·  Get Involved - You Will Learn: Stay for Capitol Hill Visits and Get Hotel Room Refund

·  ABIPP Application Deadlines Set

·  New Study Shows 49 Percent Rise in Emergency Department Visits for Drug Related Suicide Attempts by Females Aged 50 And Older from 2005 to 2009

·  Prescription Drug Abuse Legislation Nixes 'Pill Mills'

·  Rangers' Boogaard Died of Alcohol, Oxycodone Mix

·  Next Steps On Medicare Reform Now

·  ASIPP Webinar Series: NCCI Coding: Guidelines, Edits, and Modifiers

·  Medicaid Physician Pay Swept Up in Battle over Funding and Access

·  Congress Eyes New Medicare Payment Models

·  Register Today to Attend August Board Review, Controlled Substance Management, and Coding, Compliance and Practice Management Courses

·  Medco, Verizon Partner To Make Pharmacy Information Mobile

·  State Society News

·  Physicians Wanted

Get Involved - You Will Learn: Stay for Capitol Hill Visits and Get Hotel Room Refund

Once again this year ASIPP is incorporating a Legislative Session & Capitol Hill Visits into our Annual Meeting and we hope you will plan to attend. As an incentive for you to join us, ASIPP will reimburse your hotel for Monday and Tuesday nights if you attend this portion of the meeting.

On Monday at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Washington, DC, the legislative portion of the meeting kicks off with a lecture from Steve Selbst: CEO of Healthcents, LLC, "The Voyage into the New Health Care System - Navigating Through Insurance Contracting" followed by an interactive presentation given by grassroots advocacy trainer, Joseph C. Gagen.

After a special lunch presentation, we will begin preparing for our Capitol Hill visits on Tuesday. If you have never gone to Capitol Hill before, don't worry, this session will leave you feeling prepared and confident.

On Tuesday morning will we travel as a group to Capitol Hill where we will hear speeches from several senators and representatives in the historical Kennedy Caucus room. We currently have acceptances from Rep. Ed Whitfield, Rep. Frank Pallone, Sen. Sherrod Brown, Rep. Andy Harris, Sen. Ben Nelson, Rep. Ben Chandler and Sen. David Vitter. We are adding names to this already impressive list.

Click HERE to see the NEWLY REVISED meeting content. If you are not already registered, I encourage you to do so today and begin making plans to attend this extraordinary meeting.

Register Today!

ABIPP Application Deadlines Set

ABIPP will accept applications for ABIPP Part I examination until June 30, 2011. The examination will be held on August 6, 2011 in St. Louis, MO at the Chase Park Plaza Hotel.

Applications for those taking ABIPP Part II must be received no later than July 31, 2011. The Part II Practical examination will be held on September 9-10, 2011 in Memphis, TN at the Hilton Memphis and the Medical Education and Research Institute.

.Applications and additional information can be found on the abipp.org Web site. Questions can be directed to Melinda Martin at 270-448-4985 or mail to:abipp@abipp.org

ABIPP Application

New Study Shows 49 Percent Rise in Emergency Department Visits for Drug Related Suicide Attempts by Females Aged 50 And Older from 2005 to 2009

A new national study shows that from 2005 to 2009 (the most recent year with available figures) there was a 49 percent increase in emergency department visits for drug related suicide attempts by women aged 50 and older -- from 11,235 visits in 2005 to 16,757 in 2009. This increase reflects the overall population growth of women aged 50 and older.

The report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) also shows that, while overall rates for these types of hospital emergency department visits by women of all ages remained relatively stable throughout this period, visits involving particular pharmaceuticals increased. For example, among females, emergency department visits for suicide attempts involving drugs to treat anxiety and insomnia increased 56 percent during this period - from 32,426 in 2005 to 50,548 in 2009.

Similarly, emergency department visits for suicide attempts among females involving pain relievers rose more than 30 percent from 36,563 in 2005 to 47,838 in 2009. The rise in the number of cases involving the misuse of two narcotic pain relievers, hydrocodone and oxycodone was particularly steep. There was a 67 percent increase in the number of cases involving hydrocodone (from 4,613 in 2005 to 7,715 in 2009), and a 210 percent increase in the number of these cases involving oxycodone (from 1,895 in 2005 to 5,875 in 2009).

SAMSHA

Prescription Drug Abuse Legislation Nixes 'Pill Mills'

Ohio now has a way to weed out "pill mills" from legitimate pain management clinics after Gov. John Kasich signed legislation Friday afternoon aimed at confronting the supply side of prescription drug abuse.

Abuse of medication, especially prescription pain relievers in the opiate family, has been called an "epidemic" by Kasich and the Ohio Department of Health. From 2004 to 2009, the latest state data available, an average of three to four people were dying every day from unintentional drug overdoses in Ohio.

Rep. Dave Burke, a pharmacist in Marysville, and his fellow Republican Rep. Terry Johnson, a Portsmouth doctor, sponsored the bill. Burke said the details of the implementation still need to be finalized and future actions on substance abuse treatment and prescriber and patient education need to follow.

Newark Advocate

Rangers' Boogaard Died of Alcohol, Oxycodone Mix

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - The death of New York Rangers enforcer Derek Boogaard was an accident, due to a toxic mix of alcohol and the powerful painkiller oxycodone.

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner announced Boogaard's cause of death Friday, saying it was unclear exactly when the 28-year-old died. Boogaard was found dead in his Minneapolis apartment last Friday, five months after he sustained a season-ending concussion with the New York Rangers.

The medical examiner said no private data on Boogaard would be released, but a statement his family issued through the National Hockey League Players Association indicated the 6-7 Boogaard had been struggling with pain and addiction.

.

USA Today

Next Steps On Medicare Reform Now

While there is broad agreement that we can no longer afford a delay in addressing the quality and cost challenges facing Medicare and our health system, differences on views about the solution run deep. Supporters of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) emphasize further steps in reforming traditional Medicare payments and in how healthcare is regulated, while critics of the legislation emphasize more choice, flexibility and responsibility for patients. My own belief is that major steps in both provider and consumer reforms are needed to work together to support better care at a lower cost - real healthcare reform.

Whatever form it takes, Congress might not be able to enact comprehensive legislation on Medicare's cost and quality issues now. Yet Congress can make meaningful progress in reforming Medicare's physician payment system to encourage innovation by providers and better choices by consumers. The way Medicare pays physicians and health professionals is the linchpin for real reform because of the importance of physician decisions in overall healthcare quality and cost.

.

The Hill

ASIPP Webinar Series: NCCI Coding: Guidelines, Edits, and Modifiers

Join us for ASIPP's Lunch and Learn webinar series to assist in learning the NCCI rules and regulations you need. You can register for one webinar only from the list below or register for all three. If you register for the 3-Part series prior to the first webinar, you will receive a special NCCI bundle price. If you register for only one webinar, you may register for another NCCI webinar from the list below at the regular price.

June 1- Guidelines: $125 Regular | $300 Bundle 11:00am-12:30pm CST Understanding the bundling edits for pain management can be daunting to learn all the rules. Join Debbie Farmer as she walks through Series 1, Surgical Guidelines, walks with step by step guidelines. Learn how you can use these guidelines to help you protect the practice from unwanted attention by federal and commercial carriers. Commercial payors may have their own edits or may not have any edits, but coders and providers still need to have an understanding of services that are bundled by CPT surgical guidelines. The first segment will provide general bundling edits, appropriate modifiers and when you can append these modifiers.

June 8- Edits: $125 Regular | $300 Bundle 11:00am-12:30pm CST Series 2 will review the three types of edits (Column I & II, Mutually Exclusive and Medically Unlikely) and what information is provided in each of these three edits. Understand if it is appropriate to unbundle the edits for separate payment and what does a terminated edit mean to the practice. Learn how to use each of the edits with practical coding examples

.June 15- Modifiers: $125 Regular | $300 Bundle 11:00am-12:30pm CST Series 3 will review the appropriate modifiers which allow unbundling of edits Understanding when it is appropriate and necessary to append modifiers could keep the practice from an unwanted review. Appropriate modifier usage can also make sure that the practice receives the payment that it is entitled to receive. Debbie Farmer will walk the coders through examples based on the information learned throughout the three segments.

Register now!

Medicaid Physician Pay Swept Up in Battle over Funding and Access

Even as House Republicans started moving a bill that would give cash-strapped states more flexibility to roll back Medicaid eligibility standards, Obama administration officials were proposing new standards for states to maintain access to care for enrollees. The rule could create an obstacle to states that want to reduce Medicaid physician pay.

The two proposals highlight the fight between congressional Republicans, who want to ease federal Medicaid requirements on states, and the administration, which is trying to preserve Medicaid coverage in advance of a major program expansion under the health system reform law.

On April 29, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services unveiled the proposed rule, which would establish a three-part standard for states to measure access to health care in their individual Medicaid programs. The agency said the proposal is intended to guide states on how they can control Medicaid spending without squeezing beneficiary access.

AMA News

Congress Eyes New Medicare Payment Models

Key lawmakers are expressing support for transitioning away from the current Medicare payment system toward several different pay models. On May 12, the House Ways and Means health subcommittee held the first in a series of hearings on physician payment in the Medicare system. By starting these hearings early in the year, Rep. Wally Herger (R, Calif.), the panel's chair, said he hopes Congress will achieve meaningful payment reform before Medicare doctor rates are cut by nearly 30% on Jan. 1.

AMA news

Register Today to Attend August Board Review, Controlled Substance Management, and Coding, Compliance and Practice Management Courses

Make your plans today to attend the ASIPP Board Review, Controlled Substance Management, and Coding, Compliance and Practice Management Courses scheduled during the week of August 1-6 in St. Louis, Mo.

August 1-5, 2011 ASIPP Board Review Course Register Brochure

August 6, 2011 ABIPP Part I Examination (ABIPP application must be submitted prior to the exam for approval)

August 1-3, 2011 Comprehensive Review Course in Controlled Substance Management (August 1 -August 2) and Competency Examination (August 3) Register

August 4-6, 2011 Comprehensive Review Course in Coding, Compliance and Practice Management (August 4-5) and Competency Examination (August 6) Register

Register today

Medco, Verizon Partner To Make Pharmacy Information Mobile

FRANKLIN LAKES, NJ - Medco Health Solutions is teaming up with Verizon to help patients access their prescription drug history from any location and identify alternatives to costly prescription drugs.

The Medco Pharmacy mobile app, available on Verizon Wireless Android handsets and Blackberry devices, gives patients the opportunity to review their medication history and drug plan at any time - including the doctor's office. With real-time access to that data, a patient can discuss with his or her doctor any drug safety or coverage issues as well as cost-saving opportunities.

"The Medco Pharmacy mobile app provides innovative patient-specific pharmacy information that doesn't exist anywhere else in the healthcare system," said Tom Feitel, senior vice president of imagineering and innovation for Medco, based in Franklin Lakes, N.J. "It puts actionable information in front of patients so they're able to share it with their physicians, even while still in the exam room, or the pharmacist before dispensing. It provides personalized results for the more than 65 million members we serve."

Healthcare Finance News

State Society News

GSIPP Annual Meeting 2011 Aug. 5

The GSIPP 7th Annual Pain Summit will be held Friday, August 5th thru Sunday August 7th at the Ritz Carlton Lodge on Reynolds Plantation.

For more information email info@gsipp.com

CASIPP Second Annual Meeting set for June 3-5, 2011 in Santa Barbara

The California Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (CASIPP) is proud to present the Second Annual Meeting June 3-5 2011 in Santa Barbara. As with last year's successful event, CASIPP will welcome leading experts to lecture on clinical techniques, political issues and state programs relevant to the Pain Management physician and staff.

Earn eight CME credits while enjoying the luxurious grounds of the Four Seasons Biltmore Resort. To sweeten the deal, the Biltmore has offered discounted rooms to those who register early for the meeting!

Registration is easy online at https://www.casipp.com/register.html.

New Jersey Society of Interventional Pain Physicians

Will hold a meeting on June 9, 2011 from 6:30 pm - 10:30 pm at Pines Manor in Edison, NJ. For more information call Lisa Hansen at 732-297-2600 or e-mail: njsipp_lisah@yahoo.com

Arizona Society of Interventional Pain Physicians Newsletter Available

The Arizona Society of International Pain Physicians has released its quarterly newsletter. Click HERE to read.

Physicians Wanted

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

Physicians Wanted