ASIPP Member Dr. Richard Field Murdered in Boston home

Dr. Richard Field and his fiancé, Lina Bolanos, both well known anesthesiologists in the Boston area, were found murdered in their luxury highrise last Friday. 

Field was a 49-year-old doctor at North Shore Pain Management, where he was described a “guiding vision” and “instrumental in the creation” of the practice in 2010, according to a statement by his former employer. 

“His tragic and sudden passing leaves an inescapable void in all of us,” the practice, which has offices in Woburn and Beverly, said in a statement. 

Field has also worked as an anesthesiologist and pain management specialist at Beverly Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, according to North Shore Pain Management. He had also completed a pain management fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital and served as an instructor at Harvard Medical School. He has been a member of ASIPP since 2006. He was also actively involved with the Massachusetts state society of ASIPP.  

As doctors, Field and Bolanos "dedicated their professional lives to alleviating suffering and ensuring the safety of those most vulnerable -- children undergoing surgery. As family members, they adored their nieces and nephews as if their own children and always found the time to take interest in each and every one of us, no matter what was on their plate."  

A former colleague, Dr. Salhadin Abdi states that “Dr. Field was easy going, pleasant and hardworking. He respected everyone, he loved his patients and his patients loved him.”

Another former colleague, Dr. Devi Nampiaparampil stated “He was a great teacher! He was very conscientious in his care of patients and very eager to learn as much as he could about pain. Everyone liked him.”  

He also made a lasting impression with Dr. Boris Shwartzman whom described Dr. Field to be “a very open person, easy to communicate with, just all around a very pleasant individual.”   

ASIPP would like to express our deepest sympathies to the family, friends, colleagues, and patients of Dr. Richard Field and Dr. Lina Bolanos.

The family asked that donations in memory of the victims be made to Doctors Without Borders.

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2017 ASIPP Washington Legislative trip Set for Sept 12-13, 2017 

At no other time in the history of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians has it been more important for you, as members, to get involved in our advocacy efforts. Our specialty has been gravely affected by drastic and severe coverage cuts. These cuts so radical, they have hurt more than just our bottom lines; some practices and surgery centers have been forced to close their doors.  

The election of President Trump and his appointment of Representative Tom Price as Health and Human Services Secretary and Seema Verma to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have given us some hope and an opportunity to achieve some of our goals, and possibly reverse these cuts retroactively and reinstate the previous reimbursement or even improve reimbursement for 2018. 

Now is our chance! Let your voices be heard! 

We have scheduled a legislative conference September 12 and 13. To participate in this conference, you must to be in Washington on Tuesday, September 12 in order to attend the preparation session. Wednesday, September 13, we will head to Capitol hill to hear speeches and meet with Senators and Representatives. Some appointments may continue through Thursday. If you would like to leave on Wednesday, please do not plan on leaving before 6 pm.  

Each member is expected to visit two senators and one member of Congress for a total of three visits.  

ASIPP will be booking a block of rooms for those who choose to attend. You will be responsible for travel expenses.  

Please let us know as soon as possible if you will be attending so that we can begin making the appointments. Contact Kasi Stunson kstunson@asipp.org.

American Health Care Act (AHCA) Passes House

The House of Representatives has passed the American Health Care Act (HR 1628) by a vote of 217-213, with 20 Republicans voting against the bill. The House also passed the Congressional Health Care Waivers Act (HR 2192) by a vote of 429-0. The bill text for the AHCA (HR 1628) has not been made available.  

HR 2192 deletes from the American Health Care Act (AHCA; HR 1628), once the AHCA is enacted, its exemption for members of Congress and staff from provisions of the MacArthur amendment that allow state waivers of certain health insurance minimum benefit and patient protection requirements under the Affordable Care Act. The MacArthur amendment exempts members from such waivers to protect the AHCA's reconciliation status in the Senate so it can pass in that chamber by simple majority vote.  

The bills now move on to the Senate and it should take up the bill after a CBO score is released.  

Fortune

Obamacare

The Trump administration has succeeded in taking the final steps to repeal Obamacare, or rather replace big chunks of it. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as it is officially called, was one of previous President Barack Obama's mayor political achievements, which in turn made it a favorite target of many Republicans and the new President alike.

However, the narrow vote of 217 in favor of the repeal to 213 against it in the House of Representatives on Thursday is just the start of a long legislative process ahead. As our infographic shows, for many Americans (42 percent) not much had actually changed since the introduction of Obamacare in 2010. 

The chart below shows the perceived personal health coverage development of U.S. adults since Affordable Care Act

Statistica

Scott Gottlieb, President Trump's choice to become the next commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, was confirmed Tuesday by the Senate. The vote was 57 to 42.

Gottlieb, a physician and venture capitalist with long ties to the pharmaceutical industry, served as a deputy FDA commissioner and a high-ranking official at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services during the George W. Bush administration. He assumes the agency's helm as it faces mounting pressure from President Trump and other Republicans to further accelerate its drug-approval process and to take a more aggressive role in combating the nation's opioid epidemic.

The Senate vote was largely along party lines. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) lauded Gottlieb, saying he was committed to the development of groundbreaking treatments. And Sen. Lamar Alexander, (R-Tenn.) chairman of the health committee, said it was a plus that Gottlieb has had extensive experience with “the industry he will be in charge of.”

 Washington Post

Nearly a third of drugs approved by the FDA from 2001 through 2010 had new safety issues detected in the years after they entered the market, researchers found.

Among 222 novel therapeutic drugs approved during the period, 71 (32%) had postmarket safety events, according to Nicholas Downing, MD, of Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, and colleagues.  

Three, including the COX-2 pain reliever Bextra, were withdrawn due to safety concerns and 61 boxed warnings were issued, according to the study published online May 9 in JAMA.  

MedPage Today

In medical school, physicians probably learned communication skills such as interviewing (getting information from patients on the reasons for their visit), processing (assessing the patients and their disease), and talking (clearly relaying diagnoses to them). But other important aspects of patient care, such as empathy, relationship-building, and dealing with patients' emotions are often given less emphasis.

“There are some very simple things you can do to allow a patient to feel they have your attention,” said Walter Baile, MD, director of the Interpersonal Communication and Relationship Enhancement (I*CARE) program at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. “Sit down, make eye contact, and don't interrupt until they are finished talking. Doctors don't always get sued because they make mistakes; it's often because they disregard patients.”  

Clinical Pain Advisor