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Join the specialty's top instructors on July 12-13 in Memphis for an in-depth course in Regenerative
Medicine.This is a course you won't want to miss!
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2019 ASIPP Washington Legislative Meeting and
Capitol Hill visits
set for October 15-16, 2019
Now is our chance! Let your voices be heard!
At no other time in the history of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians has it been more important for you, as members, to get involved in our advocacy efforts. Despite o
ur
ongoing, tireless efforts, with some improvements, our specialty continues to be affected by coverage and reimbursement issues. These issues continue to hurt more than just our bottom lines; some practices and surgery centers have been forced to close their doors or sell to others.
Our legislative issues include:
- Non-coverage by Medicare Advantage
- Dual eligibility with Medicaid not paying 20%
- Centene acquisition of Well Care
- Onerous audits and investigations
- Incorporation of best practices in Pain Management
- Support for preauthorization for Medicare Advantage
- Support for H.R.3107 - Improving Seniors' Timely Access to Care Act of 2019 (preauthorization bill)
We have scheduled a legislative conference for October 15-16, 2019. To participate in this conference, you must to be in Washington DC on Tuesday, October 15 in order to attend the preparation session Tuesday evening. Then, on Wednesday, October 16, we will head to Capitol Hill for breakfast and congressional speeches. You will be able to fly out late on Wednesday evening. Please do not plan on leaving before 6 pm.
Each member is expected to visit two senators and one member of Congress for a total of three visits.
ASIPP has booked a block of rooms at the beautiful Melrose Georgetown Hotel, less than a mile from the Hill. You will be responsible for travel expenses. Please let us know as soon as possible if you will be attending so that we can begin making the appointments. Please bring your family, friends and employees.
It will be fun! If you have never participated before, just ask those who have. Not only is this a necessary and important meeting, but it is also an exciting and fun experience.
Please contact Melinda Martin, ASIPP Director of Operations, at
[email protected]
if you are interested in attending.
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OH-KY Annual Meeting in Cincinnati: Book your Hotel by July 12 for Discounted Rates
A great
agenda
has been planned for the Ohio and Kentucky Societies of Interventional Pain Physicians Annual Meeting. This 2.5 day meeting will be held at the Westin Cincinnati August 9-11, 2019.
After a day of lectures on Saturday, we will go to the Great American Ballpark for the Cincinnati Reds/Chicago Cubs game. We have reserved a suite for OH-KY attendees. Baseball tickets are not included in the annual meeting registration fee, but must be purchased through our meeting registration form.
Click here to register
. To reserve your hotel accommodations
,
click here
.
We are also accepting abstracts for the poster presentations. To submit proposals,
click here
.
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Overdose Deaths Likely to Fall for First Time Since 1990
For the first time in decades, drug-overdose deaths in the U.S. are on the precipice of declining.
Authorities are still counting fatalities around the U.S. from 2018, but
provisional data
from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are pointing lower. Those data predict there were nearly 69,100 drug deaths in the 12-month period ending last November, down from almost 72,300 predicted deaths for 12 months ending November 2017.
If the trend holds through December, annual drug deaths will fall for the first time since 1990, when overdoses killed about 8,400 people. December’s data will likely be available next month.
Access to this article may be limited
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Is insulin resistance the cause of fibromyalgia? A preliminary report
Miguel A. Pappolla ,Laxmaiah Manchikanti, Clark R. Andersen, Nigel H. Greig, Fawad Ahmed, Xiang Fang, Michael A. Seffinger, and Andrea M. Trescot
Abstract
Fibromyalgia (FM) is one of the most frequent generalized pain disorders with poorly understood neurobiological mechanisms. This condition accounts for an enormous proportion of healthcare costs. Despite extensive research, the etiology of FM is unknown and thus, there is no disease modifying therapy available for this condition. We show that most (if not all) patients with FM belong to a distinct population that can be segregated from a control group by their glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels, a surrogate marker of insulin resistance (IR). This was demonstrated by analyzing the data after introducing an age stratification correction into a linear regression model. This strategy showed highly significant differences between FM patients and control subjects (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.0002, for two separate control populations, respectively). A subgroup of patients meeting criteria for pre-diabetes or diabetes (patients with HbA1c values of 5.7% or greater) who had undergone treatment with metformin showed dramatic improvements of their widespread myofascial pain, as shown by their scores using a pre and post-treatment numerical pain rating scale (NPRS) for evaluation. Although preliminary, these findings suggest a pathogenetic relationship between FM and IR, which may lead to a radical paradigm shift in the management of this disorder.
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SGB: A possible breakthrough treatment for PTSD
Could a simple shot in the neck be a break-through for the debilitating symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder? The toll from PTSD is growing. About 20 veterans a day commit suicide in what the VA is now calling an epidemic. Only 40% find relief from PTSD with current treatments. The new procedure called stellate ganglion block, or SGB, is so fast-acting that many believe it could be a game changer. Used for decades to treat chronic pain, it's only recently been tried for PTSD. Now the U.S. Army is spending $2 million to find out more. Nobody is calling it a cure, but the promise of a new therapy can't come soon enough for many veterans we spoke with - frustrated and despairing that nothing they have tried has worked.
John Zehring: My PTSD was like a monster on your back that controls your entire life.
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Save the Date: First
Midsouth Meeting to be Held September 20-22 in Memphis
The first meeting of the Midsouth Societies of Interventional Pain Physicians will be held September 20-22 in Memphis. The meeting is geared toward physicians and midlevel practitioners for the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi and Tennessee.
Click here
for meeting registration and hotel booking information.
Agenda coming soon!
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Trump issues executive order increasing transparency in hospital prices, doctor fees
President
Donald Trump
on Monday issued an executive order designed to pressure insurers, doctors and other health-care providers to disclose more information about their prices.
The executive order will direct the Department of Health and Human Services to require hospitals and insurers to disclose negotiated rates for services, as well as provide patients with out-of-pocket costs before their procedures.
“We are fundamentally changing the nature of the health care marketplace,” Trump said before signing the order.
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ASIPP Guidelines at your fingertips
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Number of Pain Sites Predicts Chances of Future Frailty, Researchers Warn
Boston—An older adult’s number of chronic pain sites predicts the likelihood of falling into frailty, according to new research.
“Frailty is a condition of heightened vulnerability to psychosocial stress, and it has been shown to be a strong predictor of a variety of adverse outcomes such as hospitalization, disability and mortality,” said Kushang V. Patel, PhD, MPH, a research associate professor of anesthesiology and pain medicine at the University of Washington Medical Center, in Seattle. “But less work has been focused on the predictors of frailty,” Dr. Patel added.
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Interventional Pain Management Reports
is an Open Access online journal, a peer-reviews journal dedicated to the publication of case reports, brief commentaries and reviews and letters to the editor. It is a peer-reviewed journal written by and directed to an audience of interventional pain physicians, clinicians and basic scientists with an interest in interventional pain management and pain medicine.
Interventional Pain Management Reports
is an official publication of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP) and is a sister publication of
Pain Physician
.
Interventional Pain Management Reports Interventional Pain Management Reports
is an open access journal, available online with free full manuscripts.
The benefits of publishing in an open access journal that has a corresponding
print edition journal are:
- Your article will have the potential to obtain more citations.
- Your article will be peer-reviewed and published faster than other journals.
- Your article can be read by a potentially much larger audience compared with traditional subscription-only journals.
- Open Access journals are FREE to view, download and to print.
So submit today your:
- Case Reports
- Technical Reports
- Editorials
- Short Perspectives
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2019 MIPS Reporting? Start Now.
MIPS-eligible clinicians must report a full year of data. Don’t fall behind – keep up with NIPM-QCDR.
MIPS 2019 has brought larger payment adjustments and greater reporting requirements, including a 365-day performance period for the Quality and Cost categories. The sooner you start your MIPS reporting for 2019, the better.
Sign up today to use ASIPP’s NIPM-QCDR for MIPS.
This powerful tool makes MIPS reporting easy through the use of our new patient-reported outcomes measures for 2019, which ease the burden on providers and reduces costly EMR integration.
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Two Weirton doctors found not guilty on drug charges
OHIO COUNTY, W. Va. —
A federal trial ends in 'not guilty' verdicts for two local doctors. The pair faced more than a dozen combined charges for unlawfully prescribing Suboxone.
Both doctors had prominent, long-time practices in Weirton.
In Wheeling, the attorneys called it a ‘grueling’ 9-day trial.
Dr. Cherian John is a cardiologist, practicing for the last 33 years.
“After this long fight, we’re so happy with the jury,” said Dr. John’s Attorney, Steve Stallings. “I think the government was trying to fight the war on opioids. Dr. John has always been one of the good guys on that fight.”
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U.S. Pain Foundation Founder Pleads Guilty to Fraud and Tax Evasion
Paul Gileno, the former CEO and founder of the U.S. Pain Foundation, has pleaded guilty to fraud and tax evasion charges stemming from his misuse of funds from the Connecticut-based non-profit.
Gileno, 46, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty Monday before U.S. District Judge Victor Bolden in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He faces up to 25 years in prison, but as part of the plea agreement prosecutors agreed to ask for a lesser sentence because of Gileno’s “prompt recognition and affirmative acceptance of personal responsibility.” A sentencing date has not been set.
According to court documents, Gileno embezzled nearly $1.6 million from the foundation from 2015 to 2017 and failed to report the income on his personal tax returns. For that, he owes an unpaid federal tax of over $532,000. Gileno must also pay a fine and make full restitution to the foundation and Internal Revenue Service, as well as tax penalties and interest.
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Pain Physician
May/June 2019 Issue Features
The May/June issue of Pain Physician features guidelines for sedation and fasting in patients undergoing IPM procedures as well as several systematic reviews, randomized trials and original research.
Guidelines
Alan D. Kaye, MD, PhD, Mark R. Jones, MD, Omar Viswanath, MD, Kenneth D. Candido, MD, Mark V. Boswell, MD, PhD, Amol Soin, MD, Mahendra Sanapati, MD, Michael E. Harned, MD, Thomas T. Simopoulos, MD, Sudhir Diwan, MD, Sheri L. Albers, DO, Sukdeb Datta, MD, Frank J.E. Falco, MD, and Laxmaiah Manchikanti, MD
Systematic Reviews
Chia-Shiang Lin, MD, Ying-Chun Lin, MD, Hsuan-Chih Lao, MD, and Chien-Chuan Chen, MD
Yola Moride, PhD, Danae Lemieux-Uresandi, Msc, Genaro Castillon, MD, Cristiano Soares de Moura, PhD, BPharm, Louise Pilote, MD, PhD, Mareva Faure, MSc, Sasha Bernartsky, MD, PhD
Shu-Wei Yeh, MD, Chien-Hsiung Hong, MD, Ming-Chieh Shih, MD, Ka-Wai Tam, MD, PhD, Yao-Hsien Huang, MD, and Yi-Chun Kuan, MD
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Department of Justice News
Two Physicians and Two Registered Nurses Indicted in Mississippi Compounding Pharmacy Fraud Scheme
Two Mississippi-licensed physicians and two Mississippi-licensed registered nurses were charged in an indictment unsealed today for their roles in a multimillion dollar scheme to defraud TRICARE, the health care benefit program serving U.S. military, veterans and their respective family members, as well as private health care benefit programs Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi and United Healthcare of Mississippi.
Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst of the Southern District of Mississippi, Acting Special Agent in Charge Steven J. Jensen of the FBI’s Jackson, Mississippi Field Office and Special Agent in Charge Cyndy Bruce of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service’s (DCIS) Southeast Field Office made the announcement.
Shahjahan Sultan, M.D., 37, of Madison, Mississippi, Thomas Edward Sturdavant, M.D., 56, of Kingsport, Tennessee, Freda Cal Covington, R.N., 54, of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and Fallon Deneem Page, R.N., 36, of Soso, Mississippi were each charged in various counts of a 15-count indictment returned on June 11, 2019 in the Southern District of Mississippi. The indictment was unsealed upon the defendants’ arrests today. The defendants will make their initial appearances this week before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael T. Parker of the Southern District of Mississippi.
Former Medical Director and Two Former Operators of a Houston Medical Clinic Charged in Multimillion-Dollar Health Care Fraud Scheme
A medical director and two operators of a Houston, Texas, medical clinic were charged in an indictment unsealed today for their alleged participation in a multimillion-dollar health care fraud scheme.
Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick of the Southern District of Texas, Special Agent in Charge Perrye K. Turner of the FBI’s Houston Field Office, Special Agent in Charge C.J. Porter of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General’s (HHS-OIG) Dallas Region, Special Agent in Charge Kristie K. Osswald of the Railroad Retirement Board Office of Inspector General (RRB-OIG) Chicago Regional Office and the Texas Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) made the announcement.
Douglas Sharp, D.O., 69, of Katy, Texas, the medical director of Verimed Health and Medical Wellness Clinic Inc. (Verimed); Innad Husaini, M.D., 64, of Sugar Land, Texas, the owner and operator of Verimed; and Hanh Hong Thi Nguyen, 43, of Houston, the former operator of Verimed, were each charged in an indictment filed in the Southern District of Texas. Sharp, Husaini and Nguyen were each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. In addition, Sharp was charged with three counts of false statements relating to health care matters, Husaini was charged with three counts of health care fraud and Nguyen was charged with two counts of health care fraud. The three defendants were arrested this morning and appeared this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Peter Bray of the Southern District of Texas. A trial date has not yet been set.
New Jersey/Pennsylvania Doctor Indicted For Accepting Bribes And Kickbacks From A Pharmaceutical Company In Exchange For Prescribing Powerful Fentanyl Drug
A doctor who practiced in New Jersey and Pennsylvania was charged in an indictment unsealed today for his alleged participation in a scheme to receive bribes and kickbacks from a pharmaceutical company in exchange for prescribing large volumes of a powerful fentanyl narcotic.
Assistant Attorney Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito of the District of New Jersey, Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie of the FBI’s Newark Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Scott J. Lampert of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General’s (HHS-OIG) Office of Investigations—New York Region and Special Agent in Charge Susan A. Gibson of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) New Jersey Division made the announcement.
Kenneth Sun, M.D., 58, of Easton, Pennsylvania, was charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and to pay and receive health care kickbacks and four counts of receiving health care kickbacks. Sun was arrested this morning and appeared this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Leda Dunn Wettre of the District of New Jersey. A trial date has not been set.
Florida Company Barred from Using Experimental Stem Cell Drugs on Patients
A federal court ordered a Florida company claiming to offer stem cell treatments to stop selling or providing such products to patients, the Justice Department announced today.
In a complaint filed May 9, 2018, the United States alleged that defendants Kristin Comella, US Stem Cell Clinic Inc., and US Stem Cell LLC, of Sunrise, Florida, marketed “stromal vascular fraction” (SVF) products as stem-cell-based treatments for a host of serious conditions and diseases, including Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injuries, stroke, and traumatic brain injury. According to the complaint, the defendants made such claims without approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and without proof of safety and efficacy. On June 3, District Judge Ursula Ungaro of the Southern District of Florida granted the government’s motion for summary judgment and denied a similar motion by the defendants, finding that the SVF products must comply with the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA). On June 25, the Court entered a permanent injunction barring the defendants from selling or providing SVF products absent FDA approval.
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July 12-14, 2019
GSIPP 2019 - 15th Annual Meeting & Pain Summit
The Cloister Hotel at Sea Island
Sea Island, GA
July 26-28, 2019
PAIN 2019
West Virginia Society of Pain Physicians
Loews Miami Beach, FL
August 9-10, 2019
Ohio and Kentucky Annual Meeting
Westin Cincinnati
Cincinnati, OH
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