The AMA has informed ASIPP that we have met the requirements for eligibility to hold a seat on the House of Delegates.

The Specialty and Service Society (SSS) Credentials Committee reviewed ASIPP's application and in a report to the Committee, has recommended our representation in the House of Delegates.

Upon approval by the committee, it will then go to the AMA Board for discussion in April and if approved the recommendation will be adopted in June 2009.

Thanks and congratulations to all the members who responded to our call for help. Each member who acted by joining or who was already an AMA member has helped bring us one step closer to our goal; a seat and a voice in the AMA House of Delegates.

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/

There are still a few openings for the December Cadaver Workshop, Dec. 5- 7 , will feature instruction in basic, intermediate and intradiscal therapy procedures. The workshop will be preceded by a review course in fluoroscopic interpretation with an optional competency examination.

The course will be held in Memphis, TN at the Westin Memphis Beale Street and the Medical Education & Research Institute (MERI).

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In response to members' request for connect with other members, ASIPP now offers a Member's Only Web page to enable members to discuss issues important interventional pain management issues.

The service will be available to all active members in good-standing. We encourage you to log on and take advantage of this new feature.

Member Blog: Once on the "Members Only" page, click on the "Members Blog" button to access or use the link indicated to go directly to the blog. http://asippme mbersite.org/blog Name: ASIPP Password: memberblog (Case sensitive)

A "Dr Finder" site is now under construction and will be available soon. This feature will allow members to search for physicians by name, location, and/or specialty.

Log on today and get connected.

As nonprofit health plans holding billions of dollars in surplus ask regulators to help them, some in organized medicine have joined the call for those insurers to at least account for why their reserves need to be so high (Berry, American Medical News, Oct. 27, 2008).

"They've had certain nonprofit tax exemptions, they've been allowed to accumulate money, and we feel some of this money could be put to better use for the public," said Michael Sandler, MD, president of the Michigan State Medical Society.

There's not much to cheer about in Medicare's 2009 update to the ASC payment system. No inflation update for the second straight year, and decreasing payment rates for each of the 10 highest-volume ASC procedures. Here's a recap, based on an ASC Association analysis.

See final 2009 ASC payment rates.

Doctors across California and in two other Western states are owed millions of dollars in backlogged Medicare reimbursements, leading some physicians to turn away elderly patients and pushing others to the brink of bankruptcy. Doctors across California and in two other Western states are owed millions of dollars in backlogged Medicare reimbursements, leading some physicians to turn away elderly patients and pushing others to the brink of bankruptcy.

In the most extreme cases, doctors have not been paid since February. Others are owed hundreds of thousands of dollars. Doctors who serve high numbers of Medicare patients say they are defaulting on rent, laying off staff and begging drug suppliers not to stop shipments. One cardiologist said she's even resorted to doing the office laundry to cut costs.

The OIG recently completed its review of CMS's oversight with regard to HIPAA Security, and the result is alarming. OIG had some harsh words for CMS's efforts, saying it has taken "limited actions," resulting in little oversight or enforcement, and that it has "no effective mechanism to ensure that covered entities are complying or that electronic protected health information is being adequately protected." CMS agreed with OIG that it needs to step up oversight, specifically the conducting of compliance reviews.

Would your facility be ready if CMS came knocking? Although this report primarily covers hospitals, we all know that ASCs face greater scrutiny. And in a bureaucratic double-standard, any breach of HIPPAA Security in an ASC would be further ammunition for the anti-ASC establishment would use it for maximum effect.

In your advertising, you are working to reach the average American listener, reader, or viewer. If you are going to be successful, there are certain words or phrases that you must use. These words are accepted and trusted by the vast majority of Americans, so they will make your advertising successful (DeJesus, Oct. 17, 2008, MD Info News).

In compliance with Section 915 of the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007, the FDA has launced a Web site containing links to postmarket drug safety information to improve transparency and communication to patients and healthcare providers.

The site provides links to information on drug labels; medications with risk evaluation and mitigation strategies; postmarket studies; information from MedWatch; and quarterly reports on drugs being evaluated for safety issues.

The Washington State Society has created a survey for Interventional Pain Medicine physicians for the purpose of gathering information from practitioners who have actual experience with Electronic Medical Records (EMR) and Practice Management systems.

The survey goal is to collect enough data to help those who are in the process of EMR evaluating systems for purchase. The results will hopefully help to minimize purchase mistakes and save IPM physicians time and money.

The survey goal is to collect enough data to help those who are in the process of EMR evaluating systems for purchase. The results will hopefully help to minimize purchase mistakes and save IPM physicians time and money. Click on the link the link below to participate in the survey and please share it with your colleagues.

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.

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ASIPP is now offering a new feature for those who advertise on our Positions Wanted section of the ASIPP Website. As a service to our advertisers and our members, please find the link to each current job posting.

Fellows hip Trained Physician - Northwest Indiana

Out patient Interventional Pain Physician - Atlanta, Georgia

Pain Management Opportunity - Pennsylvania

Entrepre neurial Opportunity - Lake Tahoe, Nevada

Florida Opportunities

Pain Medicine Fellowship Program Opportunity

BC/ BE Physiatrist - Shrewsbury, New Jersey

Part nership Opportunity - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

100% Pain Practice - Eau Claire, Wisconsin

Natio nal Pain Institute - Florida

Interv entional Pain Specialist - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

MAYO CLINIC - Cardiac Anesthesiologist

Interven tional Pain Physiatrist Wanted - Nevada