Wednesday | March 10, 2021
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Democrats are proposing big changes to the Affordable Care Act. Here's why the debate is less fierce this time.

The $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package that passed the House on Saturday would make one of the biggest changes to the Affordable Care Act in over a decade, and it could set the stage for a broader overhaul of the health care program — but don't be surprised if you haven't heard much about it.
4% Medicare payment cuts for 10 years on top of 2% sequester cuts from the Obama era. Many employers cannot afford healthcare premiums; employees cannot afford high premiums, copays, and deductibles of Obamacare yet do not qualify for subsidies.







CMS recently revamped the application process to give ACOs more time to apply and resolve deficiencies to participate in the Medicare Shared Savings Program.
The Medicare Shared Savings program will start Jan. 1, 2022. 

The application process will occur in two steps. The first step will be submitting draft repayment documentation as well as the ACO participation list and skilled nursing facility affiliate list for review. The second step will include the other elements of the application, such as organizational charts and attestations. 


House subcommittee's
biggest concern is boosting broadband access

Making the pandemic's emergency suspension of Medicare's telehealth rules permanent got overwhelming support at a virtual hearing of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce's health subcommittee last week.

Members touted their bipartisan appreciation for what the technology has done and can yet do for healthcare.

Join the 2021 Annual Meeting in New Orleans, June 24-26, for the FIRST LIVE, MUST-ATTEND Meeting since COVID Shutdowns
The 23rd annual meeting will be educational (providing much-needed CME credits), exciting, and will offer the long-awaited ability to leave our homes and attend meetings in a safe and responsible manner.

ASIPP is working to make the program highly relevant for our changing healthcare system and environment. We will also bring you cutting-edge lectures on exciting new technology, world-renowned speakers, and much, much more.

Topics will include: COVID-19, economics, burnout, social media, metabolic health, regulatory issues, scientific advances in IPM, and much more! 

Mark your calendars, book your room, and click here to register!
Pain Medicine Case Reports (PMCR) and Editor-in-Chief Alaa Abd-Elsayed, MD, PhD would like to invite you to submit case reports and case series to the PMCR journal. Your article will be published free of charge.

Open access journals are freely available online for immediate worldwide open access to the full text of published articles. There is no subscription fee for open access journals. Open access journals are no different from traditional subscription-based journals: they undergo the same peer-review and quality control as any other scholarly journal.

Interested in becoming a member of the PMCR Editorial Board?
Editorial board members are asked to review 2-6 manuscripts per year. Please submit your most up-to-date CV to sgold@asipp.org for consideration.

For more information or to submit your articles, click here.

Abstract
BACKGROUND: Epiduroscopy is a minimally invasive technique that enables diagnosis and treatment within the epidural space with direct vision. Previously reported complications of this technique have been mostly mild neurological complications of a transitory nature. In the present case, we describe a serious complication following an epiduroscopy, resulting in death.

CASE REPORT: The patient was a 39-year-old woman with lower back and lower limb pain who had undergone 3 surgical interventions previously on the lumbar spine. Only limited results from conservative and interventional treatment had been observed. She underwent an epiduroscopy in the Pain Management Unit. Immediately after the procedure, which was completed without incident, the patient presented neurological symptoms with areflexic paraplegia and a loss of sensation in the lower limbs and the upper left limb. Imaging tests identified signs of craniospinal hypotension that progressed slowly despite medical intervention. Ventricular dilation and cerebral edema without remission occurred, which ultimately caused the patient’s death 2 months after admission to the intensive care unit.

ASIPP® is pleased to announce the publication of the Comprehensive Evidence-Based Guidelines for Epidural Interventions in the Management of Chronic Spinal Pain. In preparation for the guidelines, an extensive literature review was performed. The 210-page guidelines contain 33 figures, 48 tables, 1,345 references, and 60 authors.

In addition to the review of multiple manuscripts in reference to utilization, expenditures, anatomical and pathophysiological considerations, pharmacological and harmful effects of drugs and procedures, for evidence synthesis, we have included 47 systematic reviews and 43 RCTs covering all epidural. 

Abstract
Background: Chronic pain syndromes are poorly understood and challenging to treat. However, intrathecal drug delivery systems (IDDS) have been shown to have good efficacy in treating various pain subtypes and patient populations. The success of IDDS interventions is largely dependent on consideration of and adherence to varying practice patterns.

Objectives: We aimed to review and report on the evidence basis for various considerations in IDDS practice management including: (1) patient selection and periprocedural criteria, (2) efficacy of IDDS for various conditions, (3) intrathecal medications, (4) drug delivery systems, (5) trial and implantation, (6) complications and adverse events, and (7) chronic follow-up.




As the speed and scale of vaccinations against the SARS-CoV-2 virus ramps up globally, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) are calling for greater awareness and communication around a delayed injection-site reaction that can occur in some patients who have received the Moderna mRNA-1273 vaccine.

In a letter to the editor published online in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), the authors note Phase 3 clinical data from the Moderna vaccine trial did show delayed skin hypersensitivity in a small number of the more than 30,000 trial participants.

Anecdotal reports say some get relief from their long COVID symptoms after just one dose

Some people suffering from long COVID have found significant symptom relief after the first dose of their COVID-19 vaccine, though the jury's still out as to whether that's the case for the majority of so-called long-haulers.

Last week, New York Times editorial board member Mara Gay tweeted that she felt significantly better after her first vaccine dose.




A coalition of health groups and others sued HHS March 9 over a Trump administration rule that was finalized the day before President Joe Biden's inauguration. 

The lawsuit, pending in U.S. District Court of the Northern District of California, alleges that thousands of HHS regulations could disappear because of the Securing Updated and Necessary Statutory Evaluations Timely, or SUNSET, rule. The rule requires HHS to review its existing 18,000 regulations within several years. If the review isn't completed, the rule automatically expires, according to NPR

Providers and vendors collaborated to build a guideline aimed at helping emergency physicians determine when to admit or discharge patients

A national workgroup on Tuesday unveiled a new evidence-based clinical care guideline to help emergency physicians determine when to admit or discharge COVID-19 patients and provide the appropriate level of care.

The project leaders include the American College of Emergency Physicians, the COVID-19 Healthcare Coalition Digital Guidelines Working Group, Apervita, and EvidenceCare, among others.  
After reading the 2021 Abstracts & Poster Presentation Guidelines, complete the form, including the presenter's CV by clicking here.
If you have a question, please email Savannah Gold at sgold@asipp.org or call 270.554.9412, ext 4219.
$50 submission fee is due upon entry.

  • Selected manuscripts will be presented in an Electronic Poster Presentation
  • Top 25 will be published in the Pain Physician journal.
  • Top 10 will be selected for the Abstract Presentation at the Annual Meeting
  • Top 3 will receive cash prizes.




Since this malpractice insurance program officially launched in November 2018, ASIPP has signed up hundreds of providers with an average savings of 30%. This is professional liability insurance tailored to our specialty and will stand up for us and defend our practices.

Norcal Mutual is 'A' Rated by AM best and is license in all 50 states. To read a few important points to keep in mind about the program, including discounts, administrative defense, cyber coverage, aggressive claims handling, and complimentary award-winning risk management CME activities, click here.

ASIPP® has formed a partnership with Henry Schein and PedsPal,
a national GPO that has a successful history of negotiating better prices on medical supplies and creating value added services for the independent physician. Working with MedAssets, PedsPal provides excellent pricing on products like contrast media that alleviate some of the financial pressures you experience today.

All sessions from the September 2020 meeting are available through June 2021 for a reduced fee. On-demand registration also provides access to all of the great resources available in the exhibit hall.

*Recorded sessions are not eligible for CME credits.


ASIPP® is now offering our members the benefit of a unique revenue cycle management/ billing service. We have received a tremendous amount of interest in the ASIPP billing and coding program.

Click here to learn more about the negotiated rate for practices and more!
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related to you, your practice, and your patients!