March 31, 2010
Congress Receives NASPER Progress Report from SAMSHA |
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Recently, SAMSHA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) sent Congress a progress report on NASPER.
NASPER, a program long-championed by ASIPP, continues to make impressive strides. According to information from the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, illicit prescription drug abuse continues to be a problem. However, there are signs that NASPER and similar state programs are having an effect. Marijuana use and illicit prescription drug use continue to be closely linked, but prescription drug abuse is trending downward. The most common source for obtaining pain relievers for non-medical use was from a friend or relative (55.9%). These friends or relatives originally obtained the drugs from a single doctor in most cases (81.7%).
Individual states are seeing the benefit of prescription drug monitoring and reporting. Right now 36 states have prescription drug monitoring programs in place; 6 states have enacted legislation and legislation is pending in 2 states. Budgetary cuts, however, might jeopardize these programs as states scramble to find ways to overcome massive budget shortfalls. Washington and Arizona, for example, have discontinued their programs due to budget problems. Moving money from the national level to the state level is one fix underway. In 2009, $2 million of federal grant money was awarded to 13 states for their own programs; another $2 million for Fiscal Year 2010 has been appropriated. States are also leading the way in information sharing. For example, Connecticut is currently developing interoperability with 6 other states. |
Opinion: ObamaCare: Repeal, Replace or What? |
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Wall Street Journal Editors asked five opponents of government-directed health care for their thoughts on our new health-care entitlement. Specifically: Now that ObamaCare is law, how should Republicans respond? Should they work to repeal some or all of it, and do they need to offer an alternative health reform proposal of their own?
Bobby Jindal, a Republican, the governor of Louisiana submitted the following response: Persistence Is the Key How about the party of "hell, no"?
After forcing through a massive health-care overhaul that the public does not want, the president and Democratic leaders in Congress are threatening us with yet another PR campaign to make us like it. Good luck with that. Meanwhile, some level of handwringing has broken out among GOP strategists. Should we push for repeal? Will it work? Is there some danger in that strategy? Click HERE to read the entire editorial.
Wall Street Journal |
DEA Proposed Regs for E-Prescribing Scheduled Drugs |
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We have learned that the attached proposed change for e-prescribing scheduled drugs will soon be published in the Federal Register. Below is the link to Joe Rannazzisi's testimony presented to the Senate Special Committee on Aging. In this presentation he announces the proposed rule.
"Finally and importantly, DEA is also pleased to announce that OMB has concluded review of an Interim Final Rule that will allow electronic prescribing of controlled substances, which will soon be published in the Federal Register. This rule will provide yet another tool for practitioners to use when prescribing a controlled substance for their patients, including those who reside in a LTCF. This rule will allow practitioner to use a computer, laptop or PDA device to send a prescription to a pharmacy from a remote location instantaneously."
The Interim Final Rule is expected to be published in the Federal Register today and will be followed by a 60-day public comment period before becoming law.
DEA |
Make Plans Today to Attend the Most Exciting ASIPP Annual Meeting Ever! |
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Mark your calendars now to attend ASIPP's 12th annual meeting will be held June 26-30,2010 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City.
We are offering three separate sessions focused on the Future of Interventional Pain Management: Evidence-Based Medicine, Comparative Effectiveness, and Practice Management. We are building on the information presented last year, while encompassing the changes in the legislation and political environment. We have several prominent speakers in the line-up, such as, Dr. Roger Chou; Dr. Gabor Racz; Medical Economist CEO, J.D. Kleinke; Founder and President of the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review; Deputy Assistant Administrator, and many others.
In addition to the information-packed presentations on EBM and Comparative Effectiveness, we will also offer a practice management series of presentations, which will cover the essential coding and compliance lectures. This series is ideal for physicians and is invaluable for their staff. You could easily consider sending your staff to this meeting as an investment. They will walk away armed with the information they need to better understand the billing and coding issues they face on a daily basis.
Since last year s gala celebration was such a success, we decided to reprise this event with a celebration in the theme of An Evening in the Windy City. The evening will start with a cocktail mixer and move right into dinner, a brief business meeting, awards, and then entertainment from comedian and hypnotist, Flip Orley. After this, we will crank-up the fun and begin an evening of socializing, dancing and celebrating. On Monday, June 28, we will prepare for our Capitol Hill visits. Tuesday morning, June 29th, we will once again go as a group to Capitol Hill and make our voices heard. This is your opportunity to speak with your representatives and senators about the legislative issues that affect you and your practice.
For more information, click HERE for the brochure.
Mark your calendar today! |
Few Openings Remain for April Documentation for Dummies |
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Make your plans today to attend the Documentation for Dummies Review Course April 23-25, 2010 - Memphis, TN.
The meeting will be held at the historic Peabody hotel in Memphis.
The Documentation for Dummies session is not only an essential element in Interventional Pain Management, but also beneficial to you as a physician and to your practice. Coding, compliance, and practice management are areas which are critical to our field yet ones in which few have adequate training. In todays environment of ever-changing regulations and litigations, we cannot afford to ignore these important and complex subjects.
Register Online Today! |
Submit your Abstract for Consideration Today |
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The Online Abstract Submission (see step-by-step procedures below) for the 12th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP) is now open. The meeting will be held June 26- June 30, 2010 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, VA.
Abstract submission deadline will be April 30, 2010. Those selected will be notified and will receive free registration to the annual meeting.
Selected abstracts will be presented along with posters at the annual meeting on Saturday June 26 or Sunday June 27.
Submit your abstract today! |
Mark Your Calendars for April 20 Webinar: How Interventional Pain Practices Can Stay Ahead Of Government Enforcement Efforts |
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Sometimes it seems like the rules change every day, and Interventional Pain Practices are supposed to keep up with it all. Vicki Myckowiak, JD of Myckowiak and Associates is here to help. In an intensely practical session, Vicki will give you the information you need to spend less time dealing with government enforcement efforts and more time enjoying the practice of medicine.
Topics will include:
- Understanding the enforcement efforts and how they specifically impact interventional pain
- Understanding the Office of Inspector General hotspots for pain
- Implementing easy and practical systems to stay compliant
Mark your calendar for April 20th at 2pm EST. More information is coming soon |
Op/Ed - Will Congress Stop Medicare Cuts Again? |
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The congressional debate over reforming the nation's health care system is now complete. Yet, the challenge of quality care for our citizens is far from resolved.
On Thursday, unless Congress acts, Maryland physicians and their colleagues across the nation will face an across-the-board cut of 21.2 percent to Medicare reimbursements, with more cuts expected to follow in the coming years. Given the current precarious state of the health care delivery system, a jolt of that magnitude would send it into shock. It's been documented in Maryland and across the country that a 21 percent cut in Medicare reimbursement would create huge shortages in physician access. The irony? All this pain and suffering can be avoided by eliminating the flawed formula that was supposed to create efficiencies.
Baltimore Sun |
Health Care Law Too Costly, Most Say |
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Nearly two-thirds of Americans say the health care overhaul signed into law last week costs too much and expands the government's role in health care too far, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds, underscoring an uphill selling job ahead for President Obama and congressional Democrats.
Those surveyed are inclined to fear that the massive legislation will increase their costs and hurt the quality of health care their families receive, although they are more positive about its impact on the nation's health care system overall.
USA Today |
Cost Issues Remain Despite Healthcare Reforms |
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In a crucial issue for South Florida, one of the two original major components of healthcare reform was pushed to the background by the time the bill was finished last week -- controlling America's world-highest healthcare costs.
For years, experts have maintained that lowering costs was as important as covering America's 45 million-plus uninsured because the issues are closely intertwined: Many can't afford insurance because it costs too much.
The issue is particularly important in South Florida, with its high rates of uninsured coupled with healthcare costs that are the highest in the nation or close to it. Any attempt to control costs will have huge effects here -- perhaps including reductions in the number of expensive tests and visits to specialists.
Miami Herald |
Pain Physician Articles Offer Health Care Insights |
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Two articles just published in the March/April issue of Pain PHysician offer insight into the current and future health care scenario.
Access these articles online: 2010;13;109-116. A Perfect Storm in Interventional Pain Management: Regulated, but Unbalanced
2010;13;E111-E140. Interventional Pain Management at Crossroads: The Perfect Storm Brewing for a New Decade of Challenges
Current Issue Pain Physician |
Patient Safety Incidents Showed Little Change in 2009, Says HealthGrades |
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While the number of patient safety incidents that occurred among hospitalized Medicare patients dipped slightly below the one million mark in 2009, the number of injured did not vary greatly from the rates in previous years, according to the new annual study from HealthGrades, an independent healthcare ratings organization based in Golden, CO.
Overall, the incidents created additional health costs of $8.9 billion annually. Also, 99,180 Medicare patients-a tenth of those who had experienced a patient safety incident-died as a result, according to HealthGrades' Patient Safety in American Hospitals study that examined data from nearly 5,000 nonfederal hospitals.
HealthLeaders Media |
Common Mechanisms of Drug Abuse and Obesity |
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Research Suggests Food Availability Could Prompt Addiction Some of the same brain mechanisms that fuel drug addiction in humans accompany the emergence of compulsive eating behaviors and the development of obesity in animals, according to research funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a component of the National Institutes of Health.
The study, conducted by researchers at the Scripps Research Institute, was released today in the online version of Nature Neuroscience and will also appear in the journal's May 2010 print issue. When investigators gave rats access to varying levels of high-fat foods, they found unrestricted availability alone can trigger addiction-like responses in the brain, leading to compulsive eating behaviors and the onset of obesity.
"Drug addiction and obesity are two of the most challenging health problems in the United States," said Dr. Nora D. Volkow, director of NIDA. "This research opens the door for us to apply some of the knowledge we have gathered about drug addiction to the study of overeating and obesity."
Department of HHS, National Institute of Health |
Medicare Physician Pay Patch Delayed During House Focus on Health Reform |
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Washington -- The Senate's March 10 approval of a tax extenders bill that would put off a 21% cut in physician Medicare payments until Oct. 1 sent the legislation back to the House for approval. But House Democratic leaders initially put the extenders bill on the sidelines until they could complete work on comprehensive health system reform.
The House passed an earlier version of the extenders bill that includes tax breaks but not the Medicare pay patch or extensions of unemployment and health assistance programs. The House could pass the Senate bill as is to send it to President Obama's desk before the next cut takes effect April 1. But the Senate voted to pay for part of the cost of the measure using budgetary offsets that Obama requested be used instead to lower the cost of national health system reform, prompting House leaders to hold off consideration until the larger reform bill was settled.
American Medical Association |
New Medical Schools Open, but Physician Shortage Concerns Persist |
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Not a single allopathic medical school opened its doors during the 1980s and 1990s. But since 2007, more than a dozen allopathic schools have started the Liaison Committee on Medical Education accreditation process. Another 10 are under discussion, and five osteopathic medical colleges have opened.
The surge in new medical schools is taking place as the Assn. of American Medical Colleges predicts a shortage of at least 125,000 physicians by 2025. Hopes among educators and physician leaders are high that the new schools can help underserved areas and spur local economic growth.
American Medical Association |
Health Reform Does Not Control Premiums, States Look to Fill Void |
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A closely-watched bill has passed another hurdle on its way to accomplish in California what federal health reform legislation has not: Require health insurance plans to get prior approval before they can raise premiums. This issue was highlighted earlier this year when Anthem Blue Cross announced it planned to increase some individual insurance rates by 39%.
Though the new federal law requires almost every American to purchase health insurance or face tax penalties, nothing in the bill passed Sunday limits what health insurers can charge for those policies. Promised subsidies for the poor, financed by taxpayers, could rise exorbitantly if premiums continue to rise unbridled.
HC Pro |
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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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