AANEM Practice News Express

MACRA: What Does It Mean for Small Practices?

    5/18/2016
The proposed rule is just 3 weeks old, and analysts are still trying to determine exactly how the new payment system will affect physicians, but one section in the 962-page MACRA proposal set off alarm bells across the healthcare field: the projected impact on small practices. 

CMS Releases Proposed Rule in Overhaul of Physician Payment Policies

    5/4/2016
On Wednesday, April 27, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its proposed rule implementing key provisions of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA), the piece of legislation passed by Congress last year replacing the flawed Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) physician payment formula. MACRA represents a complete overhaul of the structure of physician payments by Medicare. 

Gender as a Modifying Factor Influencing Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 Phenotype Severity and Mortality

    5/4/2016
This study in PLOS ONE is a nationwide, multiple databases cross-sectional observational study of adult Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 patients showed that there are gender differences in the phenotype.

Long-term Safety and Efficacy of Mexiletine for Patients With Skeletal Muscle Channelopathies

    4/20/2016
Neuromuscular physicians often approach mexiletine initiation with trepidation, because the medication may lead to cardiac arrhythmias. This study in JAMA Neurology examined the data.

oVEMP as a Test for Myasthenia Gravis

    4/6/2016
This study in Neurology shows that Ocular Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials (oVEMP) may be a useful test for evaluation of patients with myasthenia gravis. It offers two potential advantages compared to currently available techniques.

Open Payment Review and Dispute Period

    4/6/2016
On Friday, April 1, 2016 the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the beginning of the review and dispute period for the Open Payments data publication. This review period lasts for 45 days.

TUDCA in the Treatment of ALS

    3/23/2016
This pilot study in the European Journal of Neurology showed promise for the use of TUDCA in the slowing the progression of ALS.

Serum AChR Antibody Testing is More Sensitive in OMG than Previously Reported

    3/9/2016

Comparative Billing Reports in EDX Medicine: An Analysis

    3/9/2016
Approximately 4,300 Medicare providers of electrodiagnostic (EDX) tests received comparative billing reports (CBRs) this past February. The reports are intended to give providers an opportunity to compare themselves to their peers (based on the specialty they billed Medicare most often under), check their records against data in CMS files, and review Medicare (and AANEM) guidelines to ensure compliance

Oral Steroids for Acute Radiculopathy Due to a Herniated Lumbar Disk

    2/24/2016