House and Senate leaders reached an impasse over bills containing a temporary Medicare pay patch, with just days left until the Jan. 1 deadline.

Washington -- Congress is in a standoff over legislation that would prevent a 27.4% cut to Medicare physician payments in 2012.

House and Senate lawmakers are at odds with each other over temporary measures to stabilize Medicare pay rates and payroll tax cuts next year, part of a package of legislative priorities. After a bipartisan Senate agreement on the issue was rejected by House Republicans, the Obama administration said it would instruct Medicare contractors to hold off on processing physician claims starting Jan. 1 with the hope that Congress will reach an agreement soon after the new year.

ASIPP Releases Physician Payment Fee Schedule

ASIPP has compiled a list of physician payment fees that affect Interventional Pain Physicians.

Click HERE for current Physician Payment Fee Schedule.

ASIPP is offering three different courses in one warm, wonderful, and scenic location! Join us on Februrary 24 at the beautiful Hilton Pointe Squaw Peak Resort in Phoenix, AZ.

The course choices are: Comprehensive Review Course and Cadaver Workshop with basic, intermediate, and ABIPP preparation (advanced) levels; Coding, Compliance and Practice Management Comprehensive Review Course (Feb 24-25) Competency Examination - (Feb 26); and Controlled Substance Management Comprehensive Review Course - (Feb 24-25) Competency Examination - (Feb 26)

Take this opportunity to not only break away from the cold but also earn CMEs. Consider comimg early or staying over. Bring your family and stay and play!

Brochure and Registration for Review Course and Cadaver Workshop

Coding, Complinace, and Practice Management brochure and registration

Controlled Substance Management brochure and registration

News outlets report about what the future could hold for Medicare physician reimbursements now that Congress has, so far, failed to take steps to avert a scheduled payment cut. Also, without congressional intervention, Medicare's rehab therapy caps will hit in 2012.

.

SAN DIEGO, December 18, 2011 ― Even with the American Medical Association's endorsement, a large majority of American physicians remain staunchly against Obamacare. They see the program as creating an undue burden on their practices in light of decreased reimbursement, increased bureaucratic oversight, and a complex array of unnecessary and intrusive technological mandates which will further distance them from their patients.

The following are five reasons why your doctor will not be happy working under "Obamacare":

Technology Gone Wild: Perhaps one of the most insidious and dangerous trends in modern health care is the "hit" that physicians will take in the form of mandated electronic medical records and e-prescription requirements, all bundled under Obamacare's new health information technology (HIT) requirements. Beginning last year and continuing through 2014 (when mandates and penalties begin to take effect), physicians and medical offices must start to invest between $40-80K up-front on expensive, unwieldy, and inefficient computer systems so that the federal government can track every move and detail of your medical care. These requirements will insure that your doctor spends more time looking at his or her computer screen than focusing on you during your exam.

Washington (CNN) -- The Supreme Court has carved out a week in late March to hold oral arguments in perhaps its biggest case in a decade -- the sweeping healthcare reform law championed by President Obama.

The court announced Monday it will hear 5½ hours of arguments spread over three days March 26-28.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA or ACA) was signed into law March 23, 2010, passed by a Democratic congressional majority with the support of the president. It has about 2700 pages and contains 450 some provisions.

PHOENIX- A federal grand jury in Phoenix returned a 130 count indictment against Angelo Chirban, 62, and Marilyn Chirban, 60, of Queen Creek, Arizona, for Conspiracy to Illegally Distribute Controlled Substances, Illegal Distribution of Controlled Substances, Health Care Fraud Conspiracy, Health Care Fraud, and Transactional Money Laundering.

The indictment alleges that between 2008 and 2010, Marilyn Chirban-Angelo Chirban's ex-wife and then office administrator, a non-medical provider-with the knowledge and agreement of Angelo Chirban, and using Angelo Chirban's name, signed thousands of prescriptions for controlled substances such as Oxycodone, Morphine, Methadone, Fentanyl, and Hydrocodone.

WASHINGTON -- The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has pushed back the deadline by which drug and device makers must begin the process of reporting financial relationships with doctors and teaching hospitals.

Under the "Physician Payment Sunshine" provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), drug, medical device, biologic, and medical equipment manufacturers are required to begin collecting data on financial relationships with doctors and hospitals starting on Jan. 1, 2012, and to report the relationships to CMS by March 31, 2013.

A proposal to require welfare recipients to pass a drug test - an idea being pushed by GOP lawmakers in Ohio and other states - is being questioned as an inefficient use of taxpayer dollars.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich, himself a Republican, is among those expressing reservations.

"You've got to balance the taxpayers off about what's the common-sense thing to do with the right thing to do, the compassionate thing to do," Kasich said. "What's the right thing for the kids?"

ASIPP is pleased to announce the newly published patient education book, PAIN-WISE. It is the perfect tool to provide your patients the reliable information they need and deserve.

PAIN-WISE includes complete and authoritative information for your patients including:

• Identification of various parts of the body that can cause pain, using a simple anatomy guide Tips for getting the most out of doctor's visits * Basic explanations of common interventional pain management techniques * Information on minimally invasive surgery techniques

• Explanation of implantable therapies for the treatment of severe chronic pain

Written by three ASIPP members, PAIN-WISE was edited for clarity and conciseness and features numerous illustrations and photographs to help your patients better understand their diagnosis and treatment protocols.

PAIN-WISE is a comprehensive and affordable publication you can offer to your patients to help educate them on their path to wellness.

Here's How to Order

To enable ASIPP members to provide a copy of PAIN-WISE to each patient in their care, ASIPP has made available through the publisher, a very special discount. You can purchase these books at a discounted price of up to 50% off the $15 retail price. Your cost for this must-have ASIPP patient education initiative can be as low as $7.50 per copy plus shipping and handling when purchased in quantity.

Follow the link today to order online at www.hatherleigh.com or call toll-free 1-800-367-2550 (All royalties from sales of PAIN-WISE go to a national media campaign about pain awareness supported by ASIPP.)to place your order by phone.