AAPM&R Connection E-Newsletter

STEP stands for Skills, Training, Evaluation and Performance. The STEP Ultrasound Certificate Program is a “multi-tiered” training program that teaches and assesses MSK and neurologic ultrasound skills using a progressive, competency-based curriculum.

One of the first STEPs is taking the Ultrasound Clinical Applications of the Extremities preconference course at the Annual Assembly. If you haven’t registered yet, there’s still time. Discounted rates end August 30—register now and you’re on your way to checking Step One off your list!

Register now to join us at the 2017 Annual Assembly and enjoy major discounts—you’re already saving $300 as part of your member benefit, so come to Denver and save an additional $100 if you register by August 30.

We want to see you at our annual Business Meeting on Saturday during #AAPMR2017. Add it to your onsite schedule and vote on nomination recommendations, approve the membership roster, consider bylaw amendment proposals, review 2017 activities, and preview 2018 Academy initiatives. View the full agenda and more.

We’re conducting a survey on behalf of some of our Industry Relations Council (IRC) members. This survey is one value of their participation in the IRC, and we encourage you to take a few moments to participate. Data gathered from this survey will be used by IRC companies to better serve the PM&R community and the patients you serve. Upon completion, you will be entered to win a free 2017 Annual Assembly registration!

If you’re an inpatient physiatrist interested in learning more about how to report quality measures, join us for this FREE webinar! We’ll review the MACRA law and associated Quality Payment Program requirements for 2017 reporting. We’ll also highlight the connection between quality reporting and coding, the importance of documentation, as well as mechanisms for reporting quality measures. Don’t miss it—register now.

On August 21, 2017, your Academy submitted comments to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on the Calendar Year 2018 Proposed Updates to the Quality Payment Program. Review our principal recommendations in key areas of the 2018 QPP proposed rule here.

Medicare is an important payer for physiatry and it is important for physiatrists to be aware of Medicare medical policies. Unfortunately, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) can sometimes seem mysterious and even cryptic in how it operates. Websites can feel hard to navigate and it’s often a challenge to obtain a clear answer on coverage issues. Read this article in our August issue of The Physiatrist, which sheds light on how medical policy under Medicare is established and administered.

• Aixa Alvarez, MD, FAAPMR, physiatrist at Methodist Hospital and Monica Verduzco-Gutierrez, MD, FAAPMR, medical director of the Brain Injury and Stroke Program at TIRR Memorial Hermann, discover that they have more in common than just a passion for running. Read more.
  
• Julie K. Silver, MD, FAAPMR, director of cancer rehabilitation, as well as an associate professor and associate chair in the department of physical medicine and rehabilitation, at Harvard Medical School and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, discusses her goal of improving the visibility and impact of female health care leaders in the article, "Invisible women: Female doctors and health care leaders are being hidden in plain sight." Read more.
  
  
• Ann T. Vasile, MD, FAAPMR, medical director of Tustin Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation, Paradigm Medical Director, and a partner at Rehabilitation Associates Medical Group, was honored by the Triumph Foundation with the Outstanding Service Award for her work serving the paralysis community. Read more.

Do you have a newsworthy story to share with your peers? Send us an email at: pressinquiries@aapmr.org. Please note: AAPM&R reserves the right to deny requests where the purpose or content may not be considered in the best interests of AAPM&R or its members.