AAPM&R Connection E-Newsletter

On February 3, 2017, the Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS) released a position statement that was developed in collaboration with AAPM&R and 26 other medical societies, regarding the impact on international collaboration in medicine of the recent executive order suspending some foreign entry into the United States. View the full statement.

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

• Piloting the Spine Quality Outcomes Database: An Interview with Michael Hatzakis, Jr., MD
• What’s New in 2017: The Medicare Quality Payment Program (QPP)
• 2017 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and CPT^® Code Changes That Will Impact PM&R Practice
• Advancing a National Trauma Care System: Its Impact on Your Patients
• What’s New at the 2017 Annual Assembly?
  

PhyzForum is your destination to receive insights and ideas from your fellow physiatrists. Log in to participate in recent discussions including:

• Advice on specific patient diagnoses
• Recommended practice strategies
• Telemedicine pros and cons
• And more!

Respond to your peers or start your own discussion 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 February 20, 2017.

The mē^® Catalog is your destination for the clinical and practice resources you need, including educational and CME activities, tools to meet the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation's (ABPMR) Maintenance of Certification^® requirements, and more. Browse a few of the resources you need below:

• Self-Assessments—receive 1 free self-assessment each year with your membership
• Practice Improvement Projects—all PIPs are complimentary with your membership
• PM&R Journal Articles—receive free CME with your membership
• Various videos, slide lectures, podcasts, and other online resources
  
  

On January 30, 2017, President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order for Reducing Regulation and Controlling Regulation Costs. The order requires executive departments or agencies to remove 2 previously-implemented regulations for every new regulation issued. Learn more.

CMS is extending the submission deadline for 2016 Quality Reporting Document Architecture (QRDA) data submission for the Electronic Health Record (EHR) reporting mechanism. Individual eligible professionals (EPs), Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) group practices, qualified clinical data registries (QCDRs), and qualified EHR data submission vendors (DSVs) now have until March 13, 2017 to submit 2016 EHR data via QRDA. The original submission deadline was February 28, 2017. Learn more.

Physiatrists are invited to submit comments on proposed research and development plans within the disability community. The National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) is requesting comments on its draft long-range plan for the period 2018–2023. Comments will be accepted by email to NIDILRRfuture@acl.hhs.gov and are due by close of business on March 20. Learn more.

On January 31, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced plans to recompete the supplier contracts and consolidate all current rounds and areas included in the Medicare Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) Competitive Bidding Program into a single round of competition named Round 2019. 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.

• Justin Berthold, DO, was recently promoted to senior medical director at The Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh. Dr. Berthold joined their PM&R team in 2015 and since then, he has served as medical director, providing inpatient and outpatient PM&R services to adolescent and young adult patients. Congratulations, Dr. Berthold! Read more.
  

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