September 27, 2007

Act Now to Prevent 5.1% Cut – Time is Running Out

We have only one more week before congress recesses for the mid-term elections. House Energy and Commerce Chairman Barton and House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee Chairwoman Nancy Johnson (R-CT), have drafted different proposals to stop the cuts and give physicians a small payment increase. The Energy and Commerce Committee has scheduled a hearing for Thursday on the issue. While Senate Finance Chairman Grassley and ranking member Max Baucus, (D-MT), are also working on legislation to reverse the cuts.

Many of you have responded to our request to contact your senators and representatives regarding the potentially devastating proposed 5.1% cut to physicians’ reimbursement rates which for many of us could actually range from 12% to 38%. We must act now or we will pay later! 

Sample letters are located on the ASIPP Web site or you may send your congressional letters through Capwiz by the links below.

Physicians should follow the link provided to the Capwiz Web site: http://capwiz.com/asipp/issues/alert/?alertid=9037126&type=CO

Once on this site you simply insert your name and mailing information and the letter is automatically sent for you.

Staff members should follow this link for their letter: http://capwiz.com/asipp/issues/alert/?alertid=9037151&type=CO

Patients can also go to Capwiz and sign their letter as well: http://capwiz.com/asipp/issues/alert/?alertid=9037151&type=CO

You may customize your letter through Capwiz by choosing the print option or you may click on the link below to access a copy of the letters send on your own personal or business letterhead. You will also find the sample letters on the ASIPP home page: www.asipp.org Immediate action is needed. Without support of each and every physician in the country we won’t be able to survive. Please get your colleagues, staff, patients and friends to support these issues. Let congress hear from you today.

Send Comment Letters to CMS: Prevent Cuts for Interventional Pain Management 

ASIPP has already sent a formal comment letter but additional correspondence from individual members is necessary. We have proposed that the drastic cuts for interventionalists be prevented with a one year moratorium until the expense survey is released or do this over a period of 4 years rather than rewarding evaluation and management services immediately to the full extent and punishing others.

Send your comment letter to CMS on the proposed rule for the 2007 physician fee schedule. Comment letters must be submitted (one original and two copies) to CMS at the following address: CMS-1321-P 3

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services,

Department of Health and Human Services,

Attention: CMS-1321-P

P.O. Box 8015

Baltimore, MD 21244-8015

All comment letters must be MAILED by 5 p.m. on Oct. 07, 2006. Also please send 1 copy to your Representative in the House and 1 copy to each Senator. A sample comment letter can be found on the ASIPP Web site:  http://www.asipp.org/documents/ModelPhysicianCommentLetter.doc.

Register for the October Cadaver Workshop and Review Course

Make plans to attend the next Interventional Techniques Review Course and Comprehensive Interventional Cadaver Workshop on October 21-22, 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: http://www.asipp.org/meetings.htm

Prevent IPM extinction; Enroll as 09 Designation

As we enter into discussions with CMS regarding the practice expense survey, we are faced with the need to increase our 09 interventional pain management specialty designation. Currently CMS is claiming there are too few interventional pain management physicians, consequently this will significantly weaken our strength as we deal with issues related to practice expense survey.

We need every member to join this effort. ASIPP would like to know if you have changed your specialty designation to 09. If you are not an interventional pain physician and do not practice interventional pain management 50% of the time, you should register as pain medicine (72). This is extremely important; this is the one opportunity we have to prevent radical deterioration of our specialty. If we do not act, we can only blame ourselves for our demise.

ASIPP is also working with ISIS and AAPM to improve the registration of specialty designation. We need to hear from you as to how you are registered so that we can work with CMS and AMA on this issue. A survey letter will arrive to all members soon but you can also find the survey letter on the ASIPP Web site

Click here to download the CMS form to change your specialty designation.

CMS Names Acting Administrator

Leslie Norwalk, former acting chief of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), has been named acting director for CMS. Norwalk succeeds Mark McClellan who announced his resignation last month.

Read AP article

AB 2986 Brings California into NASPER Conformance

On September 14, 2006 AB 2986 was signed into law bringing California law into conformity with the federal National All Schedules Prescription Electronic Reporting (NASPER) Act of 2005. By doing so, the State will qualify for federal grant monies to help cover the cost to monitor these prescriptions.

The bill includes Schedule IV controlled substances within the CURES (Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System) and requires more frequent reporting of controlled substance data.

See AB 2986

Enact NASPER in Your State

If you state has not yet enacted the NASPER program, please look at the comprehensive report on Kentucky’s Prescription Monitoring Program, prepared by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services on March 29, 2006. This report provides significant guidance in the development of a new program as well as information for existing programs.

http://www.chfs.ky.gov/oig/kasper/

For more information on NASPER go to the KASPER Web site: http://www.chfs.ky.gov/oig/KASPER.htm

KY Workers’ Comp. Considers Treatment Guidelines

In order to help control health care costs, Kentucky Workers’ Compensation is considering the adoption of various evidence-based treatment guidelines as coverage criteria. KY IPM physician and ASIPP board member, Elmer Dunbar, MD, is serving on this medical committee and continues to support the additions that support spinal cord stimulation and intrathecal drug delivery. One such guideline in consideration is the Official Disability Guidelines which has been recently updated to recommend appropriate uses of these.

Surgery Center Stock Drops

Shares of many surgical center companies fell last week after Bank of America downgraded the entire sector, citing decreasing case volume and Medicare’s new fee schedule.

Read more in the  Business Week Online

IOM Report on Drug Safety Released

In response to growing public concern with health risks posed by approved drugs, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services announced a series of steps to address drug safety, including asking the IOM to convene a committee to assess the U.S. drug safety system and to make recommendations to improve risk assessment, surveillance, and the safe use of drugs.

In its report, The Future of Drug Safety: Promoting and Protecting the Health of the Public, the committee considered the drug safety system as the sum of all activities conducted by FDA and other stakeholders to monitor, evaluate, improve, and ensure drug safety.

To order the report, go to the IOM Web site.