Rubenstein Public Relations made a press release last week announcing the launching of ASIPP's national campaign to bring clarity and awareness to the specialty of Interventional Pain Management.

It is our objective to promote a basic understanding of the various modalities and benefits our specialty can offer, and to demonstrate what it is that makes IPM physicians unique in their approach to the treatment and elimination of chronic and/or acute pain.

ASIPP believes that educating the national media, the general public, payors and even other physicians about new and emerging therapies in this rapidly expanding field is the logical and necessary next step for our specialty.

We hope you will support this effort by making a contribution to the campaign. Watch for more information on this important campaign as more plans are made and the details unfold.

Contribution Form

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 our members' requests, ASIPP now offers a Members 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 "Member 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.

CMS reported Monday it protected roughly $400 million of taxpayer dollars as improper payments for Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) decreased from 3.9 percent in Fiscal Year (FY) 2007 to 3.6 percent, or $10.4 billion, in FY 2008. The Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP improper payment rates are issued annually as part of the HHS Agency Financial Report.

A vast majority of physicians in Massachusetts say the fear of being sued is driving them to order unnecessary tests, procedures, referrals, and even hospitalizations, a phenomenon that is adding at least $1.4 billion to annual healthcare costs in the Bay State, according to a study released this week (Lazar, Boston.com, Nov. 18, 2008).

A federal appeals court in Boston on Tuesday dealt a setback to the pharmaceutical industry and companies that collect prescription data for use in drug marketing (Saul, The New York Times, Nov. 18, 2008).

Ruling in support of a New Hampshire law, the court upheld the right of states to prohibit the sale of doctor- specific prescription drug data that is widely used in pharmaceutical marketing.

A pilot program that will allow Medicare patients to make their medical records available online will cut down on paperwork headaches and help prevent unnecessary procedures, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt said Wednesday. The program is set pilot program is set to begin in January in Arizonia and Utah (Konopken, Arizona, Daily Star, Nov. 13, 2008).

Iowa's 2009 Drug Control Strategy, released Thursday by the Governor's Office of Drug Control Policy, reports that state narcotics agents have worked 79 percent more prescription drug cases this year compared to all of 2007, seizing 348 percent more diverted pharmaceuticals - mostly pain pills.

A 2005 Illinois law limiting the amount of money juries may award in medical malpractice cases unfairly targets those most seriously injured who deserve the most compensation, lawyers have told the Illinois Supreme Court. Proponents of the law asked the court not to limit what they called lawmakers' attempt to stem a healthcare crisis. The law restricts awards on non-economic damages to $500,000 against doctors and $1 million against hospitals. It was aimed at lowering medial insurance rates blamed for driving physicians out of the state (O'Connor, Chicago Tribune, Nov. 19, 2008).

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 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/

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