AAPM&R Connection E-Newsletter

The President’s Citation Award has been announced for the highest-rated research abstract submitted for the AAPM&R 2017 Annual Assembly—Charles A. Odonkor, MD, MA, Johns Hopkins University for his abstract, Development and Design of a Predictive Nomogram for Missed Appointments at an Academic Pain Treatment Center: A Prospective Year-Long Longitudinal Study. Congratulations, Dr. Odonkor! Learn more.

NEW Webinar! On December 7, 2017 from 12 pm-12:30 pm CT, learn how to:

• Optimize navigation of the career center
• Maximize response to job postings
• Leverage all the products AAPM&R offers
• Access a large pool of qualified professionals

Register for this complimentary webinar.

Just 2 days left to submit a session proposal! Help shape the 2018 Annual Assembly program by sending us a session proposal and/or research abstract. Proposals are due by this Friday, December 1 and abstracts are due December 15. Learn more.

Are you interested in presenting at an AAPM&R live event? Do you have expertise in a physiatry-focused topic? Then nominate yourself to be part of our faculty. Or, let us know what other presenters you would recommend or would like to see again. Complete this survey.

The mē^® Catalog is AAPM&R’s home for the clinical and practice resources you need, including educational and CME activities, tools to meet Maintenance of Certification^® requirements, and more. You can sort resources according to Activity Type and Clinical Topics, as well as enter keywords into the search bar. Take a look at a few activities and browse the full website for more:

• Self-assessments—8 CME each, plus you receive a complimentary self-assessment upon your 2018 membership renewal
• Case studies—1 CME each
• PM&R Journal CME—1 CME each
• Online courses, videos, slide lectures—various CME
  

Got coding questions? Your Academy has the answers. Each month we feature a member’s question with an answer provided by AAPM&R’s Reimbursement and Policy Review Committee (RPRC).

Q: If I am providing injections on multiple body areas using ultrasound guidance (CPT code 76942), can I bill multiple units of the ultrasound guidance code?

Find the answer here.

Do you have a coding or billing question? Contact AAPM&R at codingquestions@aapmr.org for assistance.

Your Academy has informed you of how your Practice Improvement Project (PIP) could be used to meet your 2017 Merit-Based Incentive Program (MIPS) requirements to avoid a 4% penalty in addition to receiving MOC^® Part IV credit. PIPs will only meet the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) requirements if they were done for a consecutive 90-day period during the reporting year and completed by December 31. This means that you must have started participation in an AAPM&R PIP by October 2, 2017 at the latest to receive Improvement Activity credit for 2017. Learn more here.

In 2018, if you complete a PIP for 90 days, you will receive both MOC^® Part IV credit and points toward your overall MIPS score. For more information on your 2018 MIPS reporting requirements, please attend a webinar on December 15, 2017 at 12 pm CT—find details here.

If you still have questions, your Academy is here to help! Email healthpolicy@aapmr.org or call us at (847) 737-6000.

The Medicare Quality Payment Program (QPP) is designed to potentially reward physicians for providing quality, high-value care to Medicare patients. Reporting on 1 patient on 1 measure with CMS before the end of this year is all you need to do to avoid a negative 4% payment adjustment in 2019 under the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). Eligible providers who do not act in 2017 will receive a negative 4% payment adjustment in 2019 for failure to report into the MIPS program. View this document, which explains how to submit a claims form with the measure information you need to report.

One way to give back to physiatry and invest in the future is to support physiatric research through the Foundation for PM&R. In support of #GivingTuesday, consider gifting a donation to the Foundation.