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ASIPP Successful in Reversing Inappropriate Bundling of Add-On Codes with Radiofrequency Neurotomy Codes
CMS Medicare carriers in multiple jurisdictions instituted a bizarre rule that was implemented April 2017. The rule is regarding add-on codes for transforaminal epidurals, as well as facet joint nerve blocks bundled with radiofrequency neurotomy, even if it was in a different region. These bundling codes are in a manner that you can not unbundle. This has resulted in significant problems. Consequently, ASIPP sent a letter on July 17, 2017 to Niles Rosen who is in charge of National Correct Coding Initiative to resolve the issue.
Yesterday we received a letter from them agreeing with us and they will be reversing this policy. Unfortunately the reversal will not be effective until January 1, 2018, at which time we will be able to unbundle the add-on codes.
We are hoping that we should be able to recapture these reimbursements retroactively. Otherwise, we will be losing reimbursement for 9 months.
Click
HERE
to read NCCI Response
Click
HERE
to read to Niles Rosen, NCCI
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Start Planning NOW!
ASIPP Abstract Submission for 2018 Annual Meeting is Open
The American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians will hold its 20th Annual Meeting March 15-17, 2018 in Orlando, Florida at
Marriott Orlando World Center.
This year, we will be making significant changes to the Abstract and Poster Sessions. Submissions will be in two categories: Resident/Fellow and Physician. Selected posters will be on display for all meeting participants during all breaks and meal times.
The Abstract Committee will select the top 25 for publication in Pain Physician and of those 10 will be selected for Abstract presentation and judging during the Annual Meeting. The top 3 will receive cash prizes.
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OCTOBER ISSUE NOW AVAILABLE!
Interventional Pain Management Reports
is an Open Access online journal, a peer-reviews journal dedicated to the publication of case reports, brief commentaries and reviews and letters to the editor. It is a peer-reviewed journal written by and directed to an audience of interventional pain physicians, clinicians and basic scientists with an interest in interventional pain management and pain medicine.
We would like to invite you to submit research case reports, brief commentaries and reviews to
Interventional Pain Management Reports
Journal
.
Your article will be published
‘
FREE’
of charge.
Led by Editor in Chief: Kenneth Candido, MD, Chairman and Professor, Department of Anesthesiology , Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Chicago, IPM Reports focuses on the promotion of excellence in the practice of interventional pain management and clinical research.
Interventional Pain Management Reports
is an official publication of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP) and is a sister publication of
Pain Physician
.
Interventional Pain Management Reports Interventional Pain Management Reports
is an open access journal, available online with free full manuscripts.
The benefits of publishing in an open access journal that has a corresponding print edition journal are:
- Your article will have the potential to obtain more citations.
- Your article will be peer-reviewed and published faster than other journals.
- Your article can be read by a potentially much larger audience compared with traditional subscription-only journals.
- Open Access journals are FREE to view, download and to print.
So submit today your:
- Case Reports
- Technical Reports
- Editorials
- Short Perspectives
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Opioid Use Low Among Veterans With Recent Traumatic Brain Injury Diagnosis
Opioid use was shown to be relatively low in veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan who have recently diagnosed traumatic brain injuries, but approximately one-quarter of those who initiated opioids were chronic users, according to a recent study published in
Pain Medicine.
In this retrospective study of Veterans Health Administration (VHA) databases, 35,621 Iraq or Afghanistan veterans with recent traumatic brain injury diagnoses were evaluated for
opioid use
after diagnosis.
Exclusion criteria included receipt of a VHA opioid prescription within the year preceding diagnosis, visiting the VHA less than twice during the study period, and ≤1 year of VHA data after diagnosis.
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Money isn’t everything with physician recruitment
For physician practices, the process of filling a vacant position may take more than a year and require some creative incentives, especially for the smaller cities and towns most in need of primary care doctors.
Tony Stadjuhar, president of recruiter Jackson Physician Search, said practices know demand for doctors far outstrips
supply
as older physicians retire. Adding to the stress on the industry is some of the physicians retiring are what he calls the “Marcus Welby” types who were willing to work much longer hours than their younger replacements.
“Those doctors … were trained to where they virtually got no sleep. They saw a lot of patients every single day,” he said at the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) conference in Anaheim, California. “These physicians falling off are going to probably take at least a doc and a half, at least, to be able to fill their shoes once they do retire.”
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Practitioner Burnout, Empathy May Not Decrease Quality of Care
Little clinical evidence exists to support an effect of physician-related and nurse-related burnout and empathy levels on the quality of care they provide to patients, according to a cross-sectional study published in
BMC Medical Ethics
.
Investigators performed a cross-sectional analysis to determine the effect of healthcare practitioner burnout and empathy levels on quality of care across 22 primary care centers in Spain. Physicians (n=108) and nurses (n=112) made up the main study population. The Jefferson Physician Empathy Scale and the Maslach Burnout Inventory were used to measure both
empathy
and burnout, whereas Quality Standard Indicator (QSI) scores provided insight into quality of care delivered to patients.
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Nurse Practitioner and Physician Indicted in Compounding Pharmacy Fraud Schemes
A Mississippi-based nurse practitioner was charged in an indictment unsealed today for her role in a multi-million dollar scheme to defraud TRICARE, the health care benefit program serving U.S. military, veterans and their respective family members. A Mississippi-based physician was charged in a separate indictment filed last week for his role in a similar scheme.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst of the Southern District of Mississippi, Special Agent in Charge Christopher Freeze of the FBI’s Jackson, Mississippi Field Division and Special Agent in Charge Jerome R. McDuffie of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) New Orleans Field Office made the announcement.
Susan Perry N.P., 58, of Grand Bay, Alabama, and Albert Diaz M.D., 78, of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, were charged in separate indictments returned on Oct. 18, in the Southern District of Mississippi, in Hattiesburg. Perry’s indictment was unsealed upon her arrest and initial appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge John Gargiulo of the Southern District of Mississippi. Perry is scheduled to be arraigned on Oct. 25, at 10:30 a.m., and Diaz is scheduled to be arraigned on Nov. 1, at 10:30 a.m., both before Judge Gargiulo.
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Study: EHR malpractice claims rising
Malpractice claims involving the use of electronic health records (EHRs) are on the rise, according to data from The Doctors Company.
Cases in which EHRs were a factor grew from 2 claims during 2007-2010 to 161 claims from 2011 to December 2016, according an analysis published Oct. 16 by The Doctors Company, a national medical malpractice insurer.
Researchers with The Doctors Company analyzed closed claims during 2007-2016 in their nationwide claims database. Of 66 EHR-related claims from July 2014 through December 2016, 50% were associated with system factors, such as failure of drug or clinical decision support alerts, according to the
study. Another 58% of claims involved user factors, such as copying and pasting progress notes. (Numbers do not add up to 100% because some claims had more than one cause.)
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Survey Finds Teens Divided on Beliefs and Attitudes of Prescription Drug Abuse
LAS VEGAS — The majority of high school teens understand the risks of prescription drug abuse, but almost half may not change or stop their usage habits, according to results from a survey-based study presented at PAINWeek 2017.
1
Prescription opioids are considered highly addictive drugs and are also one of the most widely abused prescription medications. Drug abuse of prescription opioids contributes to substantial rates of morbidity and mortality in developed nations.
2
Understanding the factors that may contribute to opioid abuse may provide a greater understanding about how to prevent abuse and overdose, especially in teens and young adults.
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Hypertension in Chronic Pain: Risk Factors
In patients with chronic pain, comorbid hypertension may be mediated by reduced heart rate variability and spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity, according to the results of a recent study published in
Pain.
In this analysis of data from the prospective Tromsø Study, researchers evaluated the responses to Tromsø 6, a survey performed in 2007 and 2008. The study included 8204 participants who underwent the cold pressor test, which was used to derive heart rate variability and spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity by beat-to-beat blood pressure recordings. Clinically meaningful chronic pain was categorized as persistent daily pain ≥3 months with a severity at least 3 out of 10 on a numeric rating scale.
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July 19-22, 2018
FSIPP 2018 Annual Meeting, Conference, and Trade Show
Florida Society of Interventional Pain Physicians
One South County Road, Palm Beach, FL 33480
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