Come to the Annual Meeting – Let Your Voice Be Heard!

It is not too late to register for the Annual Meeting - The ASIPP 8th Annual Meeting and SIPMS 1st Annual Meeting will be held on June 24-28 in Washington, DC. Discounted registration is still available for those who register to attend the Legislative Session and take part in the Capitol Hill visits. This year’s event promises to be not only informative but also memorable, with the second day of our legislative session taking place on Capitol Hill.

On Tuesday, June 27, the ASIPP annual meeting will convene in the Cannon Caucus Room on Capitol Hill where we will be honored with the presence of several congressional speakers. We encourage you to sign up for and participate in the Capitol Hill visits which will take place on June 27 - 28.

Among some of the distinguished speakers scheduled to attend the session are: Rep. Ed Whitfield, Sen. Jeff Sessions, Rep. Sherrod Brown, Rep. Anne Northup, Rep. Bart Stupak, Rep. Bobby Jindal, Rep. Frank Pallone, Rep. John Shimkus, and Rep. Ben Chandler.

To date 32 states have member participation in the Capitol Hill visits. The states with representation are: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Join your fellow pain physicians who are taking a proactive role in the preservation of Interventional Pain Management! If you have not signed up for the Capitol Hill visits, don’t miss this extraordinary opportunity to speak with your policy makers. The only way to make a difference is to let your voice be heard!

The Annual Meeting Brochure along with registration and hotel information can be found on the ASIPP Web site. Make plans to attend ASIPP Annual Meeting-register online today! If you have questions, call us directly at 270.554.9412.

http://www.asipp.org/meetings.htm

HHS Secretary Releases Progress Report

June 14, 2006 — Health and Human Services Secretary Leavitt issued his final Progress Report IV (PDF) on the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit. To read the report click on the following link: http://www.hhs.gov/medicare4.pdf

For more information about HHS or the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit program visit  the United States Department of Health and Human Services Web site: http://www.hhs.gov/

Company Provides “PayerView” Ranking

With just a click of the mouse, a MA claims processing company provides statistical data on insurers’ responsiveness in claims payment.

Athenahealth, a Watertown, MA, based claims processing company, developed what it calls the PayerView ranking system, which can be viewed online at: www.athenapayerview.com The system ranks plans based on 7 categories, including days in accounts receivable, denial rates and first-pass pay rates.

Those numbers are converted into an overall metric used to rank plans nationally and regionally, as well as ranking Medicare- and Medicaid-based plans. The plans also are ranked based on their performance in each of the seven categories.

Some Providers Telling Members More About Doctors

Aetna's members in Connecticut along with some other states will now be able to find information about doctors' fees , clinical quality and efficiency online, starting this summer, as the company expands a Cincinnati based pilot program.

Aetna and other health insurers, including CIGNA, are moving to get more data to consumers as newer health plans put more decision-making responsibility - and sometimes more of the costs - in their hands.

Read more on this story:

http://www.courant.com/business/hc-aetna0614.artjun14,0,5637253.story?coll=hc-headlines-business

July Cadaver Workshop and Review Course

Make plans to attend the next Interventional Techniques Review Course and Comprehensive Interventional Cadaver Workshop on July 7-9, 2006 in Memphis, TN.

The Review Course is planned as a CME activity to prepare physicians seeking board certification by ABIPP or as an in-depth review of Interventional Techniques. Additionally the Review Course will be based on the specifications of the Cadaver Workshop and will assist in preparation for ABIPP Part I or Part II (FIPP) examinations.

Learn more about the course, workshop, and hotel information and REGISTER ONLINE at: asipp.org

Registration Still Open for ABIPP Part I and Pain Medicine Board Review

ABIPP is still accepting applications to sit for the ABIPP Part 1 Exam.

Come to the “Gateway to the West” for ASIPP’s premiere Comprehensive Pain Medicine Board Review Course for physicians seeking board certification or re-certification for ABMS Pain Medicine examination or for American Board of Interventional Pain Physicians (ABIPP) Part I examination.

The exam will be held on Aug. 5 – 9 in St. Louis. This five-day in-depth review Board Review Course is a CME activity which also serves as an ideal review for the specialty of pain medicine. To register on-line or for more information on the review course or to register, visit our Web site…Meetings

Put your Board Review Course to work and apply for the ABIPP Part 1 exam which will be administered on Aug. 10, 2006.  Registration is

separate for the exam and the minimum requirements for eligibility are as follows:

A primary ABMS board certification.

An active license to practice medicine in the United States.

Visit the ASIPP Web site for more information and online registration for the review … click here. Send your exam application in today!

Dates for ABIPP Part II (FIPP)

If you still need Part II (FIPP) to complete the requirements for ABIPP certification, apply now for ABIPP Part II (FIPP). The next available date, as well as, 2007 dates are as follows:

September 21, 2006 – Budapest, Hungary

March 11, 2007 – Memphis, Tennessee

September 20, 2007 – Budapest, Hungary

For exam application and information booklet go to: http://www.worldinstituteofpain.org/fipp.htm

For more information on ABIPP Part I (FIPP) contact Paula Brashear at paula.brashear@ttuhsc.edu or 806.743.3112.

State Society News

If your state society would like to announce meetings or share news stories with our readers, send your new items to Melinda Martin - mmartin@asipp.org

Second Annual GSIPP Summer Meeting - July 21-23

The second annual summer meeting for the Georgia Society of Interventional Pain Physicians "Pain Summit At Lake Oconee” will be held on July 21-23 at Lake Oconee in Greensboro, GA.

It is strongly suggested that all physicians attending the meeting should stay at the Ritz Carlton (800-241-3333) in the reserved GSIPP block of rooms. If this becomes full, or if you’re seeking an alternate to the Ritz, there are two nearby hotels: Jameson Inn, Greensboro, 706-453-9135; and The Lodge, Greensboro, 706-485-7785. Both are about six miles from the meeting facility.

See the GSIPP brochure for registration and meeting information. Please mail your registration form and check early – we anticipate this meeting WILL fill up!