Academy News
Meet Your 2015-2016 Board of Governors
At AAPM&R’s 2015 Annual Business Meeting held during the Annual Assembly, Gregory M. Worsowicz, MD, MBA, began his 1-year term as president. Kathleen R. Bell, MD, will now serve a 1-year term as past president, and Steve R. Geiringer, MD, will serve as president-elect. Congratulations to your new Board of Governors!
Front Row, l to r:Stephanie Tow, MD; Darryl L. Kaelin, MD; Gregory Worsowicz, MD, MBA; Steve R. Geiringer, MD; Michelle S. Gittler, MD; Robert J. Rinaldi, MD.
Second Row, l to r:Michael Saffir, MD; Jonathan Finnoff, DO; Larry H. Chou, MD; Peter C. Esselman, MD; Steven R. Flanagan, MD; Stuart M. Weinstein, MD; Kathleen R. Bell, MD; D.J. Kennedy, MD; Thomas E. Stautzenbach, MA, MBA, CAE.
ICD-10 Training in Chicago This Week
ICD-10 was implemented on October 1, 2015. Learn how to adapt to the changes by attending the ICD-10, and coding and reimbursement workshops—hosted in partnership with AAPM&R and KarenZupko & Associates, Inc. (KZA).
Focused ICD-10 Training for PM&R
Friday, November 13, 2015; 12:30 pm-5:30 pm
Chicago, IL
Strategic Coding and Reimbursement Workshop
Saturday, November 14, 2015; 8 am-4:30 pm
Chicago, IL
AAPM&R Helps Defeat Medicare Lower Limb Prostheses LCD
Thanks to the dedication and persistence of Academy members, staff, and the broader community of rehabilitation professionals and individuals with disabilities, the White House, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and Durable Medical Equipment Medicare Administrative Contractors (DME MACs)will not finalize the draft Lower Limb Prostheses Local Coverage Determination (LCD) (DL33787) at this time.
Many thanks to the more than 100 member physiatrists who submitted their comments and concerns to enact this change and special thanks to Marlís González-Fernández, MD, PhD, of Johns Hopkins and an AAPM&R Academy Leadership Fellow, who testified on AAPM&R's behalf at the CMS hearing in Baltimore on August 26, 2015.
View the full statement from CMS here.
Physician Compare Preview Period Open until November 16
The Physician Compare preview period has been extended to November 16, 2015 to allow additional time to preview your measures. You can access the secured measures preview site now through the PQRS portal—Provider Quality Information Portal (PQIP). To learn more about whichmeasures will be publicly reportedandhow to preview your measures, visit thePhysician Compare Initiative page.
If you have any questions about Physician Compare, public reporting or the 2014 quality measure preview period, please email PhysicianCompare@Westat.com.
#AAPMR2015 Connections
AAPM&R’s 2015 Annual Assembly helped so many attendees make long-lasting connections. Watch #AAPMR2015 Connections to learn why networking during the Assembly was so important to your peers. Plus, save the date for next year. We'll beMoving Physiatry Forwardin New Orleans, October 20-23, 2016! Content willfocus on innovative patient care, changes impacting the business of medicine, and ways physiatrists can position themselves and the specialty for success.
Informal Review Request Period for the 2016 Value Modifier Now Open
The 2014 Annual Quality and Resource Use Reports (QRURs) are now available for every group practice and solo practitioner nationwide. Groups and solo practitioners are identified in the QRURs by their Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN). The QRURs are also available for groups and solo practitioners that participated in the Medicare Shared Savings Program, the Pioneer Accountable Care Organization (ACO) Model or the Comprehensive Primary Care Initiative in 2014, and to those TINs consisting only of non-physician eligible professional (EPs). Authorized representatives of groups and solo practitioners can access the 2014 Annual QRURs on the CMS Enterprise Portal using an Enterprise Identify Data Management (EIDM) account with the correct role. For more information on how to access the 2014 Annual QRURs, visit How to Obtain a QRUR.
For groups with 10 or more EPs that are subject to the 2016 Value Modifier, CMS established an informal review period to request a correction of a perceived error in their 2016 Value Modifier calculation. These groups may request an informal review of their 2016 Value Modifier determination now through November 23, 2015 by 11:59 pm (ET). Additional information about the 2014 QRURs and how to request an informal review is available on the 2014 QRUR website and through the QRUR Help Desk at pvhelpdesk@cms.hhs.gov or (888) 734-6433 (select option 3).
AAPM&R and AMRPA Hosted the “2016 Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Update - What is the Impact?” Webinar
On October 21, 2015, your Academy and the American Medical Rehabilitation Providers Association (AMRPA) hosted the “2016 Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Update - What is the Impact?” webinar. On July 31, 2015, CMS issued a final rule outlining fiscal year 2016 Medicare payment policies and rates for the Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Prospective Payment System and the IRF Quality Reporting Program. The webinar provided attendees a summary of the FY 2016 final policies that will impact physiatry. The speaker was Carolyn C. Zollar, JD, executive vice president for governmental relations and policy development for AMRPA.
2016 Membership Renewal Opens Soon
If you are a current AAPM&R associate, fellow or international member, your Academy will soon begin sending invoices and electronic communications, encouraging you to renew your 2016 membership dues. Please be sure to maintain your membership byresponding to these communications, asyour membership will expire on December 31, 2015. Thank you in advance for your support of your Academy!
New Pain Management Supplement and SAE-P Coming Soon!
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Your Academy is excited to announce a new pain management supplement
and self-assessment examination for practitioners (SAE-P),Current Concepts in Physiatric Pain Management, which accompanies the November PM&RJournal.
The supplement, guest edited by Academy member Mark Tyburski, MD, includes more than 30 SAE-P questions to assess your knowledge on the topic. The Pain Management SAE-P, which will be available for purchase in the mē® catalog, offers up to 8AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ and will help fulfill your American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (ABPMR) MOC Part II Requirement. The supplement will address safe opioid prescribing as well as non-pharmacologic options for various patient populations experiencing acute and chronic pain, and includes updates on opioid medication regulations and treatment of patients with chronic pain in alternative payment models.
Plus, be sure to check out “The Basics of Pain Coding” article included with the November issue, directly after the pain management supplement.
CMS Issues Final Rule Regarding Payment for Services to Medicare Beneficiaries
On October 30, 2015, CMS issued its final rule detailing how the agency will pay for services provided to beneficiaries in Medicare by physicians and other health care professionals in 2016. This is the first physician fee schedule final rule since the repeal of the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA). Through the final rule, CMS is beginning implementation of the new payment system for physicians and other practitioners, the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), required by the legislation. Your Academy is reviewing the final rule to gauge what impact the policies will have on PM&R practices. Look for an article inThe Physiatristand a webinar detailing the changes in the December/January issue.
AAPM&R Appoints New Representatives for RUC and CPT Activities
Matthew Grierson, MD, has been appointed to the AMA Relative Value Scale Update (RUC) Committee as the AAPM&R Advisor. Barry Smith, MD, has been appointed to the AMA RUC as the AAPM&R Alternate Advisor. The RUC advisors play an important role in advocating for fair reimbursement for physiatric procedures.
Jeffery Brault, DO, was appointed to the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) Telehealth Work Group. The goal of the work group is to recommend solutions for the reporting of current non-telehealth services when using remote telehealth technology (to include, but not limited to, E/M services) and to consider potential new codes and use of current codes.
AAPM&R Members in the News
- Paul Abend, DO, physiatrist at Consultants in Rehabilitation and Pain Medicine, is celebrating 2 concurrent years with the title, “NJ Top Doc.” Congratulations, Dr. Abend! Learn more.
- Donald R. Chadwell, MD, recently joined Winter Haven Hospital as medical director of its Joy Fuller Rehabilitation Center. Congratulations, Dr. Chadwell !Learn more.
- James Crew, MD, along with the Santa Clara Valley Medical Rehabilitation Center, were honored by the President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins and his wife on October 28 for the center’s care of 4 students injured in the Berkeley balcony collapse back in June. Congratulations, Dr. Crew and team! Visit your Academy’s Facebook page for photos.
- Alberto Esquenazi, MD, AAPM&R past president and John Otto Haas Chair of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at MossRehab, discusses a new robotic device on theADVANCE Healthcare Networkwebsite. Learn more.