June 2, 2010
Physician Anger Rises over Congress' Failure to Meet June 1 Doc Fix Deadline |
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or physicians, the third time has not been the charm this year for those looking to finally get some relief from a 21% cut in Medicare and TRICARE physician reimbursements. While the House voted on Friday 245 171 to approve of a 19-month plan to stall the 21% reduction starting June 1, the Senate will not be able to act until it returns from its Memorial Day recess June 7.
HealthLeaders Media |
Early Registration for 12th Annual ASIPP Meeting Ends Friday |
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Register today to attend ASIPP's 12th Annual Meeting, June 26-30, 2010 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City, Arlington, VA.
The meeting features three separate sessions focused on the Future of Interventional Pain Management: Evidence-Based Medicine, Comparative Effectiveness, and Practice Management; as well as several prominent speakers including 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.
The meeting also offers 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.
Get out your dancing shoes for Sunday's gala celebration themed 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.
Then on Monday, politics comes to the forefront with the cosponsored ASIPP and NANS legislative session.
As an added incentive, those who participate in the Capitol Hill sessions will receive a $100 discount on the meeting fee and will be reimbursed for the two-night hotel stay (Monday and Tuesday) required for the Capitol Hill visits. An additional $50 discount will be given if you register before June 5. As always special rates are offered to fellows and medical students.
Register Today! |
NANS and ASIPP Join Forces for Legislative Session |
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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.
ASIPP's 12th Annual Meeting turns its focus to Capitol Hill beginning Monday, June 28, and culminating with visits from and to legislators Tuesday and Wednesday, June 29 and 30.
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.
As an added incentive, those who participate in the Capitol Hill sessions will receive a $100 discount on the meeting fee and will be reimbursed for the two-night hotel stay (Monday and Tuesday) required for the Capitol Hill visits. An additional $50 discount will be given if you register before June 5. As always special rates are offered to fellows and medical students.
All NANS members may register at ASIPP membership rates for the 12th annual meeting and Legislative Session.
For Capitol Hill security purposes, if you plan to attend the Legislative sessions, please inform our office and provide your name and address. This pertains to those who are just coming to the congressional speeches as well as those who will have scheduled meetings with their state's government officials. Call or e-mail Cindy Rogers: 270-554-9412 ext 208 or crogers@asipp.org
You won't want to miss this historical event. With NANS and ASIPP as cosponsors, this year promises to be the best and most productive meeting to date. Register today to secure your place in this event!
Register Today. |
Virtual Colonoscopy Emerges As Turf Battle Between Radiologists, Gastroenterologists |
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Congress should pass proposed legislation requiring Medicare to pay for "virtual" CT colonography screening because it is just as accurate as colonoscopy, but has lower distension rates, extremely low chance of perforation, and is less expensive and faster, the American College of Radiology says.
After all, if the procedure was good enough to be part of President Obama's physical in February, it should be good for people age 65 and older, the organization says.
HealthLeaders Media |
Attorney General Announces Settlement of Insurance Fraud Lawsuit Against North Jersey Pain Management Center and Owner |
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TRENTON - Attorney General Paula T. Dow announced today that an Essex County pain management center and its owner have agreed to pay $88,517 to resolve a State lawsuit that accused the defendants of performing chiropractic services on patients despite not being authorized to do so, then billing insurance companies for those services.
The State's original lawsuit against the Newark Pain Management & Rehabilitation Center and its owner-president, Daniel Enemuo, of Lake Hopatcong, was filed in Superior Court by attorneys for the Division of Law on behalf of the New Jersey Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor (OIFP) in April 2009.
State of New Jersey Office of the Attorney General |
Two Chances to Participate in Webinar on Practical Documentation, Billing and Coding. |
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Make plans today to attend Practical Documentation, Billing, and Coding for Interventional Techniques: A Sensible, Safe Approach from 6 pm to 730pm CST June 9 or 10 am to 1130 am CST June 10.
This webinar is intended to present interventional pain management specialists, billing and coding personnel, and other health care providers an in-depth review of interventional pain management documentation, billing, and coding.
Dr. Laxmaiah Manchikanti will address the following key points:
- Discuss documentation
- Review practice management topics
- Discuss coding and billing
- Examine compliance issues
Cost for the webinar is $165. The Institute for Medical Studies designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Register today! |
Join Us in Chicago in August: 3 Courses, One Location |
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Make plans now to attend of one ASIPP's comprehensive courses 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 |
DOJ Settlement Stops Idaho Orthopedists' Conspiracies to Raise Fees |
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The Idaho Orthopaedic Society, an orthopedic practice group, and five orthopedists have agreed to end a collusive scheme to drive up physicians' fees that relied on a boycott of care for injured workers, the Department of Justice announced.
"The orthopedists who participated in these group boycotts denied medical care to Idaho workers and caused higher prices for orthopedic services," said Christine Varney, assistant attorney general in DOJ's Antitrust Division. "(This) action seeks to prevent the recurrence of these illegal acts and protects Idaho consumers by promoting competition in the healthcare industry."
HealthLeaders Media |
Medtronic Begins Disclosing Payments to Physicians |
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Medical-device company Medtronic, Inc. has begun voluntarily posting annual physician payments exceeding $5,000 on its Web site, well ahead of the 2013 deadline for mandatory disclosure of such information that was included in the new healthcare reform law.
The disclosure includes information about the type of relationship-training and education, research and development, advisory services, or royalties-as well as the rough dollar amounts and a few details about the specifics of the collaboration.
HealthLeaders Media |
AMA leads suit to block FTC rule telling doctors to police ID theft |
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Organized medicine groups say the "red flags" rule intrudes on relationships with patients and regulates physicians like banks. Enforcement to begin on Jan. 1, 2011.
Organized medicine is turning to the courts for relief from what physicians say is an overreaching government mandate that ropes them into the same category as financial institutions and threatens relationships with patients by requiring doctors to police identity theft.
The American Medical Association and two other medical organizations on May 21 sued the Federal Trade Commission to block the agency from subjecting physicians to its "red flags" rule, which requires entities that regularly extend credit to establish formal policies for detecting and preventing identity theft. The commission has maintained that the regulation -- which stems from a 2003 law aimed primarily at the banking industry -- was written broadly enough to consider physicians as creditors when they defer payment for services through insurance or payment plans.
AMA |
Patient Data Breaches Are Soaring … Do You Know Where Your Laptop Is? |
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Nearly two out of every five healthcare professionals reported a data security breach in 2009, up from 13% the previous year, according to a recent survey by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society. The security breaches occurred even though most of those surveyed said they are compliant with all laws and regulations related to privacy.
Although many providers surveyed said they have effective safeguards in place to monitor access to sensitive data, most of the breaches involved lost or stolen laptop computers, stolen computers or hard drives, or improperly discarded documents.
The problem is that many providers focus on compliance and ignore the financial impact of a data breach, the researchers said. Of the security breaches reported this year to the government's Office for Civil Rights, which enforces HIPAA regulations, only two involved unauthorized access to data. The theft of unencrypted laptops or other portable data-storage devices accounted for 44% of the breaches.
Physician's Money Digest |
FDA Warns Against Contaminated IV Antibiotics |
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The FDA has issued a public health alert warning healthcare professionals not to use certain brands of intravenous metronidazole, ondansetron, and ciprofloxacin because of potential contamination.
he agency alert applies to products sold under the Claris, Sagent Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer, and West-Ward Pharmaceuticals labels. The agency said it had received reports of floating matter in IV bags manufactured by Claris Lifesciences, in Ahmedabad, India. "Foreign matter should not be present in a sterile injectable product," the agency said in its alert.
Medpage Today |
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 |
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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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