July 6, 2011
CMS announces 2012 proposed fee schedule for Physicians, HOPDs & ASCs. |
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ASIPP is analyzing the impact of CMS's proposed fee schedules for physicians, hospital outpatient departments and ambulatory surgery centers. A more detailed analysis will be available soon. Below you will find a breakdown and link to each section.
Physician Payment rates: Under current law, providers would face steep across-the-board reduction in payment rates, based on a formula- the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) - that was adopted in the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. If it goes into effect, Medicare payment rates are projected to be reduced by 29.5 percent for services in 2012. Link for IPM Codes: http://www.asipp.org/documents/Physcians2012Proposed.pdf
HOPD Payments: The proposed rule projects an outpatient department fee schedule increase factor - more commonly called the "market basket update" - for CY 2012 of 1.5 percent (2.8 percent, based on the projected hospital inpatient market basket percentage increase for inpatient services paid under the Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) minus an estimated 1.2 percentage points multifactor productivity adjustment minus a 0.1 percentage point adjustment). Link for IPM Codes: http://www.asipp.org/documents/HOPD2012Proposed.pdf
ASC Payments: The proposed rule that would update payment policies and payment rates for services furnished to Medicare beneficiaries ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) beginning Jan. 1, 2012. Link for IPM Codes: http://www.asipp.org/documents/ASC2012Poposed.pdf |
Purchase a HIPAA CD and Join Us for Free Webinar in August |
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ASIPP is offering a free webinar with the purchase of the new HIPAA CD. The CD is available for purchase now and the webinar will be held in August.
The HIPAA security regulations were designed to protect patient protected health information that is stored and/or transmitted electronically. This includes any information that can link a patient to a medical condition, test, etc. The rules and regulations not only discuss how information is stored (e.g. in a password protected computer system) but also how the computer is stored (e.g. in a locked office with an alarm on it) and transmitted (e.g. encrypted).
Both the CD and webinar contain information on the hows and whys of HIPAA security along with sample policies and helpful worksheets. The goal is for an IPP to be able to walk through the HIPAA security requirements and implement a program that meets the rules but also fits his/her practice.
For more information, email Ray Lane at rlane@asipp.org |
Insurers mishandle 1 in 5 claims, AMA finds |
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Chicago -- Barbara McAneny, MD, says insurers' inability to consistently pay claims correctly is costing her practice a lot of money -- hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.
"I did a back-of-the-envelope calculation in my own practice and figured if I could get all of the implemented changes the AMA is working for, I could probably drop about $70,000 per physician, per year to our bottom line," said Dr. McAneny, CEO of the New Mexico Cancer Center, an oncology group of 10 doctors in Albuquerque.
Dr. McAneny, a member of the American Medical Association Board of Trustees, presented a report during the AMA Annual Meeting showing that seven top private insurers paid the wrong amount for nearly one in five claims.
AMA |
Deadline for ABIPP Part I Examination Application Extended to July 10 |
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Due to a large number of requests for an extention, ABIPP has extended the application deadline to July 10, 2011. In order for your application to to be considered, it must be postmarked on or before July 10.
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 postmarked on or before 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 e-mail to:abipp@abipp.org
ABIPP Application |
GOP doctors stand behind Medicare privatization plan |
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Washington -- Republican physician members of Congress will continue to support a House-approved plan to transform Medicare from a fee-for-service program to a voucher program, members of the GOP Doctors Caucus said.
Republican doctors in the House and Senate held a June 22 briefing to rebut claims by the Obama administration and congressional Democrats that the GOP's long-term reform plan would "end Medicare as we know it." The slogan has proved to be an effective campaign tool against vulnerable Republicans, with numerous observers concluding that the assertion helped persuade a traditionally GOP district in upstate New York to elect a Democrat during a special House election in May.
Caucus members told reporters during the briefing that the Republican plan would save the Medicare program from becoming insolvent and allow patients to choose coverage that is best for them. The caucus came out strongly against Democratic alternatives to reform Medicare. For instance, President Obama has proposed to control costs largely by strengthening the Medicare Independent Payment Advisory Board authorized by the national health system reform law.
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AMA news |
Heart Treatment Overused: Study Finds Doctors Often Too Quick to Try Costly Procedures to Clear Arteries |
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Outside of heart attacks, doctors are often too quick to use a common $20,000 procedure to treat patients suffering from coronary artery disease, a new study suggests.
About 600,000 angioplasty procedures, which almost always involve placement of a tiny metal tube called a stent, are done in the U.S. each year. Roughly 70% of these procedures are performed on patients suffering symptoms of a heart attack and aren't medically controversial. But the remainder are done on stable patients who are suffering mild symptoms or no symptoms at all. Of those, 50% are deemed appropriate, 38% uncertain and 12% inappropriate, the report says.
"One in eight is probably higher than we would like," said Paul Chan, a cardiologist at Saint Luke's Mid America Heart and Vascular Institute, Kansas City, Mo., and the study's lead author.
Wall Street Journal |
Doctors' Challenge: How Real Is That Pain? |
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A patient walks into the examining room and says, "Doctor, my back hurts and nothing works-except my Percocet." Now, the physician must decide: Is this pain for real?
Despite decades of research, doctors have few tools to measure pain objectively. Generally, they ask patients to rate it themselves from one to 10, or point to the cartoon face on the wall chart whose expression best matches how they feel.
"We don't have a pain-o-meter," says Joel Saper, director of the Michigan Head Pain and Neurological Institute in Ann Arbor, which draws about 10,000 patients a year, including some of the nation's toughest migraine cases.
Wall Street Journal |
Early Registration Ends July 11: Board Review, Controlled Substance Management, and Coding, Compliance and Practice Management Courses |
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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 1-5 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 for approval prior to the exam)
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! |
Kaiser poll shows Americans don't trust government to run Medicare |
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MENLO PARK, CA - In its June Health Tracking Poll, Kaiser Family Foundation finds that Americans generally do not have confidence in Congress or private insurers to keep Medicare financially sound.
While no group gets an overwhelming level of support from survey respondents, Americans appear to have more confidence in an independent panel of experts than the federal agency that now runs Medicare.
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Healthcare Finance News |
State Society News |
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Physicians Wanted |
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Visit the ASIPP Web site to find available positions for IPM physicians.
Physicians Wanted |
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American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians ®
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Phone 270.554.9412, Fax 270.554.5394
E-mail asipp@asipp.org
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