Your Action is Needed to Prevent Cuts

The end to the of short- lived hold on a huge physician reimbursement cut is near. The time to act is now!

We have created a new Capwiz letter in an effort to gain renewed attention from our legislators to this dire situation . We are facing devastating physician reimbursement cuts and even greater cuts to ASC and office-based procedures. It will take a concerted effort on the part of the entire ASIPP membership if we are to get the ears and eyes of Congress and convince them to act.

Physicians can send a letter addressing all three issues through Capwiz:

http://capwiz.com/asipp/issues/alert/?alertid=11058511&type=CO

Or send the letter on your own letterhead by using this sample letter to guide you. You may want to include the ASC fact sheet as well.

Our government officials need to hear from our patients as well. This is easy to accomplish; print out the patient letter we have provided (modify it to your state's officials) and ask all your patients to sign it (the last page of the word document for your state, see link in paragraph above). After you obtain these signatures your staff can send them as a Capwiz letter using the following link:

http://capwiz.com/asipp/issues/alert/?alertid=11058731&type=CO

If you have any questions, call the ASIPP office for assistance: 270-554-9412.

Need To Know Your Elected Officials?
Stay on top of the issues affecting interventional pain management, know your elected and appointed officials and contact the media in your area. You can make a difference by getting involved! Find out who represents you on Capitol Hill, go to Capwiz: http://www.asipp.org/Alert.htm

Change Your Specialty Designation
Use the CMS Form to Change your Specialty Designation to 09 - Interventional Pain Management

We are faced with the need to increase our 09 Interventional Pain Management specialty designation. Currently CMS claims there are too few IPM physicians, which negatively affects our reimbursement. Interventional Pain Physicians can now change their specialty code designation to 09 utilizing the CMS form CMS855I - see page 8, section D.

IPM Becomes 34th Specialty On CACs
In March 2005, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid mandated that Interventional Pain Management become the 34th medical specialty represented on state Carrier Advisory Committees, which make local decisions about Medicare coverage. Information on CACs.

ASIPP GUIDELINES 

Click on the headline for our articles on evidence-based practice guidelines for interventional techniques in the management of chronic pain. Or go to National Guidelines Clearinghouse for ASIPP's 2007 Interventional Techniques: Evidence-based Practice Guidelines in the Management of Chronic Spinal Pain.

Guidelines By Year: 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2003 | 2001 | 2000

 ASIPP Online Photo Gallery

Photos from past meetings are available at another location and can be accessed at ASIPP Online Photo Gallery. Once there you can view photos from the 2007 Annual Meeting in Washington or from other meetings.

 ASIPP 2008 Award Recipients