Weekly Headlines from March 2, 2016
Academy News
| March is Brain Injury Awareness Month | According to the Brain Injury Association of America, an estimated 2.4 million children and adults in the United States sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI) each year. To raise awareness of traumatic brain injury, the Brain Injury Association of America established National Brain Injury Awareness Month every March.
Your Academy is getting involved by raising awareness of the work of member volunteers in this clinical area. A Concussion Work Group was formed to discuss the role of physiatry in the care of patients suffering from concussions. Visit our Brain Injury Awareness Month web page and hear what a few members of the Concussion Work Group have to say about physiatry’s role in brain injury. Be sure to check our brain injury resources, and make plans to attend the Annual Assembly, where Dr. Bennet Omalu, a ground-breaking forensic pathologist and inspiration for the film Concussion, will speak on chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
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| NEW! Medical Student Video Competition | As the job of a PM&R physician is to treat a wide variety of medical conditions affecting the brain, spinal cord, nerves, bones, joints, ligaments, muscles, and tendons, lack of understanding about the specialty and its physicians continue to exist. AAPM&R invites medical students and residents to raise awareness for and cultivate an understanding of the PM&R specialty by creating a 2-3 minute video presentation answering the question, “What is PM&R?” Learn more about the video competition here.
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| Look for Your March Issue of The Physiatrist | | Keep an eye on your mailbox for the latest issue of The Physiatrist. The March issue features: - March is Brain Injury Awareness Month
- Your PM&R Resource—www.aapmr.org—Meet the Education Tab
- We’re Moving Physiatry Forward in New Orleans!
- The Value of Your Academy Membership: Volunteer/Involvement Opportunities to Advance Your Career
- Chronic Care Management: How PM&R Practices Can Recognize the Value—Part 2 Clinical Scenarios
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Member Volunteerism
| Volunteerism Section of www.aapmr.org | Visit www.aapmr.org and explore the Volunteerism page to learn about our current volunteer opportunities, find volunteer resources, and to view our annual awards program. The Academy is continually looking for member volunteers to help move the specialty and you forward.
Explore this section and find an opportunity that interests you.
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| Call for Abstracts and Abstract Reviewers—Last Chance | The 2016 Call for Abstracts and Abstract Reviewers is coming to a close. Now is the time to submit your clinical and basic scientific research findings to be considered for inclusion in the AAPM&R 2016 Annual Assembly, October 20-23 in New Orleans, LA. Abstracts are due this Friday, March 4. Learn more.
We still need abstract reviewers! Help choose which abstracts will be included at this year’s Annual Assembly. TODAY is the deadline to submit your statement of interest. Learn more.
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| Recognize Your Colleagues—Nominate Them for an Award! | Nominate your colleagues who deserve recognition for distinguished contributions to the Academy and the specialty. Explore the criteria for the various AAPM&R awards, and visit the diverse and distinguished list of Academy members who have been honored in the past.
Submit your nomination today! Nominations are due by 11:59 am (CT) on March 31, 2016. Award recipients will be honored at the AAPM&R 2016 Annual Assembly.
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Education
| Order Your PM&R Coding Companion—NEW Features for 2016! | Avoid audits and help your office staff save time and money with AAPM&R’s 2016 Coding Companion. The Companion includes the 2016 CPT® code set specific to PM&R in an easy-to-use format.
What’s New for 2016? - Code Index for Quick Referencing
- Facet Injection Guideline Changes
- EMG Evaluation Exam Templates
- E/M Audit Tool
- MSK Exam Audit Tool
- Access to AAPM&R Coding Articles
Members save 40% off the regular nonmember price. Learn more on mē®. | |
| Coding & Reimbursement Workshop: April 29-30 in Chicago | | Get the PM&R-specific coding help you need at one of AAPM&R’s Coding & Reimbursement Workshops, hosted in conjunction with KarenZupko & Associates, Inc. (KZA).
On Friday, April 29, attend ICD-10 Coding and Clinical Documentation Excellence, a course that builds on your existing ICD-10 knowledge and helps you take it to the next level. On Saturday, April 30, the Strategic Coding & Reimbursement 2016 course will spend significant time on all aspects of E/M coding and reimbursement. Find details and feedback from past attendees here.
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Health Policy/Advocacy
| Avoid Up to a 4% Penalty—Utilize the PQRSwizard® for Your Reporting Needs | | The Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) is a CMS quality reporting program that uses negative payment adjustments to promote reporting of quality information by individual eligible professionals (EPs) and group practices. One solution for your PQRS reporting needs is the PQRSwizard®, the Academy-Sponsored PQRS Registry Reporting Vendor. The deadline for reporting your 2015 data using the PQRSwizard® is March 18, 2016. Learn more about PQRS and avoid up to a 4% penalty by using the PQRSwizard®.
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| Complimentary Webinar with CMS Leadership: Overview of Physician Quality Reporting—March 23 | | Host Sophia Autrey, current lead for quality measures in the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) at CMS, will provide an overview of physician quality reporting and answer questions during this 60-minute, members-only webinar on March 23 at 11 am (CT). Register here.
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| Physicians Raise Concerns About PQRS | | The AMA, together with the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) and 43 specialty societies, including your Academy, recently sent a sign-on letter to the administration outlining 2016 Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) payment adjustments and informal review process issues. The letter expresses the concern that physicians and group practices were incorrectly penalized under PQRS in 2016 as a result of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) inadequate feedback and informal review request methods. Read the full letter here.
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| EHR Incentive Programs Attestation Deadline Extended to March 11 | | CMS extended the attestation deadline for the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs to Friday, March 11 at 11:59 pm (ET). Eligible professionals, eligible hospitals, and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) participating in the Medicare EHR Incentive Program can attest through the CMS Registration and Attestation System. Providers participating in the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program should refer to their respective states for attestation information and deadlines. Learn more.
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| Medicare Revalidation Article | | The Medicare Learning Network (MLN) Matters® special edition article is intended for all providers and suppliers who are enrolled in Medicare and required to revalidate through their Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs), including Home Health & Hospice MACs (HH&H MACs), Medicare Carriers, Fiscal Intermediaries, and the National Supplier Clearinghouse (NSC). This article explains the requirements for providers to re-enroll in Medicare, how providers will be notified, and what deadlines providers must adhere to. View the full article here.
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Annual Assembly
| Join Us in the “Big Easy” this October 20-23! | | Start making your plans now for AAPM&R’s 2016 Annual Assembly in New Orleans! We’re meeting at the end of October this year, so be sure to mark your calendar. View our host hotels and a customized map of the city here. It’s never too early to plan ahead!
We’ll also be offering Assembly attendees an Interfaith Gathering Room that may be used for religious practices. In 2016, the Assembly falls during the Jewish holiday Sukkot. Find local synagogue information here.
Come Early for Concentrated Learning—Attend a Preconference Course on October 19! - Coding and Reimbursement for PM&R: Avoiding Audits and Denials
- Clinical Applications of Ultrasound
- Regenerative Medicine: Current Concepts and Brave New Paradigms in the Treatment of Musculoskeletal Conditions
- Building and Maintaining Medicolegal (ML) Work in Your Physiatric Practice
Registration opens in the spring. Stay tuned to www.aapmr.org/assembly for details!
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AAPM&R Members in the News
- Andrew Haig, MD, professor emeritus of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Michigan and president of Haig et al. Consulting, has joined Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital as vice president of accountable care and medical informatics. Congratulations, Dr. Haig! Learn more here.
Do you have a newsworthy story to share with your peers? Send us an email at pressinquiries@aapmr.org. | |