AAPM&R Connection E-Newsletter

Dr. Sharon Gohari from Veterans Affairs shares why she chose physiatry.

Help us tell your story. If you are up for being interviewed, email newsrequests@aapmr.org and a staff member will connect with you. We will ask questions like:

• What makes physiatrists unique in comparison to other physicians?
• What do you believe are the character traits of a good physiatrist?
• Think of the patients you have served. Without naming names, tell me about that patient and why they came to mind.
• What do you believe has been physiatry’s greatest contribution to health care?
• How would you finish the statement, “Physiatry is more than...?”
  

Follow this campaign and share it with your peers and friends on Facebook and Twitter. We have more than 400 followers combined and 2,000 video views—be sure to get in on the excitement! Find more stories at www.pmrismorethan.org.

Recognize your peers, or yourself! Tell us who deserves recognition for their work in PM&R. Nominees selected for awards will be acknowledged at the 2017 Annual Assembly in Denver. Check out our new video below and nominate someone today!

We're currently seeking 2 candidates to serve in the member-at-large role of the Practice Preparedness Committee. The committee is charged with developing resources to prepare Academy members for current and anticipated changes in their practice environments. Learn more and apply by the extended deadline—February 27.

We’re looking for expert physiatrists who want to give back and share their knowledge with the specialty. You know how important it is to help our physiatry community learn more. That's why we need your recommendations! 

Do you know an expert (or yourself) who is willing to share their knowledge at Annual Assemblies or other live events? Let us know.

Your recommendations help to provide the best educational experience from the faculty that you want to hear from. Thanks in advance!

We’re excited to welcome the following members to the State Advocacy Subcommittee:

• Stuart Glassman, MD, Chair
• Emerald Lin, MD
• Glenna Tolbert, MD
• Lydia L. McNeary, MD
• Paul L. Jett, MD, MBA

Thanks to these Academy members for their time and support! Learn more.

We’ll be Thriving through Transformation in Denver this year, October 12-15! As part of this transformation, we’re shaking up the 2017 Annual Assembly with the PM&R education and experience you need.

• We’re expanding preconference course offerings to include 5 in-depth, educational opportunities in the areas of ultrasound, spasticity, cancer rehabilitation medicine, imaging, and leadership.
• Sessions will be “tagged” by clinical and practice topics, embracing the diversity of the specialty, while making the experience easier to navigate.
• We’re going from 1 to 4 topics in the amped-up Learning Center, which offers hands-on demonstration stations and live presentations from leading experts—all included with your registration fee.
• More intensive skills labs and more didactic sessions will balance your experience, so that you can implement learnings and new skills immediately in your practice.
  

Learn more and stay tuned for details—registration opens May 15.

Physiatrists will experience a number of changes to payment policy, coding, and reimbursement beginning January 1, 2017. Many of these changes are due to the 2017 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS), published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in November 2016. The fee schedule, updated annually, includes payment policy and reimbursement information for all codes billed to Medicare Part B.

Read the full article in your February issue of The Physiatrist.

The Spine Quality Outcomes Database (SQOD) is a clinical data registry that will follow individuals with spine-related issues longitudinally. SQOD is now live and currently has 73 individuals signed up. Interested in participating? Check out the benefits below:

• Improving patient care
• Benchmarking your practice
• Meeting Maintenance of Certification^® and MIPS reporting requirements automatically through your data submission
  

Email spineregistry@aapmr.org or complete this form for more information.

On February 2, 2017, the federal judge administering the Settlement Agreement in the Medicare “Improvement Standard” case (Jimmo v. Burwell) ordered the Secretary of Health & Human Services to carry out a Corrective Action Plan to remedy the department’s noncompliance with the settlement. Learn more.

The EHR Incentive Programs attestation system is open now until February 28, 2017. Providers must attest by the deadline to avoid a 2018 payment adjustment. To help providers prepare for the 2016 EHR Incentive Programs attestation period, CMS has released 2 attestation worksheets for eligible professionals and eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals. Learn more.

• Thiru M. Annaswamy, MD, presented at the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF)'s reception, The Arc of Science: Research to Results. Dr. Annaswamy presented as part of a team showcasing their research, 3D Immersive Tele-Rehabilitation. Read more.

• Allen Chen, MD, MPH, director of physiatry at NewYork-Presbyterian/The Spine Hospital, discusses his patient's progress with lower back pain in the Huffington Post article, "Doctors Have Been Treating Lower Back Pain All Wrong." Read more.

• Christopher J. Standaert, MD, physiatrist at the University of Washington and Harborview Medical Center, discusses chronic back pain in the New York Times article, “Lower Back Ache? Be Active and Wait It Out, New Guidelines Say.” Read more.

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