Register today to attend the Nov. 11-13 Comprehensive Review Course and Cadaver Workshop for Basic, Intermediate, and Comprehensive Interventional Pain Management Examination Preparation course review.

This 2½-day review course and workshop is designed for interventional pain physicians, for a review, skills improvement or to assist in preparation for Comprehensive Interventional Pain Management Examination qualifications.

ASIPP offers the most in-depth, comprehensive, and individualized programs available in interventional pain management, featuring maximum hands-on training with cadavers in a state-of-the-art facility and maximum ability to interact with other participants.

Early Bird - On or before October 18, 2011. The meeting will be held at the Hilton Memphis and the MERI Center in Memphis, TN,

click HERE to view brochure

The question of who exactly should be legally authorized to shoot powerful medications into easily injured areas of the body, like a patient's spine, dominated talk on Capitol Hill Thursday.

Lawmakers heard testimony from the medical community about rules governing the tricky job of pain management.

Members of a House Health and Human Resources subcommittee are studying the implications of HB1896, a bill that limits when nurse practitioners and other caregivers with advanced training can administer "interventional" pain medications, which are injected within a half-inch of the spinal cord.

Under the proposal, which won committee approval in the Senate but stalled in the House, these nurses would only be able to perform the procedures under the supervision of specialists.

Lawmakers walked away from their four-hour discussion generally in agreement to add government mandates for better training of nurse practitioners, assistants and physicians alike as they try to defuse a war among the competing health care occupations.

"Sometimes though, these are turf battles, and money's involved. And it's whether which side is going to end up with the most procedures to make the most money," said Rep. Mike Turner, the House Democratic Caucus chairman and a member of the panel examining who can perform the pain-management procedures.

Tennesee members are urged to write their congressmen to show their support for the Tennessee House Bill 1896.

In spite of attempts to portray physicians as unyielding and intransigent, this bill IS a compromise. Rather than restricting interventional procedures to those who are Board Certified in Pain Management, this bill would allow mid-levels to perform these procedures with proper supervision.

This is NOT a turf battle. It would be easy to allow our opponents to miscast this as a battle between those who have an MD after their name and those who do not. This is simply not true! Many MDs are not qualified to perform these procedures, either. The goal of this bill is to restrict spinal procedures to those who have had proper training.

This is NOT about access to care. Most interventional pain physicians take Tenncare. If you live in Tennessee, you are within 60 miles of a TNSIPP physician*.

This is NOT about saving money, either for the patient or the healthcare system. No one ever said that improperly trained providers were charging anything less than list price for their work. More providers performing more procedures does not equal less cost.

These new edits have been effective since 10/1/2011 and will be effective through 12/31/2011.

For detailed analysis of NCCI for most commonly used interventional techniques, please follow the following link. http://www.asipp.org/feeschedules.html

House Republicans on Thursday released their draft 2012 budget for labor, health and education programs, a giant $153.4 billion measure that moves toward the Democrats in total dollars but still challenges President Barack Obama almost across the board on labor rules and his prized education and healthcare reforms.

Total appropriations would fall $4 billion from 2011, but in line with the August budget accords, Republicans have agreed to restore at least $14.2 billion in additional reductions that had been called for by their budget resolution last April.

WASHINGTON -- As many as 170,000 Medicare beneficiaries may be "doctor shopping" in order to get multiple prescriptions of commonly abused drugs for their own use or to sell to others, a Government Accountability Office (GAO) audit of Medicare's Part D program showed.

The audit found that 170,000 Medicare beneficiaries received prescriptions from five or more doctors for any of 14 types of commonly abused prescription drugs at a cost of about $148 million to the Medicare program, according to the report, written by GAO investigator Gregory Kutz.

Most of the doctor shoppers were not on Medicare because of their age -- 71% had Part D coverage because of a disability and 72% received a Medicare Low-Income Cost-Sharing subsidy.

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Four of the country's largest private health insurers -- in what is believed to be the first collaboration of its kind -- have agreed to offer their claims data for use in health research projects in the hopes of adding to the understanding of what is driving health care costs.

The project, unveiled Sept. 20, is called the Health Care Cost Institute. It will rely on data from Aetna, Humana, Kaiser Permanente and UnitedHealth Group. Organizers said they hope to persuade other insurers to join as well.

The four companies agreed to share claims information dating from 2000 to the present and update the claims database twice a year. The data will not identify individual patients or physicians.

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WASHINGTON - The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute's (PCORI) first major funding opportunity will support approximately 40 awards totaling up to $26 million announced the organization on Wednesday.

PCORI's Pilot Projects Grant Program first round of grants will offer $13 million per year for two years. Those requesting grants may ask for up to $250,000 in direct costs per year. The grants are open to a range of organizations, including higher education institutions, nonprofit, public and commercial organizations and tribal governments.

"The PCORI Pilot Projects Grant Program will fund foundational research that will support and inform our national research priorities and agendas, which will evolve over time to reflect the needs of patients and the entire healthcare system," said Joe Selby, MD, PCORI executive director in a statement. "We know there are gaps in research and gaps in methodology that must be filled if we are to fulfill our mission of providing patients and those who care for them with high integrity, evidence-based information to support healthcare decisions and improve healthcare delivery. These pilot projects will begin to lay the ground work for our primary patient-centered research that will follow in the coming years."

Washington -- Prescription drug shortages are increasing faster than federal health officials and drug companies can address them, according to witnesses before a congressional panel.

Drug manufacturers and federal health officials disagreed about what is driving drug shortages during a House Energy and Commerce health subcommittee hearing on Sept. 23. But they agreed that the causes will require multiple solutions.

Proposed changes to federal regulations would override existing laws in 20 states and give patients access to laboratory test results without having first to talk with the physicians who ordered the tests.

The Dept. of Health and Human Services said its proposal, announced in September, could enable wider deployment of personal health record systems and give patients more control over their health care information. Yet some physicians say the changes could come at a cost, because life-altering test results delivered without the context of a doctor's explanation may increase patient anxiety and degrade the physician-patient relationship.

In 13 states, labs are forbidden from sending test results directly to patients, according to HHS. The results must go to the ordering physician or another authorized health care entity. Seven states allow labs to send test results to patients, but only with the approval of the ordering physician.

BOSTON - Contrary to popular belief, a new study has found that older physicians who are clinically busier and see more complex patients are more likely to use new EHR functionality than younger clinicians.

The findings were determined by researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), who analyzed the intervention arm of a randomized trial of new EHR-based tobacco treatment functionality. The trial included 207 clinicians and the functionality was used by 50 percent, or 103 clinicians.

KSIPP Plans Annual Meeting, Oct. 22

KSIPP is hosting its annual meeting from 10 am to 5 pm Oct. 22 at the Sloan Convention Center, Bowling Green,KY. Click HERE to view brochure.

The meeting is open to Kentucky and Indiana members. Cost is $75 for active members, $100 for non members, $50 for associate members or non-physician, non-members; and no cost for fellows. Click HERE to register.

Participants can earn up to 5 CME credit hours. Discussions will include an introduction to KASPER and a presentation by the Drug Enforcement Agency. A meeting of the Kentucky Society of Interventional Pain Physicians Board of Directors will follow the review course sessions. Lunch will be provided, but participants must reserve their seat and let organizers know which entrée they prefer: sautéed chicken or grilled vegetables. For more information, call Connie Smith at 270-781-2212.

NYSIPP to Host Symposium, Nov. 11-12

The New York Society of Interventional Pain Physicians is hosting a symposium titled: Pain Medicine Symposium 2011: Evolving Advanced Pain Therapies, November 11-12, 2011 at the Hyatt Regency, Jersey City.

Staten Island University Hospital designates this activity for a maximum of 15 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits

Early bird registration discounts available through Oct. 15. To register, go to www.etouches.com/NYSIPP

FSIPP Annual Meeting Dates May 18-20

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

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