AAPM&R Connection E-Newsletter

According to the American Stroke Association, someone in the United States has a stroke every 40 seconds. Despite the tremendous toll stroke takes, the vast majority of Americans do not think of stroke as a major health concern. To raise awareness, the American Stroke Association established American Stroke Month every May.

Your Academy is getting involved by raising awareness of the work of member volunteers in this clinical area. A Stroke Work Group was formed to discuss the role of physiatry in the care of patients suffering from stroke. Visit our Stroke Awareness Month web page to hear what the work group has to say, and take this opportunity to advance your clinical skills in stroke this May. Your Academy provides educational resources in the mē^® Catalog, and articles on PM&R Knowledge NOW^®.

Need to direct your patients somewhere to learn more about the PM&R specialty? Steer them to our About Physiatry page on www.aapmr.org to find information on the history of the PM&R specialty and a listing of conditions and treatments that physiatrists commonly treat.

We also host our Find a PM&R Physician database in this section. The database is a helpful tool for patients and Academy members to search for PM&R physicians across the U.S. Be sure to update your member profile—including your clinical interests and practice setting(s)— so that patients can find you!

Join us for the FREE Prevent Medicare Penalties: 2016 PQRS for PM&R Providers webinar on May 12 from 12 pm-1:30 pm (CT)!

Host Marvel J. Hammer RN, BS, CPC, CCS-P, ACS-PM, CPCO, is a coding, billing, and compliance consultant, as well as an AHIMA-approved ICD-10-CM trainer. Her field of specialties include ICD-10-CM, pain management, physical medicine and rehabilitation, neurology, addiction medicine, and occupational medicine. Share this information with your office staff and register here!

Coding incorrectly equals lost revenue. Your Academy has a resource to help you save time and money—the 2016 PM&R Coding Companion. The 2016 version includes global periods for all PM&R codes, clinical scenarios, and audit tools. Get a sneak peek of the Companion here before you purchase.

On Wednesday, April 27, 2016, your Academy received a prepublication of a proposed rule issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that signifies the most extensive change in physician payment policies in the last 2 decades. Learn more.

Physicians, practice managers, administrators, and more gathered in Chicago on April 29-30 to master their coding and reimbursement skills at the ICD-10 and Coding & Reimbursement Workshops. Learn more.

On April 21, 2016, your Academy, in a collaborative effort with the American Medical Association (AMA) and several other groups, signed on to a letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). This letter outlines recommendations in response to the Agency’s proposed rule (CMS-6058-P) implementing program integrity enhancements to the provider enrollment process for Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Learn more.