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Volume 5 / Issue 1 / January 2013

PM&R - The journal of injury, function, and rehabilitation

Dr. Esquenazi—AAPM&R’s President for2013

AlbertoEsquenazi,MD, was installed as president of AAPM&R atthe annual business meeting held during the AAPM&R 2012 An-nual Assembly in Atlanta. His term is for one year.

Kurtis M. Hoppe, MD, assumed the position of president-elect, which is also a one-year term.

Each year at the annual business meeting, voting members ofthe Academy elect AAPM&R officers and members-at-largeto the AAPM&R Board of Governors. Here are the results ofthis year’s election.

Kathleen R. Bell, MD, was elected to serve as vice president forone year, and Darryl L. Kaelin, MD, was elected to a two-yearerm as secretary. Two open member-at-large positions on theAPM&R Board of Governors were filled. Rita N. Ayyangar,D, and Jonathan Finnoff, DO, were elected to these positions

n two-year terms. Additionally, Maureen R. Nelson, MD, waslected as a member of the Nominating Committee.

013 AAPM&R Board of Governors

resident: Alberto Esquenazi, MDresident-Elect: Kurtis M. Hoppe, MDice President: Kathleen R. Bell, MDecretary: Darryl L. Kaelin, MDreasurer: David G. Welch, MDast President: David L. Bagnall, MDember-at-Large: Rita N. Ayyangar, MDember-at-Large: Jonathan Finnoff, DOember-at-Large: Heikki Uustal, MDember-at-Large: Sam S. Wu, MD, MBA, MPH, MA

trategic Coordinating Committee Chairsedical Education Committee: Michelle S. Gittler, MDembership Committee: Ai Mukai, MD

ublic and Professional Awareness Committee: Stuart J.lassman, MDuality, Practice, Policy, and Research Committee: Greg-ry M. Worsowicz, MD, MBA

merican Medical Association Delegate: Leon Reinstein, MD

ditor-in-Chief, PM&R: Stuart M. Weinstein, MD

esident Physician Council President: Andrew Gordon, MD

APM&R Executive Director: Thomas E. Stautzenbach,

A, MBA, CAE

80

ominate and Participate

ominate: The board elections you see here began over aear ago with the annual nomination process. Your partici-ation in this process is essential. As part of its annual call foruture leaders, AAPM&R is seeking members with leadershipkills and encourages you to consider these opportunities.end us your recommendations for these AAPM&R Board ofovernors elected positions:*

● Vice president (two years of previous service on the boardrequired)

● Secretary● Treasurer● Member-at-large

he general membership also elects:

● Nominating Committee: member

articipate: To nominate a future AAPM&R leader, typenominations” in the search tool on the AAPM&R Web site.ominations are due at 11:59 am (CST) on February 28,013.

*Not all positions open each year. AAPM&R is continually collecting the

names of potential leaders for all elected positions, regardless of current

terms. All recommendations submitted will be kept on file and reviewed as

positions open. Elections for open positions will be held at the AAPM&R

2013 Annual Assembly. Questions? E-mail nominations@aapmr.org or call

(847) 737-6000.

New AAPM&R Council Leaders Appointed

Each year, Council leaders are elected by a majority of pres-ent Council members at the annual Member Council gather-ings. Each Council hosted its fourth annual meeting at theAAPM&R 2012 Annual Assembly in Atlanta. Members gath-ered to meet Council leaders and discuss new ideas for 2013.As part of these meetings, members also participated inleadership elections.

Medical Rehabilitation Council

● Michael D. Stubblefield, MD, assumed the role of chair.● Kanakadurg R. Poduri, MD, was elected to serve as chair-

elect.● Clinton E. Faulk, MD, was elected to serve as vice-chair of

communication.● George Forrest, MD, was elected to serve as member-at-

large for the Council Nominating Committee.

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81PM&R Vol. 5, Iss. 1, 2013

Musculoskeletal Medicine Council

● Joanne Borg-Stein, MD, assumed the role of chair.● Gary P. Chimes, MD, PhD, was elected to serve as chair-

elect.● Rosalyn T. Nguyen, MD, was elected to serve as vice-chair

of communication.● Kevin R. Vincent, MD, PhD, was elected to serve as

member-at-large for the Council Nominating Committee.

ain Medicine/Neuromuscular Medicine Council

● Andrew J. Haig, MD, was elected to serve as vice-chair ofeducation (term to begin October 2013).

● Chiawen Lucy Liang, MD, was elected to serve as mem-ber-at-large for the Council Nominating Committee.

ediatric Rehabilitation/Developmental Disabilities Council

● Robert J. Rinaldi, MD, was appointed to serve as chair.● Elizabeth A. Moberg-Wolff, MD, was appointed to serve

as chair-elect.● Susan D. Apkon, MD, was appointed to serve as vice-

chair of communication.

2013 AAPM&R RPC Leaders Announced

The Resident Physician Council (RPC) comprises allAAPM&R resident members, helping them prepare to pro-vide optimal physiatric services to patients and the specialty.The RPC Board’s mission is to assume an active role in thefunction of the Academy—specifically in the areas of mem-bership, medical education, physiatric practice, health carelegislation, and awareness—while building an active residentcommunity within the Academy. The mission also includesthe enhancement of communication between PM&R resi-dents, AAPM&R’s Board of Governors, and other members ofAAPM&R. AAPM&R is proud to announce the 2013 RPCBoard.

Executive Committee

President: Andrew H. Gordon, MD, PhD (PGY3—JohnsHopkins)Past President: Sunjay Mathur, MD (PGY4—RehabilitationInstitute of Chicago)Vice President: Justin D. Waltrous, MD, MPH (PGY3—University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey/Kessler)Secretary: Stephanie E. Rand, DO (PGY3—Montefiore Med-ical Center)

Governing Council, Liaisons, and Members-at-Large

Membership: Kathleen C. Effler, MD (PGY2—University ofPennsylvania); Fernando L. Sepulveda-Irizarry, MD(PGY3—University of Puerto Rico)

Medical Education: Michael J. Burns, MD (PGY3—Stanford

University); Prakash Jayabalan, MD, PhD (PGY2—Universityof Pittsburgh Medical Center)Quality, Practice, Policy, and Research: Felicia M. Skelton,MD (PGY3—University of Washington Medical Center)Public and Professional Awareness: Catherine J. Yee, MD(PGY2—Schwab Rehabilitation Hospital)Bylaws/Charter: Mary Alexis Iaccarino, MD (PGY2—Har-vard/Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital)Nominating: Erin M.C. Grimsby, MD (PGY3—Medical Col-lege of Wisconsin); Dane C. Pohlman, DO (PGY3—MedStarNational Rehabilitation Network)Residency Program Liaison: Danielle L. Inwald, MD(PGY2—NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia/Cornell)American Medical Association-Resident and Fellow Sec-tion Delegate: Duc M. Chung, MD (PGY2—UCLA)

Save the Date for the AAPM&R 2013Annual Assembly

The dates for the 2013 Annual Assembly have been set: Nextyear’s Assembly—which will celebrate the Academy’s 75thanniversary—will take place October 3–6, 2013, at the Gay-lord National Hotel and Convention Center in the Washing-ton, DC, area.

Submit Your Research for the AAPM&R2013 Annual Assembly

AAPM&R invites you to submit your clinical and basic sci-ence research findings to be considered for inclusion in theAAPM&R 2013 Annual Assembly, October 3–6, 2013, inNational Harbor, MD—the Washington, DC, area. Eachabstract will be evaluated based on the components of thestructured abstract. All abstracts selected for inclusion in thescientific paper and poster presentations during the AnnualAssembly will also be published and distributed as a Weblink and CD-ROM in conjunction with PM&R.

AAPM&R will accept abstract submissions for the 2013Annual Assembly online only. Submit your abstract at http://aapmr2013.abstractcentral.com. All abstract submissionsare due Friday, March 8, 2013, at 11:59 pm (CST).

Visit www.aapmr.org for more information about abstractubmission procedures and important presentation policies.f you have questions, contact info@aapmr.org.

Jimmo v. Sebelius: Settlement AgreementHas Major Implications on MedicareBeneficiaries With Disabilities andChronic Conditions

Your Academy, a one-time plaintiff and long-time supporterof a nationwide class-action lawsuit that is expected to signif-

icantly expand coverage of therapy and skilled nursing ser-

82 AAPM&R ACADEMY NEWS

vices for Medicare beneficiaries with chronic conditions ordisabilities, is pleased to announce that on November 20,2012, the chief judge of the District of Vermont signed anorder preliminarily approving the settlement agreement. Italso would make more limited changes to coverage of inpa-tient rehabilitation hospital/unit care. The judge will hold afairness hearing on January 24, 2013, in Rutland, VT, todetermine whether the agreement is fair, reasonable, andadequate.

The case, Jimmo v. Sebelius, was brought by the Center forMedicare Advocacy, Inc. on behalf of a class of Medicarebeneficiaries. Other plaintiffs in the case are the NationalMultiple Sclerosis Society, the Paralyzed Veterans of America,the Parkinson’s Action Network, and the National Commit-tee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare. AAPM&R wasan original plaintiff in the lawsuit. However, the presidingjudge ruled that AAPM&R did not have standing to proceedas a plaintiff. Since October 2011, AAPM&R has offeredcontinued assistance to the Center for Medicare Advocacy,Inc. for the duration of the proceedings.

The case, which was filed in January 2011 in federaldistrict court in Vermont, challenged Medicare’s use of an“improvement standard” in determining medical necessityfor skilled nursing services and outpatient therapy on thegrounds that it violated Medicare law and deprived Medicarebeneficiaries of needed care. That standard effectively denied

coverage for skilled nursing facility care, home health care,

and outpatient therapy services on the basis that an individ-ual was not improving, without regard to the reasonablenessand necessity of the care. The improvement standard doesnot appear in the Medicare statute or regulations but insteadis a de facto “rule of thumb” that has been used by Medicarecontractors for years to deny or discontinue care.

The weight of this rule fell most heavily on Medicarebeneficiaries with disabilities and those with chronic condi-tions, such as Alzheimer’s disease and traumatic brain injury.Many of these patients are unable to obtain the skilled ser-vices they need to manage their chronic condition, maintaintheir existing function, and prevent deterioration of functionas a result of application of this standard.

Because the settlement would apply to Medicare Advan-tage plans, private plans that serve Medicare beneficiaries willhave to follow the new rules. This creates tremendous oppor-tunities for advocates to press for widespread adoption of thisnew standard. Additionally, as the essential health benefitspackages are being developed at the state level and overseenby the US Department of Health and Human Services, thissettlement may influence the contents of the rehabilitativeand habilitative services and devices benefit packages in theprivate market. The settlement will likely have a ripple effectacross Medicaid benefits as well.

AAPM&R continues to closely monitor this settlement

agreement. Stay tuned to www.aapmr.org for updates.