June 23, 2010
ASIPP Annual Meeting Begins Saturday |
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Time is running out to register to attend ASIPP's 12th Annual Meeting, June 26-30, 2010 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City, Arlington, VA.
While current APS Guidelines created and supported by Dr. Chou and other strong proponents of Comparative Effective Research that heavily supports the rationing of patient care (including a severe reduction and possible elimination of an assortment of Interventional Pain treatments), All three physicians are renowned analyst of medical literature and research with a history of presenting strong and scientifically-based evidence and recommendations on practice guidelines including rational applications of medical procedures to appropriate individuals.
New this year, the North American Neuromodulation Society and the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians are joining forces to bring to you the 12th Annual Legislative Session. On Monday, June 28, make plans to attend the legislative prep sessions that will arm you with the knowledge and know-how to take our key issues to your legislative leaders. Tuesday morning beginning with breakfast on the Hill followed by visits from several Senators and Representatives.
Register Today! |
Senate Passes Six-Month SGR Fix |
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WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Senate has passed a bill to push back the 21% cut for physicians who treat Medicare patients until Nov. 30.
The bill -- which also gives doctors a 2.2% increase in reimbursements -- was approved by voice vote Friday afternoon, on the same day that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it would begin processing Medicare claims at the 21% lower rate.
MedPage Today |
Study Shows 111 Percent Increase in Emergency Department Visits Involving Nonmedical Use of Prescription Opioid Pain Relievers in Five-Year Period |
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From 2004 to 2008 the estimated number of emergency department visits linked to the nonmedical use of prescription pain relievers rose from 144,644 visits to 305,885 visits a year.
Visits to hospital emergency departments involving nonmedical use of prescription narcotic pain relievers more than doubled, rising 111 percent, between 2004 and 2008, according to a study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The study used data from SAMHSA's Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) emergency department system. It examined emergency department visits for nonmedical use of legal drugs, such as using them without a prescription.
The dramatic rise in emergency department visits associated with nonmedical use of these drugs occurred among men and women, as well as among those younger than age 21 and those 21 and older.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration |
Save the Date: Urine Drug Testing Webinar Set for July 15 |
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Are you confused about how you should bill for the urine drug screen testing in your Interventional Pain Management Practice? Get the Facts Straight: Steps to Urine Drug Screen Testing Compliance in your Physician Office.
Are you performing point-of-care (POC) urine drug screen (UDS) testing in your interventional pain management practice? Does your office have the correct CLIA certification? Is the test you are using the correct test for your CLIA certification? After April 1st, are you coding for your POC UDS compliantly? When should you report one of the new HCPCS "G" codes for your POC UDS testing? Which of the new HCPCS "G" codes should you report for your Medicare beneficiaries UDS testing? Are you reporting the correct units of service for the specific UDS test that you are using? Why is medical necessity important in POC UDS testing? Which ICD-9 code should you report? Is your UDS documentation up to snuff for a payer review?
Get the answers to these questions and much more in this 90 minute webinar set for 10 am CST July 15.
Speaker, Marvel J. Hammer RN, BS, CPC, CCS-P PCS, ACS-PM, CHCO, is Owner, MJH Consulting and a Coding, Billing and Compliance Consultant. An accomplished professional with considerable years of experience both in the business and medical fields. As owner of MJH Consulting and a coding, billing and compliance consultant, she provides documentation, coding and account receivable auditing and compliance evaluations. |
Obama Warns Insurance Companies Not to Unnecessarily Raise Costs |
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President Obama met with the chief executives of more than a dozen major insurance companies at the White House on Tuesday to caution them against using new requirements in the recently enacted health-care reform legislation as a pretext to substantially raise premiums.
"There are genuine cost drivers that are not caused by insurance companies. But what is also true is that we've got to make sure this new law is not being used as an excuse to simply drive up costs," the president said in a brief speech afterward. "The CEOs here today need to know that they're going to be required to justify unreasonable premium increases."
Washington Post |
Please Participate in IPM Practice Benchmark Survey |
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We are pleased to announce our second Interventional Pain Management Practice Benchmark Survey.
There is no other source for this information in the Interventional Pain Management community and we must depend on one another for this key practice information. Our purpose is to provide the ASIPP membership with timely information that you can use to compare your practice performance with your peers. The higher the level of participation, the more value the survey will have to our membership.
We urge you to complete the attached Interventional Pain Management 2010 Practice Benchmark Survey and send to Gary Janko at the earliest possible date, but certainly by the submission deadline of September 10, 2010
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Please Send Completed Survey To: ASIPP Practice Benchmark Survey c/o Gary M. Janko Executive Vice President Pain Solutions Management Group 21 Eastman Avenue Bedford, NH 03110
IPM Practice Management Survey |
Join Us in Chicago in August: 3 Courses, One Location |
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It's time to make plans to attend ASIPP's Comprehensive Pain Medicine and Interventional Pain Management 2010 Board Review Course to be held in the Windy City August 9-14. Meetings will be held at the Renaissance Chicago Hotel.
Comprehensive Pain Medicine and Interventional Pain Management 2010 Board Review Course August 9-13, 2010 - Chicago, IL Register | Brochure
Comprehensive Review in: Controlled Substance Management August 9-10, 2010 - Chicago, IL Coding, Compliance, and Practice Management August 12-13, 2010 - Chicago, IL Register | Brochure
Register today |
Indiana Anesthesiologist Charged With Healthcare Fraud, Unlawful Drug Distribution |
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Kamal Tiwari, MD, an anesthesiologist practicing in Bloomington, Ind., at The Pain Management & Surgery Center of Southern Indiana, has been charged with healthcare fraud, healthcare fraud resulting in serious bodily injury and 11 counts of unlawful drug distribution, according to U.S. Attorney Timothy M. Morrison of Southern District of Indiana.
The indictment alleges Dr. Tiwari:
- · required patients to undergo medically unnecessary injection procedures so they could receive narcotic controlled substance prescriptions;
- · that the injection procedures were performed in a frequency and pattern not medically necessary and outside the bounds of medical practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose;
- · that Dr. Tiwari prescribed controlled substances as part of a scheme to defraud healthcare benefit programs by providing drug-dependent patients with controlled substances to encourage patients to submit to unwanted and unnecessary injection procedures and other services;
- · and that he caused patients to become dependent on medically unnecessary procedures.
Becker's ASC Review |
Connecticut First State to Expand Medicaid Coverage to New Groups |
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WASHINGTON - Connecticut is the first state to permanently add low-income adults to its Medicaid program under the new Affordable Care Act, according to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.
"This is tremendous news for the state of Connecticut," said Governor M. Jodi Rell. "For many years, Connecticut has provided state assistance to ensure that our most vulnerable single adults have access to healthcare. Now with this federal help, we will be able to provide increased medical benefits for them through Medicaid while relieving the burden on state taxpayers."
Healthcare Finance News |
Physicians Sanctioned in Board Exam Cheating Scandal |
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The American Board of Internal Medicine has sanctioned 139 physicians for allegedly exchanging test questions from the board's certification exam.
Five physicians also face complaints filed by the board in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The board is claiming copyright infringement, misappropriation of trade secrets and breach of contract.
American Medical Association |
Governors urge Congress to extend FMAP funding |
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WASHINGTON - The National Governors Association is calling for Senate leaders to extend the Medicaid funding boost states were given under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
In a Tuesday letter to key Senate lawmakers, the governors said a six-month extension of the enhanced FMAP funding would be the most efficient way to help states avoid further layoffs and service cuts that could otherwise slow recovery.
Healthcare Finance News |
N.C. Health System to Launch Bundled Payment Pilot |
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LAS VEGAS - CaroMont Health, Sg2 and GE Healthcare will work together on several initiatives aimed at tackling the rising costs of delivering healthcare, officials announced Monday at ANI, the annual conference of the Healthcare Financial Management Association in Las Vegas.
CaroMont Health in Gastonia, N.C., is a regional, not-for-profit healthcare system composed of 435-bed Gaston Memorial Hospital, a 96-bed skilled nursing facility, a hospice and a network of 44 primary and specialty physician offices.
Healthcare Finance News |
Physicians Turn to Online Communications |
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Physicians who want to communicate more easily with their patients-but aren't ready to open up an IT business in their back office-are turning to online solutions. Physicians at hospitals and private practices are using Web-based programs for a variety of tasks, such as conducting e-visits, e-prescribing medications, delivering lab results to patients, and sharing medical records with patients and their other providers-with no wiring, servers, or IT staff required. And, in some regions, healthcare organizations are partnering with their biggest rivals to make it happen.
That's the case in New Jersey, where several disparate hospitals that all use their own EMR systems are collaborating to help physicians and patients communicate more effectively.
HealthLeaders Media |
Recorded ASIPP Webinars Available |
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If you missed a previous ASIPP Webinar, you can still view it online or order the CD at http://asipp.peachnewmedia.com/store/provider/provider09.php?. If you had previously registered for the webinar and missed it there will be no additional charge and you can view it at your convenience. The pdf document of the powerpoint presentation is also available. If you need help to access the recorded version you can click HERE to contact our customer support team or call us at 1-866-702-3278.
If you did not register previously, you may order the recorded webinar and view it online at your convenience or order the CD. The pdf document of the presentation will be available, as will the CME and/or CEU credit certification.
Each new webinar will be archived for future reference or purchase. Current webinar topics available are:
- Staying Ahead Of Government Enforcement Efforts. Speaker: Vicki Mykowiak, JD
- Evidence-Based Interventional Techniques: An Algorithmic Approach To Keeping It Simple, Safe, and Successful. Speaker: Laxmaiah Manchikanti, MD, ASIPP CEO and Chairman of the Board
- Coding: Be Prepared for 2010. Speaker: Joanne Mehmert CPC, CCC-PM, ACS-PM
Order Webinar |
Federal Health Care Site Coming July 1 |
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Wish finding health insurance were as easy as shopping for an airline ticket?
A federal government website that starts July 1 takes a step in that direction. The site, for the first time, will give consumers a list of all private and government health care plans for individuals and small businesses in their areas.
The nation's new health care law requires the site (www.healthcare.gov). Initially, it will provide just basic facts, such as the names of companies, health plans and Web links. Beginning in October, it will list detailed cost and benefits information. Consumer groups and insurers already are clashing over exactly what information should be displayed.
USA Today |
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Copyright © 2008
American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians ®
81 Lakeview Drive, Paducah, KY 42001
Phone 270.554.9412, Fax 270.554.5394
E-mail asipp@asipp.org
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