AAPM&R Connection E-Newsletter

Our enhanced PM&R Pavilion at #AAPMR2017, October 12-15 in Denver, CO, showcases the latest product and service innovations to positively impact your patients’ lives. The Pavilion is your “learning hub,” with our new Learning Center, Poster Hall, and expanded Career and Fellowship Corner centrally-located in the Pavilion to help you focus on everything PM&R—all in one place and included in your Assembly registration. Learn more.

P.S. 86% of attendees would recommend visiting the PM&R Pavilion. We’ll see you there!

The AAPM&R Poster Hall includes more than 450 posters, which feature original research submitted by your peers. Authors of the posters will be presenting on Friday and Saturday, giving attendees the chance to ask questions, and presenters the opportunity to receive feedback on their work. Don’t miss this opportunity to start one-on-one conversations and connect with your fellow attendees and researchers.

Plus, we have an entire research-related theme this year, featuring more than 20 sessions to keep you up-to-date. Learn more.

We have yet to reach statistical significance, so we’ve extended the participation deadline for the Compensation Survey one final time! Email memberservices@aapmr.org if you did not receive an email with your Source ID. We will quickly pass it along.

Why Does Statistical Significance Matter?

When we conducted a similar study in 2012, members let us know the reported data was too high level and didn’t provide valuable compensation insights. In order to report the depth of information requested by our membership, we must obtain a high level of participation. Your individual participation not only results in receiving free reports, but it also helps the entire specialty gain valuable, specific compensation insights. 

Find more information here.

Dues renewal for in-training members will be open this week until October 1, 2017. You are eligible for renewal if you meet 1 of the following criteria:

• You are a resident.
• You graduated from your residency program in 2016 or 2017.
  • If you are in a fellowship, let us know by filling out the fellowship form. We'll make sure information and resources are catered to your needs as a fellow in training!
• You are a medical student with a current PM&R Journal subscription or a medical student interested in a PM&R Journal subscription.
  

Whether you’re a PGY1 or PGY4, your Academy has the resources to help you throughout residency, as well as your transition to full-time practice. Receive career advice, educational resources specific to your early-career stage, fellowship training advice, leadership opportunities, and more by renewing your membership. Learn more about your benefits and renew!

Keep an eye on your mailbox for the latest issue of The Physiatrist. The July issue features:

• Academy Leadership Program Fellows Advocate for Physiatry in D.C.
• Be a Part of Physiatry Day 2017
• Coding and Reimbursement for Regenerative Medicine
• An Inside Look at the National Quality Forum’s (NQF) MSK Committee
• Deadline: August 1, 2017—Meet Your Quality Payment Program Requirements with the AAPM&R/AANS Registry
  
  

Held at the new Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago, attendees will take their ultrasound experience to the next level with this cadaver-based course, led by physiatry experts. Course highlights include joint injections, soft tissue injections, and identification of muscles commonly targeted in EMG or spasticity management. Plus, earn up to 16.25 Maintenance of Certification^® (MOC^®) Part II Self-Assessment credits!

Hurry—discounted rates end TODAY, July 5! View full course details and register now.

Your Academy staff is awaiting publication of the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule which is expected to coincide with the July 4th holiday. This year, AAPM&R has been actively engaging in ongoing dialogue with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to fight for fair valuation of physiatry services. In March, AAPM&R leadership and staff met with CMS to discuss payment accuracy for services provided to patients with mobility impairment. A G code was approved for these services in the 2017 fee schedule, however value was not assigned to the code. We anticipate that a value may be assigned for this service in the upcoming proposed rule. Further, AAPM&R physician representatives have attended numerous meetings of the AMA Relative Value Scale Update Committee and CPT Editorial Panel over the past year. Recommendations from the Committee and Panel are provided to CMS for consideration in their rulemaking process. The Academy will notify members upon publication of the proposed rule and, as in previous years, we will submit comments to the rule on behalf of the field. View past comment letters

Your Academy is a member of the Independence Through the Enhancement of Medicare and Medicaid (ITEM) Coalition, which has been advocating all year to get the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) or Congress to fix the problem of competitive bid pricing being applied to manual and power complex rehabilitation technology (CRT) wheelchair accessories. Late last week, CMS announced it will not be applying Medicare Competitive Bid Program (CBP) reimbursement levels to Complex Rehab Technology (CRT) Group 3 power wheelchair accessories. This policy change averts significant cuts that were scheduled to go into effect July 1, 2017 and avoids drastic reductions in access to this specialized equipment for Medicare beneficiaries with significant disabilities. Learn more.

On June 26, your Academy submitted comments to the RAND Corporation who is under contract by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to develop standardized patient/resident assessment data elements in alignment with the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation Act of 2014 (Impact Act). CMS sought comments from stakeholders on data elements that meet the IMPACT Act domains of cognitive function and mental status; medical conditions and co-morbidities; impairments; medication reconciliation; and care preferences. Your Academy has twice responded to CMS and its contractors on similar requests for information and comment on post-acute care assessment data elements and measures. 

The Academy’s Advocacy Action Center is a great member benefit and convenient lobbying tool that:

• Assists you in grassroots political advocacy by facilitating your messages to members of Congress, legislative chambers, and congressional committees through letters and emails on important policies.
• Helps mobilize Academy members to participate in legislative action alerts and contact senators and representatives on important health policy issues at the national or state level.
  

Learn more about how you can get involved.

The United States Bone and Joint Initiative (USBJI) and Bone and Joint Canada are dedicated to increasing research of musculoskeletal diseases and have developed a grant mentoring program to provide early-career investigators an opportunity to work with experienced researchers to assist them in securing funding and other survival skills required for pursuing an academic career.

The fall workshop will be held November 10-12, 2017 in Toronto, Ontario. The deadline to apply is July 15, 2017. Learn more and apply for this program.