AAPM&R Connection E-Newsletter

The 2016 Report to Membership features detailed information about the Academy's work over the past year on behalf of its members, and highlights plans for 2017. Have you ever wondered: “What do my AAPM&R dues support?” Read this report.

We’re looking for speakers who have expertise in physiatry-focused topics. If that’s you or if you would like to recommend a particular speaker, please complete this survey.

Participate in the Spring 2017 PM&R Knowledge NOW^® Writing Cycle by applying to be an author of a 1,700-word summary of a clinical topic. Applications are due by February 7, 2017. Learn more.

We have new practice preparedness resources on mē^® that help you run, transition, and diversify your practice. The New Health Care will help you:

• Explain 3 challenges physiatrists must be able to overcome to succeed in the emerging value-based environment.
• Articulate the difference between incremental and disruptive innovation, and give examples of each.
• Develop an action item specific to the participants' organizations to increase the likelihood PM&R will be a relevant component to the design of future care models.
  

Preview the video below for a summary of the activity.

The Spine Quality Outcomes Database has launched! Your Academy is actively seeking participant sites. If you and/or your institution are interested in participating, please email spineregistry@aapmr.org. Find more information here.

CECity, our vendor for PQRSwizard^® (an online reporting tool which allows for individual EPs to report their PQRS data), is hosting several informational webinars in the coming weeks. Learn more and register.

Following the Academy's expressed interest in the CDC guidelines for opioid use in the treatment of chronic pain, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has requested that Academy members comment on a short series of key questions about non-pharmacological treatment of chronic pain. Learn more and comment by January 16.

CMS has contracted with RTI and Abt to develop and implement 2 Transfer of Health Information and Care Preferences (TOH) quality measures. As part of the measure development process, RTI, in collaboration with Abt, is pilot testing the TOH measures to investigate data collection methods and time to complete the items, the feasibility of implementing the TOH quality measures, and measure properties. Learn more about participating.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is conducting a Clinical Practice Improvement Activities (CPIA) Study, as outlined in the MACRA final rule. Applications for this study will be accepted from January 1-31, 2017. Learn more.

• Cheri Blauwet, MD, has been voted to the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) Board. Dr. Blauwet is the first person from the Paralympic movement voted to the board. She is also a decorated Paralympic athlete in the sport of wheelchair racing winning a gold, 2 silvers, and a bronze medal over her career. After retiring from competition, Dr. Blauwet has served in a number of roles in the Olympic and Paralympic movement, serving as a member of the International Olympic Committee Medical and Scientific Expert Group, and until September 2016, served as treasurer on the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency board of directors. Congratulations, Dr. Blauwet! Read more.

• Chloe Slocum, MD, recently finished serving on a technical expert panel commissioned by CMS on the Improving Post-Acute Care Transformation (IMPACT) Act. This was the second commissioned meeting to follow-up on the first TEP held in April 2016. Read more.

Do you have a newsworthy story to share with your peers? Send us an email at: pressinquiries@aapmr.org.