Academy News
Your Membership Now Includes Resources to Meet Current, Fundamental MOC Requirements
Your Academy is committed to helping our members meet Maintenance of Certification® (MOC®) requirements set forth by the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (ABPMR).
Starting in 2016, your Academy membership now includes:
- Fellow and Associate members: One complimentary self-assessment examination for practitioners (SAE-P) – earn 8 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ to meet your Part II requirement.
- All practice improvement projects (PIPs) are now available to all members at no cost to meet your Part IV requirement.
By renewing your membership, you’re receiving $440 in MOC resources! Visit aapmr.org/renew to learn more about your enhanced member benefits and renew online. Contact your Academy at (877) 227-6799 or memberservices@aapmr.org with questions.
2016 Call for Future Academy Leaders is Open
As part of its annual call for future leaders, your Academy is seeking members with leadership experience and encourages you to send us your recommendations for these AAPM&R Board of Governors-elected positions:
- Vice-President (2 years of previous service on the board required)
- Secretary
- Treasurer
- Member-at-Large
The general membership also elects:
- Nominating Committee Member
To nominate or learn more about these leadership roles and responsibilities, visit aapmr.org/nominate. Fellow member participation in this nomination process is essential and appreciated! Nominations are due at 11:59 pm (CT) on February 28, 2016.
New Webinar: Understanding MACRA, the New Medicare Payment Reform Law
In this 30-minute webinar, learn about the legislative and regulatory details of the Medicare Access CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) of 2015 and the new Medicare payment reform law and their implications on Merit-Based Incentive Programs (MIPs) and Alternative Payment Models.
CMS Hosts Special Open Door Forum on December 10
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will host an Open Door Forum to provide a summary of the Dry Run for Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities (IRFs) on All-Cause Unplanned Readmissions for 30-Day Post Discharge from IRFs. The forum will be held on Thursday, December 10 from 12:30 pm-1:30 pm (ET). If you would like to participate, you may dial in at (800) 837-1935 and use the Conference ID #: 93892614. Presentation slides will be available prior to Thursday’s forum on the CMS website.
CMS Updates NCDs and LCDs With ICD-10 Codes
All Medicare national and local coverage policies are translated for ICD-10 and to receive payment, providers must bill using ICD-10 codes for services rendered on or after October 1, 2015. Check the National Coverage Determination (NCD) and Local Coverage Determination (LCD) policies in the Medicare Coverage Database to find out which ICD-10 codes support medical necessity.
Home Health Billing Codes Changing January 1
Beginning January 1, 2016, the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) code G0154 for reporting skilled nursing visits on home health claims will be retired and replaced by 2 codes:
- G0299: Services of a registered nurse
- G0300: Services of licensed practical nurse
Many home health claims will span the January 1 date:
- Use G0154 for skilled nursing visits through December 31
- Use G0299 or G0300 for skilled nursing visits on or after January 1
Need Last-Minute CME? Visit the mē® Catalog
December 31, 2015 is your end-of-year CME claiming deadline! Still in need of CME credits? Visit the mē® Catalog for a variety of resources to help you meet your CME requirement:
- Case Studies: More than 30 case studies are available that focus on various clinical areas and offer 1 CME credit each.
- Journal CME: More than 100 PM&R Journal CME activities are available that offer 1 CME credit each – these are free to Academy members!
- MOC|2 SAE-Ps: Self-assessment examinations for practitioners (SAE-Ps) are valuable tools to help test your knowledge on a variety of clinical topics. Earn up to 8 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ per SAE-P, plus with renewal of your 2016 membership you receive 1 complimentary SAE-P! Available topics include:
- MOC|3 Study Tools: These online review courses cover topics found on the MOC exam, such as spinal cord injury, stroke rehabilitation, and pain management. Nine courses are available, which offer 1.25-2.25 CME credits per course.
- Other Online Educational Resources: These include slide lectures, online courses, and videos.
Congratulations to AAPM&R’s 2015-2017 Academy Leadership Program Class
Your Academy is pleased to introduce the new class of the Academy Leadership Program! The following 10 candidates were chosen from a large pool of excellent applicants and will be trained and encouraged to take on leadership roles at the conclusion of the 2-year program.
- Shane Burr, MD, The Physician Network
- Alexios Carayannopolous, DO, Comprehensive Spine Center
- Mehul Desai, MD, MPH, Minnesota Advance Pain Specialists
- Carl Gelfius, MD, FAAPMR, FAANEM, Texas Children’s Hospital
- Corinne Layne-Stuart, DO, West Virginia Unive25rsity
- Annie Purcell, DO, Redding Spine & Sports Medicine
- Jeffrey Radecki, MD, Lehigh Valley Health Network
- Monica Rho, MD, Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
- Monica Verduzco-Gutierrez, MD, UT Health Science Center
- Aurora Wong, MD, North Mississippi Medical Center
Check out your October/November issue of The Physiatrist to learn more about their involvement with the Academy.
Free Webinar this Wednesday: Understanding Pseudobulbar Affect (PBA) in TBI and Stroke Patient Populations
People with PBA experience episodes of uncontrollable laughing or crying that do not correspond to how they feel. Bart Brown, PharmD, senior medical science liaison with Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will help physicians learn how to develop awareness of PBA and be able to screen for and identify symptoms, and learn how to distinguish PBA from clinical depression in the acquired brain injury patient population.
The webinar, sponsored and presented by Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Inc., will be held twice on Wednesday, December 9:
Please note that AAPM&R does not endorse the content, company or its products. This webinar will not be recorded. No CME will be provided for this webinar.
AAPM&R Member in the News: Steven Flanagan, MD on CNN
Co-director of the NYU Concussion Center, AAPM&R Board of Governors member, and 2015 AAPM&R Outstanding Council Service Award Winner (Central Nervous System Rehabilitation Council), Dr. Steven Flanagan, provided expert commentary on NFL concussion protocol and the effects of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in a recent television interview. Dr. Flanagan explained, “When someone has a concussion in a sports event like that, one of the most important things is to, one, recognize it, and, two, just get them out of the game. They shouldn't be allowed to be put back in. Really all you're doing is allowing them to play injured and, perhaps, make themselves more susceptible to another injury. So when in doubt, take them out.” The interview aired on CNN on November 26, 2015.
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