Academy News
MSK Ultrasound Course – Last Chance to Register
Diagnostic and Interventional Musculoskeletal Ultrasound of the Upper Extremity training is available June 26-28, 2015 in Tampa, FL. Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind experience led by top-rated faculty! With 12+ hours of hands-on training, you can take what you’ve learned and immediately apply it in practice.
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Up to 20 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™
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16 hours of hands-on, diagnostic scanning using live subjects and interventional procedures on cadaveric specimens
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12 dynamic demonstrations and lectures
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2 hours of independent scanning time
Register today! Discounted AAPM&R member rate available.
CMS Webinar about Physician Compare and Public Reporting
Tuesday, June 23; 1-2 pm (ET)
CMS will host a 1-hour Virtual Office Hour session via WebEx to discuss the Physician Compare website. During this session, CMS will answer stakeholders’ questions about Physician Compare and public reporting. Anyone interested in participating can register by sending an email to the Physician Compare support team at physiciancompare@westat.com. You can also include up to 3 questions (1 primary and 2 secondary) with your registration or send them separately. All questions must be received by 5 pm (ET) on Monday, June 15. For more information about Physician Compare, visit the Physician Compare Initiative web page.
Purchase Your Tickets Now for the Exclusive Assembly President’s Reception
Join us at our memorable President’s Reception at the breathtaking John F. Kennedy Library and Museum. Located directly on the water and overlooking the city that launched JFK to greatness, the JFK Library is a fascinating tribute to America’s royal family, the Kennedys.
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Tour the exhibits for a glimpse of rare, family photos
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Admire the contents of Jackie’s famous wardrobe
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Watch JFK’s most notable presidential addresses
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Enjoy fresh seafood and cuisine from Boston’s eclectic neighborhoods
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Take in the musicality (and antics!) of the Din & Tonics, Harvard’s world-renowned a capella singing group
We’re pleased to offer tickets at incredibly discounted prices—members pay just $60.View spouse/guest and children ticket pricing details.
Visit the Annual Assembly website for full meeting details and registration!
New York State Reverses Limitation on Prosthetic Coverage - “One Limb Per Life” Restriction Eliminated
AAPM&R joined in collective efforts with the Independence through Enhancement of Medicare and Medicaid (ITEM) Coalition and the National Association for the Advancement of Orthotics and Prosthetics (NAAOP) to reverse the restriction limiting adult amputees in New York to only 1 prosthesis, per limb, per lifetime. This policy change reverses a coverage limitation that clearly violates the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and is a significant victory in New York.
By way of background, NY’s benchmark Essential Health Benefits (EHB) coverage limits prosthetic care coverage to 1 prosthetic limb, per limb, per lifetime and is one of the most restrictive in the country. New York's benchmark plan will be modified starting on January 1, 2016 to include coverage for the cost of repair and replacement of external prosthetic devices for both adults and children. The decision of Donna Frescatore, executive director of the New York Marketplace, to eliminate this unconscionable restriction in Qualified Health Plans beginning this January, sets an important precedent and should be very useful in future advocacy efforts involving rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices.
PQRSwizardis Now Open
PQRS Measures Groups are now open for 2015 registration. Click here to learn more about the PQRSwizard– the Academy sponsored registry reporting vendor. Individual measures will be available soon – stay tuned for announcements.
Plan on participating as a Group Practice under the Group Practice Reporting Option (GPRO)?
Organizations electing GPRO reporting must register with CMSby June 30, 2015.Registration must be completed through the online Physician Value-Physician Quality Reporting System (PV-PQRS) Registration System. Groups may change or cancel their registration prior to the June 30 deadline. Registration does not apply to eligible professionals who are reporting as an individual provider.
Get Ready for the Sports Medicine Subspecialty Exam – July 8-11, 2015
Prepare for the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (ABPMR) sports medicine subspecialty examination with AAPM&R resources on me®:
July 1, 2016 Deadline for Submitting Hardship Exemption for the 2014 Reporting Year for Electronic Health Record/Meaningful Use Program
Payment adjustments for eligible professionals that did not successfully participate in the Medicare EHR Incentive Program in 2014 will begin on January 1, 2016. Medicare eligible professionals can avoid the 2016 payment adjustment by taking action by July 1 and applying for a 2016 hardship exception. To file a hardship exception, you must:
The hardship exception applications and instructions for an individual and for multiple Medicare eligible professionals are available on the EHR Incentive Programs website, and outline the specific types of circumstances that CMS considers to be barriers to achieving meaningful use, and how to apply.
AMA Journal of Ethics– June Issue Features Articles by AAPM&R Members
Check out this month’s issue of the AMA Journal of Ethics, which examines ethics in rehabilitation medicine, with reference to the medical specialty as well as to current concerns such as veterans’ health and patient access to prosthetics.
Contributors to the June issue of theAMA Journal of Ethicstackle the serious ethical questions physiatrists confront as they offer patients encouragement tempered by realistic expectations, arrange safe discharge and follow-up, manage long-term pain, and fight for access to the best rehab care for all who need it. A number of articles in this issue were written by AAPM&R members, so be sure to take a look!
NEW Quality Tool Boxes (QTBs) Available
The Performance Metrics Committee, in collaboration with the Councils, has been working to develop QTBs for specific health conditions. The QTBs are a web-based resource for Academy members that include existing tools which may be useful in physiatric practice.
The second set of QTBs have been published to the Academy’s website: The Pain Medicine/Neuromuscular Medicine Council’s QTB on Chronic Axial Low Back Pain and the General and Medical Rehabilitation Council’s QTB on Osteoporosis and Exercise.
Click here to access the QTBs, and be sure to check back frequently, as QTBs will be published on an ongoing basis.
New Medicare Data Available to Increase Transparency on Hospital and Physician Utilization
As part of CMS’s efforts to promote better care, smarter spending, and healthier people, CMS is posting the third annual release of the Medicare hospital utilization and payment data (both inpatient and outpatient) and the second annual release of the physician and other supplier utilization and payment data. The announcement was made at the annual Health Datapalooza conference in Washington, DC.
Recordings and Presentations from Past CMS eHealth Webinars on EHR Proposed Rules Now Posted
Visit the CMS eHealth Events page to access webinar presentations on the recently proposed rules for the EHR Incentive Programs. A description of each recording is included below.
Is Your Practice or Institution Looking to Hire a PM&R Physician?
Your Academy has numerous recruiting options to suit your needs.
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Create an account on our job board, where you can post an online ad and search thousands of résumés. (We're a member of the National Healthcare Career Network.)
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Advertise your open position with a print ad inThe Physiatrist.
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Meet face to face with potential candidates at the AAPM&R Job Fair at the Annual Assembly on September 30 in Boston.
For more information, visit the Academy’s website or email careerservices@aapmr.org. We look forward to hearing from you!
Fostering a Community of Musculoskeletal Educators - Project 1000
Since its inception, the U.S. Bone and Joint Initiative (USBJI) has promoted excellence in medical education on the musculoskeletal system and diseases of the bones and joints. To meet this goal, the USBJI has embarked on a new effort called Project 1000. Project 1000 will identify 1,000 local champions of musculoskeletal education throughout the country, seeking at least 1 faculty member at every school, all contributing to a Community of Musculoskeletal Educators.
If you teach a subject related to musculoskeletal medicine (clinical, basic science or other) and consider this an important part of your professional life, please sign up here.
Young Investigators Urged to Apply for USBJI Grant Mentoring Program
The United States Bone and Joint Initiative (USBJI) and Bone and Joint Canada are dedicated to increasing research of musculoskeletal diseases and has developed a grant mentoring program to assist early-career investigators in securing funding and other survival skills required for pursuing an academic career. The deadline to apply for the fall workshop is July 15, 2015. Visit the USBJI website to learn more and apply for this program.
AAPM&R Coding Resources
The ICD-10 implementation on October 1, 2015 will radically change the way medical coding is done and will require significant effort to implement. Ensure your practice is optimizing reimbursement with proper coding and billing—check out these Academy resources to help you get a head start on the ICD-10 launch and gain knowledge on the 2015 CPT®code set specific to PM&R:
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