News Express | American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine

House Takes Up AANEM Cause, Seeks Advocacy Letter Co-Signer

8/23/2016
AANEM advocacy efforts continue to gain momentum. In addition to outreach by key Senators to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), legislators in the House of Representatives are taking an active interest in issues of quality and patient access to sites of care in electrodiagnostic (EDX) medicine, including a new sign-on letter to CMS.

Science News: Identifying who will benefit from NIV in ALS

8/10/2016
This retrospective study in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry bolsters the evidence to support non-invasive ventilation (NIV) prescription in patients with ALS.

2017 Proposed Physician Fee Schedule—What Could This Rule Mean for Reimbursement?

7/27/2016
On July 7, 2016, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule updating payment policies and payment rates for physicians under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) for 2017. Within this document and addendum are updates to the relative value units (RVU), which include work RVUs, practice expense (PE) RVUs, malpractice (MP) RVUs, as well as the proposed Medicare conversion factor.

Modulating Myosin Restores Muscle Function in a Mouse Model of Nemaline Myopathy

7/27/2016
This study in the Annals of Neurology demonstrated increased myofiber size and force generation in myocytes of ACTA1 transgenic mice injected with the gene encoding the MyLC1a/emb isoform.

AANEM Advocacy: Lab Accreditation vs. ABEM Certification

7/27/2016

In response to the continued growth of fraud, abuse, and the number of unqualified providers performing EDX studies, the AANEM Board voted to move forward with an ambitious plan of working to establish mandatory standards for EDX medicine nationwide based upon AANEM’s EDX Laboratory Accreditation Program. Some members have asked - why did AANEM chose to use the EDX Laboratory Accreditation Program versus requiring ABEM certification?

CMS Releases Proposed 2017 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule

7/13/2016
On July 7, 2016, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule updating payment policies and payment rates for physicians under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) for 2017. CMS estimates a +1% impact in payment on neurology and physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians; although, ultimately, the result could differ when the final rule is published in the fall.

US Senators Support AANEM Advocacy Efforts

7/13/2016
AANEM advocacy efforts are building congressional support and increasing awareness of the issues impacting electrodiagnostic (EDX) medicine, including joining the sign-on letter to CMS asking the agency to work with the stakeholder community on quality-based solutions and to report on any efforts to curb fraud and abuse in EDX medicine.

AANEM Releases Position Statement on Genetic Testing in Diagnosis of NM Disease

7/13/2016
AANEM has developed a position statement regarding the utility of genetic testing in neuromuscular (NM) disease. This position statement was prompted by inquiries from members and insurance providers regarding whether genetic testing for NM diseases is valuable and beneficial in light of the costs of testing.

AANEM Comments on MACRA Proposed Rule

6/29/2016
The AANEM submitted a comment letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on June 27 regarding its proposed rule implementing MACRA (Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act).