Wednesday | December 30, 2020
We want to bring to you the latest news on how ASIPP’s hard work is helping during the pandemic.

As we covered in the ASIPP e-news last week, the third round of stimulus checks have already begun arriving; however, some physicians are having difficulty receiving these checks. This program is in addition to Phase 1, Phase 2, and Phase 3. Only the providers applying for this phase are eligible to receive the funds. Originally, HHS proposed to use $20 billion for this program; however, it was increased to $24.5 billion. Distribution started on December 16. https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2020/12/16/hhs-increases-begins-distributing-over-24-billion-in-phase-3-covid-19-provider-relief-funding.html

COVID-19 stimulus brings essential support to patients and physicians. The emergency relief legislation enacted by Congress on December 21, 2020, advances critically important policies to support patients and physicians during the COVID-19 pandemic, including interventional pain physicians and chronic pain patients by:

  • Raising payments for evaluation and management services, by reducing budget neutrality payment reductions.
  • Funding COVID-19 testing and tracing and vaccination distribution.
  • Funding key public health and workforce programs, providing a second Paycheck Protection Program.
  • By providing low-interest loans to small businesses.
New Audio-Only Telehealth Bill Introduced
A new telemedicine bill introduced in Congress this month would expand Medicare coverage for audio-only telehealth visits, mHealth Intelligence reported.

Virtual visits that use telephone only, not video, have been a challenge for clinicians, as telehealth services exploded after the COVID-19 public health emergency.

Chronic Illness, Mental Health Fuel Boom
Chronic conditions and mental health fueled the telehealth boom according to a large telemedicine provider, FierceHealthcare reported.

Virtual visits for both categories of care topped those related to COVID-19 symptoms or exposure, said researchers from Doctor On Demand, Harvard Medical School, and RAND Corporation in a study appearing in Journal of Medical Internet Research.
The first reported U.S. case of the COVID-19 variant that's been seen in the United Kingdom has been discovered in Colorado, Gov. Jared Polis announced Tuesday.

The coronavirus variant was found in a man in his 20s who is in isolation southeast of Denver and has no travel history, state health officials said.

The Colorado State Laboratory confirmed the virus variant, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was notified.
Vertos Medical Inc., a leader in the development of innovative, minimally invasive treatments for lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS), today announced that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has increased Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) reimbursement for the mild® Procedure.

Effective January 1, 2021, the national average ASC reimbursement for CPT 0275T will increase by 41%, from $2,803.35 to $3,941.14, in recognition of the device cost associated with the procedure. 

"The mild® Procedure is ideally suited for an ASC setting and we are pleased that CMS has improved the reimbursement for these facilities. We believe this will significantly increase patient access to the mild® Procedure across the country," said Philip Macdonald, Vice President, Market Access & Reimbursement for Vertos Medical. 
People with private health insurance will see the nasty shock of "surprise" medical bills virtually gone, thanks to the coronavirus compromise bill passed by Congress.

The charges that can run from hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars come from doctors and hospitals that are outside the network of a patient's health insurance plan. It's estimated that about 1 in 5 emergency visits and 1 in 6 inpatient admissions will trigger a surprise bill.
Although lawmakers of both parties long agreed that the practice amounted to abusive billing, a lobbying war between doctors and insurers had thwarted a compromise, allowing the impasse to become a symbol of dysfunction in Washington.
Multidisciplinary chronic pain management includes many types of interventional pain procedures intended to treat pain and reduce opioid use. However, navigating the landscape of providers offering such services is challenging. Many physicians offering interventional pain services lack fellowship training and/or board certification in pain management. Whether or not the clinics were they work offer comprehensive pain management services is difficult to discern. 
A long-stalled fourth round of COVID-19 emergency relief that Congress passed on Dec. 21 delivered mixed news for primary care practices set to start 2021 with the largest Medicare reimbursement increase in decades.

After months of deadlock, Congress agreed to bundle some $900 billion in pandemic assistance into the 5,600-page 2021 appropriations bill that funds the federal government. Significant elements of that omnibus legislation affect primary care and reflect the Academy’s staunch advocacy, particularly its support for an evaluation and management payment boost that drew strong opposition from other medical specialties.

The result is a compromise that favors AAFP members: Payment for most office-based E/M services will increase as planned on Jan. 1; however, the bill directs CMS not to implement a planned add-on code acknowledging the unique complexity of primary care E/M visits (proposed as GPC1X and renamed G2211 in the Medicare physician fee schedule final rule) until 2024.
While 2020 has been a challenging year for physicians, there have been some silver linings. Doctors looking to improve their financial outlook in 2021 can look to these strong pieces of financial and investing advice, generated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

During these hard times, ASIPP® would like to help our members by offering additional benefits for renewing your membership by December 31, 2020.

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.

Be a part of the ASIPP® 2021 Annual Meeting at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside on June 24-26, 2021.





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.

In an effort to further increase value to its physician members, ASIPP has endorsed Willow Risk Advisors as their professional liability insurance broker. Teaming up with the NORCAL group, Willow Risk has developed an exclusive Medical Malpractice Insurance Program tailored specifically to serve interventional pain physicians.

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!