News Express | American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine

Second Annual Day on Capitol Hill

9/23/2015
AANEM hosted its second Annual “Day on Capitol Hill” in Washington D.C. on Sept. 14. The state liaisons met with over 40 congressional offices, and also advocated for increased NIH funding for neuromuscular research, support for Ensuring Access to Clinical Trials Act (S. 139/H.R. 209), and Patient’s Access to Treatment Act (P.A.T.A.) (H.R. 1600).

Washington Update

8/26/2015
Congress adjourned for the August recess following a productive legislative session during which legislators advanced a number of medical research and patient care priorities, while struggling to deal with controversial issues that have stymied high profile bills.

Action Alert

8/4/2015
Send a letter to your legislators this month to educate them about electrodiagnostic (EDX) medicine and ask for their support as AANEM undertakes its initial meeting with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to work with them to create standards for the EDX laboratories and personnel in an effort to combat fraud and abuse in EDX medicine. Click here for a template letter for your use.

Guideline Released for Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy (FSHD)

7/28/2015
A new guideline from the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) and the American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AANEM) looks at the scientific studies on facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD). This new guideline is based on the best available studies on FSHD, and can inform the public and clinicians about the best approach to managing and treating this disease.

Congressional Update for AANEM Members – July 2015

7/28/2015
Legislators on Capitol Hill worked to advance a number of key legislative priorities so that they could be well-positioned to finalize high-profile items before the end of the year. Most notably, both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees approved their chambers’ respective FY 2016 Labor-Health and Human-Services-Education (LHHS) Appropriations Bills.

Remembering Margarete Di Benedetto

7/28/2015
AANEM mourns the passing of Col. (ret.) Margarete Di Benedetto, MD, an AANEM member since 1969. Di Benedetto died on July 25, 2015, at the age of 89. Born in Alt Dobern, Germany, she attended school and was educated as a physician in Germany. After moving to the United States, she worked as an ABEM certified doctor in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

2016 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule: Proposed Rule Released

7/14/2015
On July 8, 2015, CMS issued a proposed rule updating payment policies, rates, and quality provisions for physicians under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) in 2016. According to the proposed rule, CMS projects minimal impact on neuromuscular and electrodiagnostic physicians.