Academy News
Come Early for Concentrated Learning During Preconference Courses
Registration for the 2015 Annual Assembly, held October 1-4 in Boston is officially open! This year’s meeting – “The Physiatry Experience: Success in a Changing Health Care Environment” – will empower physiatrists to become more effective, visionary leaders to help transform your practice for success.
Fundamentals of Ultrasound: Tuesday, September 29–Wednesday, September 30This year’s preconference courses offer concentrated learning on ultrasound, coding & billing, and regenerative medicine. These courses sell out quickly, so be sure to register and secure a spot today.
Check out the Assembly’s website for meeting details and registration!
Eight Prestigious Faculty Leading June Ultrasound Course
Nationally and internationally recognized, the faculty for the AAPM&R 2015 Diagnostic and Interventional Musculoskeletal Ultrasound of the Upper Extremity course, which is being held June 26–28, in Tampa, FL, make it a must-attend! Check out their bios to read more about each faculty member. Learn more and register here.
July 1, 2016 Deadline for Submitting Hardship Exemption for the 2014 Reporting Year for Electronic Health Record/Meaningful Use Program
Payment adjustments for eligible professionals that did not successfully participate in the Medicare EHR Incentive Program in 2014 will begin on January 1, 2016. Medicare eligible professionals can avoid the 2016 payment adjustment by taking action by July 1 and applying for a 2016 hardship exception. To file a hardship exception, you must:
The hardship exception applications and instructions for an individual and for multipleMedicare eligible professionals are available on the EHR Incentive Programs website, and outline the specific types of circumstances that CMS considers to be barriers to achieving meaningful use, and how to apply.
PM&R Knowledge NOW®Editors Needed
PM&R Knowledge NOW®editors are needed. Editors review topic submissions, reinforce guidelines with authors, participate in special projects, and more. Please visit the Academy's website for editor information and application instructions. Plus, stay tuned for more opportunities to volunteer for PM&R Knowledge NOW®!
CMS Offers – Preparing for Implementation and New ICD-10-PCS Provider Call
Thursday, June 18: 1:30 pm-3 pm (ET)
It’s not too late to get ready for ICD-10 implementation on October 1, 2015. During this MLN Connects National Provider Call, CMS subject matter experts will present strategies and resources to help you prepare. Also, learn about ICD-10-PCS Section X for new technologies, which will be used by hospitals. A question and answer session will follow the presentations.
Visit MLN Connects®Upcoming Calls to register.
AAPM&R Helps You Fulfill ABPMR’s MOC Part II (SAE-P) Requirement
Looking to fulfill part II of the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) requirement, set forth by the American Board of PM&R (ABPMR)? AAPM&R offers over 12 Self-Assessment Exams for Practitioners (SAE-Ps) to help you meet this requirement. Plus, each SAE-P is eligible for up to 8AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.
Your Academy offers SAE-Ps on regenerative medicine (new in 2015!), geriatrics, sports medicine,musculoskeletal medicine,brain injury,spasticity, and more! Check out a full SAE-P listing in the mē®catalog.
NEW! 2015 Academy Resources for PQRS and Meaningful Use
Your Academy has published new resources to help you meet 2015 reporting requirements:
OIG Issues Report on Incorrect Place of Service Codes on Claims
On May 8, 2015, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) released a report titled Incorrect Place-Of-Service Claims Resulted in Potential Medicare Overpayments Costing Millions A-01-13-00506.
Under the Resource Based Relative Value System (RBRVS), the system that Medicare and many private payers use to assign value and determine payment for most professional services, each procedure is broken down into 3 components: work, practice expense (PE), and professional liability (PLI). Relative value units (RVUs) are assigned to each of these components. Under RBRVS, the RVUs assigned to the work and professional liability components of a service are not impacted by place of service. However, when a service could be performed in either a facility or a non-facility setting, the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule recognizes the differential by assigning more PE RVUs when the service is done in a non-facility setting.
Because HHS-OIG reports result in increased scrutiny of claims by the Medicare contractors, physiatrists should make sure that they and their billers understand the POS codes and are using them properly. A complete list of POS codes may be found on the CMS website. Read the full HHS-OIG report here.
Therapy Caps Exceptions Process Extended through CY 2017
When the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act was signed into law on April 16, 2015, the therapy caps exceptions process for Physical Therapy (PT), Occupational Therapy (OT), and Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) services was extended through CY 2017. Additional information is available on the CMS Therapy Services web page.
Register Now for the Foundation Rehab 5k at the Annual Assembly!
Tell your friends you are running in Boston!Please note that it will be held on FRIDAY morning, October 2, not Saturday, October 3, so on-site registration will only be taken Thursday evening during the Welcome Reception, or the morning of the event. Better yet, sign up for the Rehab 5k Run/Walk & Roll event when you register for AAPM&R’s Annual Assembly. The registration fee is only $25/$15 for residents and all participants get a technical t-shirt. Share this link and please ask your friends and family to contribute in support of your participation.
Young Investigators Urged to Apply for USBJI Grant Mentoring Program
The United States Bone and Joint Initiative (USBJI) and Bone and Joint Canada are dedicated to increasing research of musculoskeletal diseases and has developed a grant mentoring program to assist early-career investigators in securing funding and other survival skills required for pursuing an academic career. The deadline to apply for the fall workshop is July 15, 2015.Visit the USBJI website to learn more and apply for this program.
Evaluation and Management (E&M) Profile Analyzer
KarenZupko & Associates, Inc. has created a powerful tool to add to your compliance plan. The E&M Profile Analyzer allows you to compare your specialty and practice's internal E&M coding patterns to national and state figures, in addition to a hypothetical dollar opportunity/risk analysis of your coding patterns.
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Instantly calculates percentages, creates graphs, and produces reports
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Quickly and easily spot unusual under or over code utilization
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Predict future risk and take action
AAPM&R members receive this tool at a discounted price of $125. Learn more on the KarenZupko website.
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