its ruling that interventional pain management procedures “constitutes the practice of medicine and may only be performed in this state by a physician licensed to practice medicine in Louisiana.”

Although the January ruling sets precedence for the other states that face similar issues with CRNAs seeking to perform interventional pain procedures, the Spine Diagnostic Center is asking the court to determine if the Louisiana State Board has actually made a ruling in their original determination on scope of practice. If the court determines that the board as made a rule, they would be required to go through a notice and comment process with the determination. This process requires the rule to be published in a manner that makes it available to the public and then to accept comments regarding the rule and finally to address these comments.

See the Judgment on Application for Preliminary Injunction

CMS Unlikely to Extend Specialty Hospital Moratorium

The latest obstacle stopping new physician-owned specialty hospitals from opening their doors is set to fall in a matter of months, but congressional critics of the facilities are already calling for new government rules on how they can operate.

The leaders of the Senate Finance Committee are asking the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to require greater disclosure when physicians refer patients to specialty facilities in which they have an ownership interest. Such mandated transparency would include not only physician investments involved but also the quality and level of care that the patient would receive at the specialty facility compared with a full-service community hospital.

The issue grew heated last week as two powerful U.S. senators applied pressure on CMS to deal with quality and safety concerns through the enforcement of regulation and oversight. They argued for more information on the oversight of such facilities and one hospital that has become a poster child in the controversy was fighting to stay in the Medicare program.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said in a news release, "Patient care should always come before profit, and these reports should help us understand these facilities better to ensure that this is the case."  Montana Sen. Max Baucus, the committee's ranking Democrat support his stance that physician-owned specialty hospitals should not be permitted, saying, “One thing we should not be promoting is the development of more facilities…that are hospitals in name only.”

CMS in April took steps to address complaints that physician-owned specialty hospitals focus on providing more lucrative services and attract healthier, wealthier patients. Its inpatient payment rule proposes redistributing Medicare reimbursements to all hospitals over the next several years so pay is more accurately based on actual costs and severity of patient illness.

The debate likely will come to a head in August, when CMS has plans to release a strategic plan for the future of specialty hospitals. That event will coincide with expiration of a six-month congressional moratorium on Medicare participation by new specialty facilities, a provision that lawmakers tucked into a massive deficit reduction bill that became law in February.

But CMS Administrator Mark McClellan, MD, PhD said the agency does not plan to extend a suspension on Medicare payments to new physician-owned specialty hospital past August 8, 2006. McClellan told the Senate Finance Committee that specialty hospitals open for business will likely face tighter financial disclosure and transparency rules.

Registration Still Open for ABIPP Part I and Pain Medicine Board Review

ABIPP is still accepting applications to sit for the ABIPP Part 1 Exam.

Come to the “Gateway to the West” for ASIPP’s premiere Comprehensive Pain Medicine Board Review Course for physicians seeking board certification or re-certification for ABMS Pain Medicine examination or for American Board of Interventional Pain Physicians (ABIPP) Part I examination.

The exam will be held on Aug. 5 – 9 in St. Louis. This five-day in-depth review Board Review Course is a CME activity which also serves as an ideal review for the specialty of pain medicine. To register on-line or for more information on the review course or to register, visit our Web site…Meetings

Put your Board Review Course to work and apply for the ABIPP Part 1 exam which will be administered on Aug. 10, 2006.  Registration is separate for the exam and the minimum requirements for eligibility are as follows:

A primary ABMS board certification.

An active license to practice medicine in the United States.

Visit the ASIPP Web site for more information and online registration for the review … click here. Send your exam application in today!

Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Deadline Draws Last Minute Enrollees

In a news release, CMS reported that on the day of the enrollment deadline, (May 15) hundreds of thousands of people signed up in Medicare prescription drug plans. There was also an unprecedented level of interest and enrollment leading up to the 15th as evidenced by the thousands of local enrollment events, more than 2.2 million calls to 1-800-MEDICARE, historic level of online enrollments and more than 15 million page views on www.medicare.gov.

Based on 872,000 enrollments from last week that have already been processed, as well as clear indications of strong enrollment activity in the final days before the deadline, significantly more than a million additional beneficiaries have Medicare drug coverage since our last announcement of more than 37 million beneficiaries with coverage on May 9.

As a result, while we are still tabulating final enrollment numbers, more than 38 million people with Medicare -- representing more than 90 percent of all beneficiaries -- now have coverage for prescription drugs.

For enrollment information and related news releases: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/PrescriptionDrugCovGenIn/02_EnrollmentData.asp

July Cadaver Workshop and Review Course

Make plans to attend the next Interventional Techniques Review Course and Comprehensive Interventional Cadaver Workshop on July 7-9, 2006 in Memphis, TN.

The Review Course is planned as a CME activity to prepare physicians seeking board certification by ABIPP or as an in-depth review of Interventional Techniques. Additionally the Review Course will be based on the specifications of the Cadaver Workshop and will assist in preparation for ABIPP Part I or Part II (FIPP) examinations.

Learn more about the course, workshop, and hotel information and REGISTER ONLINE at: asipp.org

Pain Physician Journal Now Accepting Article Submissions

The Pain Physician Journal, recently included and indexed on MEDLINE, is accepting manuscript submittals for publication consideration. Pain Physician is a peer-reviewed, multi-disciplinary journal written by and directed to an audience of interventional pain physicians, clinicians and basic scientists with an interest in interventional pain management and pain medicine.

Pain Physician is the official publication of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP). Pain Physician requires that all manuscripts be prepared in accordance with the uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals, with the exception of reference citations and format. For information on manuscript submittals go to http://www.painphysicianjournal.com/infoforauth1.php Submit articles to: editor@painphysicianjournal.com

National News

New Orleans a Health Professional Shortage Area

The Health Resources and Services Administration Bureau’s Health Professionals National Center for Health Workforce Analysis recently designated Orleans Parish a health professional shortage area. The designation will give New Orleans physicians a 10% increase in Medicare reimbursements for certain services.

For more information follow the links below:

http://www.dhh.louisiana.gov/offices/news.asp?ID=88&Detail=857

http://www.cms.hhs.gov/

Vermont Passes Health Insurance Reform Plan

Vermont's governor Jim Douglas signed a bill on Thursday that would make the state the second in the nation with near-universal health-care insurance by extending coverage to as much as 96 percent of its residents by 2010.

The law comes just a month after neighboring Massachusetts passed the nation's first near-universal health-care reform plan, which aims to provide insurance to about 95 percent of the state's half-million uninsured residents by 2009.

Read the Reuters article

HHS Approves Historic Medicaid Reform Plans in Idaho

Medicaid beneficiaries in Idaho will be among the first in the nation to have benefits designed to meet their needs based on age and health status -- changes allowed by the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA), HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt announced today.

Prior to enactment of the DRA states could not target benefits to one certain group of enrollees. The DRA, signed into law February 8, granted states sweeping new options for designing their Medicaid programs -- the first major revision to the program since its inception.

"Idaho is on the cutting edge in crafting Medicaid benefit packages to the needs of its residents and I commend Governor Kempthorne for this innovative work," Secretary Leavitt said. "These changes make sense for beneficiaries and the very future of the Medicaid program."

Under the plan, Idaho will offer three benefit packages aimed at meeting the health care needs of different groups -- children, people with disabilities and beneficiaries who are eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare. All of these packages are voluntary. Any enrollee who chooses one of the new plans can "opt out" at any time and return to standard Medicaid.

See the HHS news release

Member News

ASIPP member W. Scott Shaffer, 43, passed away Saturday, May 27, 2006, in Wichita Falls. Services will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, June 1, 2006, at Colonial Baptist Church with Darrell Brown, associate pastor, officiating. Burial will be in Crestview Memorial Park under the direction of Lunn's Colonial Funeral Home. On May 27, 2006 ASIPP member Wesley Scott Shaffer, MD, passed away

Dr. Shaffer completed his anesthesiology residency with specialized training in pain management techniques in 1992 at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, where he was appointed as Chief Resident 1991-1992. Dr. Shaffer was co-founder of the Pain Rehabilitation Group in Wichita Fall. He was also active with the Austin Smiles program, bringing medical and dental services to El Salvador and other countries.

ASIPP wishes to extend our deepest condolences to Dr. Shaffer’s family and staff. Memorials may be made to the MSU Scholarship Fund or to Hospice of Wichita Falls.

State Society News

Georgia Society – GSIPP

Second Annual Summer Meeting - July 21-23

The second annual summer meeting for the Georgia Society of Interventional Pain Physicians "Pain Summit At Lake Oconee” will be held on July 21-23 at Lake Oconee in Greensboro, GA.

It is strongly suggested that all physicians attending the meeting should stay at the Ritz Carlton (800-241-3333) in the reserved GSIPP block of rooms. If this becomes full, or if you’re seeking an alternate to the Ritz, there are two nearby hotels: Jameson Inn, Greensboro, 706-453-9135; and The Lodge, Greensboro, 706-485-7785. Both are about six miles from the meeting facility.

See the GSIPP brochure for registration and meeting information. Please mail your registration form and check early – we anticipate this meeting WILL fill up!

California Society - CSIPP

The California Society of Interventional Pain Physicians held its third Annual Meeting on May 17, 2006, in Costa Mesa, CA, featuring Carl Brakensiek, MBA, JD, Executive Vice President of the California Society of Industrial Medicine and Surgery. Dr. Brakensiek gave a stimulating and informative presentation on the impact of the 2003 and 2004 reforms in Workers’ Compensation and upcoming legislative efforts to refine those reforms and clarifying case law.

Election for officers were held, with results as follows:

Standiford Helm II, M.D. as President, Francis Riegler, M.D. as CEO, Mike Tassos CPA as Secretary Treasurer and Ed Anderson, M.D., Phyliss Cullen, M.D., K.A. Erdmann, Jan Maddox, M.D., Rebecca Patchin, M.D., Ray d'Amours, M.D and Miguel Dominguez, M.D. as Directors.

Dr. Helm presented a review of the year’s activities:

• Working with the CA Medicare Medical Director, Dr. Quinn, to ensure that the transition to use of the KD modifier for pump refills was understood both by Medicare and by interventional physicians;
• Ongoing involvement with the Division of Workers’ Compensation to ensure that an interventionalist is on the committee to develop new treatment guidelines; and
• Introduction of AB 2896, which would bring California’s Prescription Monitoring Program into Compliance with NASPER, and CSIPP’s role in supporting that legislation.

The meeting was enjoyed by all and an example of the Society’s continuing importance to and usefulness for interventionalists in California!

 Stan Helm, M.D. presents CSIPP’s past accomplishments

Illinois Society - ISIPP

The Illinois State Society held a special meeting on May 5, in conjunction with the ASIPP Competency Review Courses, at the Westin on Michigan Avenue in Chicago. ISIPP president Scott Glaser, M.D. reported on the status of Illinois’ progress on their bill to implement a controlled substance monitoring program which will meet the requirements of NASPER. The Illinois state bill is currently stalled in committee but it is hoped that it will be revived again after the November elections. A physician’s advisory committee will meet this summer to work on the bill’s passage.

Honored speakers at the event were ASIPP CEO, Laxmaiah Manchikanti, M.D. and Representative Judy Biggert (R-IL). Biggert has been a friend to IPM and AIPP and when approached in 2004 for her support of NASPER, she understood the need and demonstrated her support by co-sponsoring it in the House of Representatives. Biggert spoke on several issues important to physicians, such as HHS funding for NASPER and pay-for-performance.

(Rep. Biggert with Manchikanti, Glaser, and ISIPP members)