Physicians score a court victory after a rule allowing advanced registered nurse practitioners to supervise the radiological procedure is reversed.

An Iowa judge has overturned a state rule that allowed nurse practitioners to supervise fluoroscopy, ruling in favor of doctors who opposed the regulation.

The decision protects patients from risks associated with undertrained medical professionals overseeing the procedure, opponents of the rule said.

"This is really a patient safety issue," said family physician Lawrence Hutchison, MD, president of the Iowa Medical Society. "Radiologists have to have special training in order to supervise fluoroscopy. How can a nurse practitioner with no formal training supervise this procedure?"

The American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP), is greatly concerned about three regulatory issues: single dose vials for infection control, ICD-10 implementation, and electronic medical records implementation. Each one is very expensive, have not been proven with evidence, and may result in the closing of multiple practices due to escalating costs beyond imagination that could exceed the costs associated with HIPAA and Y2K.

First, ASIPP would like to thank you for all the letters regarding SGR. We are optimistic that the SGR will once again be resolved temporarily before the end of the year and we are hoping for a permanent fix coming early next year. The political climate is certainly right for this to happen. We are in a good place now with SGR and can stop sending those letters to focus on other issues.

We ask for your assistance by voicing your concern to Congress. Please take a few minutes of your time to send the following Capwiz letter to Congress and HHS. We encourage you to personalize the letter but if you prefer you may send it as it is written. Either way your letter(s) will help in the fight to save health care, your practice, and patient access.

Please get your family, staff, and patients involved as well.

Physician Capwiz Letter

Patient Capwiz Letter

For more information see ASIPP's Press Release and our letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

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

After years of criticism that it has paid billions of dollars for unnecessary procedures, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will soon ramp up efforts to rein in costs for unnecessary procedures. In 2012 CMS will perform an audit before paying for several big ticket cardiology and orthopedic procedures in certain key states. The news has provoked strong reactions from cardiologists and Wall Street.

In Florida, in fact, 100% of stent, ICD, and pacemaker implantation procedures will undergo review before payment. Similar programs will take place in California, Michigan, Texas, New York, Louisiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina, and Missouri, but the precise percentage and mix of cases that will undergo auditing has not yet been stated.

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As the New Year approaches and the future of health reform hangs in the balance, The Physicians Foundation -- a nonprofit organization that seeks to advance the work of practicing physicians and improve the quality of healthcare for all Americans -- has identified five key areas that will impact the practice of medicine in the year ahead. The Physicians Watch List for 2012 is based on research the Foundation released earlier this year, including the 2010 Health Reform Research Study and 2011 Roadmap for Physicians to Healthcare Reform Paper.

• Changing nature of medical practices. Decreased return on increased burden. Acute shortages of primary care physicians Critical need for physician leadership tools / skills.
• Impact on patients.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has released findings from the 2010 National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-SSATS).

N-SSATS is an annual census of substance abuse treatment facilities that provides data on the location and characteristics of alcohol and drug abuse treatment services throughout the United States. It also provides information on the scope and nature of how these facilities and programs are used.

The report finds that overall there was very little change in the scope and nature of these treatment facilities from 2006 to 2010.

Copies of this report and all its detailed findings are available on the Web at http://wwwdasis.samhsa.gov/10nssats/nssats2010web.pdf. For related publications and information visit the SAMHSA Web site at www.samhsa.gov/.

Between 2010 and 2020 the overall market for chronic pain therapies will remain stable at approximately $20 billion, with treatments for back pain and arthritis predicted to be the most lucrative, according to findings from healthcare research firm Decision Resources.

In its report "Chronic Pain," Decision Resources notes the chronic back pain and arthritis pain segments comprised nearly 57 percent of the overall chronic pain drug market in 2010, driven by increasing prevalence as populations age in the world's major pharmaceutical markets.

Rise in overdoses feared as doctor's arrest limits Rx access

State officials, doctors and pharmacists are teaming up to combat what they fear could be a drastic spike in drug overdoses now that one of the state's largest suppliers of a popular anti-addiction drug closed his dozens of treatment centers amid accusations of fraud.

The arrest of Dr. Punyamurtula Kishore on Medicaid fraud charges in September, and the shuttering of his 29 offices, left hundreds and possibly as many as 2,000 recovering addicts without access to Vivitrol. State officials have been scrambling to provide them with alternative sources for the popular anti-addiction medication. Meanwhile, doctors reported being swamped with calls from desperate recovering addicts.

A doctor accused of illegally distributing drugs at a Paintsville clinic plans to plead guilty, according to a court motion.

Richard W. Albert had been scheduled to go to trial next week on a federal drug charge, but his attorney filed a motion Tuesday seeking a hearing for Albert to plead guilty.

A grand jury charged Albert in July with conspiring to distribute prescription drugs without a legitimate medical reason between January 2008 and Feb. 16, 2011.

ASIPP is pleased to announce a new member benefit coming soon. We are creating a "Doctor Finder" page on the ASIPP Web site to assist patients and physicians to locate an IPM physician. In order to receive this benefit and have your name listed, you must be a physician member in good standing and give consent to ASIPP to post your name and information.

If you are a member in good-standing and you haven't already done so, please submit your consent form today. This page will be posted within the next two weeks so act today to be included.

Click on the following link to submit your authorization form and also to define the information you would like shared.

Wisconsin chapter to hold meeting Meeting

WSIPP will hold a meeting on Friday, December 9 at 6 pm. The meeting will take place at the Mason Street Grill located on 425 E. Mason St., Milwaukee.

Items on teh agenda include: planning goals for 2012, a presentation of the new IPG by Medtronic, and discussions on the political climate, the guidelines/bias of other guidelines with conflict of interest.

FSIPP Annual Meeting Dates May 18-20, 2012

The Florida Society of Interventional Pain Physicians has set the date for their next annual meeting for May 18-20, 2012 at the Gaylord Palms, Orlando, FL.

Read more about the meeting and other activities going on in the state of Florida in their newsletter. Click HERE to read latest issue.

For a complete look at the May meeting schedule and CME information, click HERE

CASIPP Annual Meeting Dates Nov. 9-11, 2012

The California Society of Interventional Pain Physicians Annual Meeting of the will be Nov. 9 -11, 2012 at the Pelican Hill Resort in Newport Beach, CA.

Go to www.casipp.com for more information.

Visit the ASIPP Web site to find available positions for IPM physicians.