Cite as: Hunt C. “Let's go!” don’t miss the 23rd Annual Pain Medicine Meeting in Las Vegas!. ASRA Pain Medicine News 2024;49. https://doi.org/10.52211/asra050124.003.

As I sit to write this letter, spring is in full bloom in the United States. Neighbors seek connection as they turn their tasks to the season; colleagues tackle the projects requiring heavy lifting with energy fueled by longer days brought by sunshine that was lacking in the colder months. Our fall meeting, having undergone numerous drafts and rounds of polishing over the preceding months, has shaped up to be an exciting and impactful program. It is such a privilege to share with you, dear ASRA Pain Medicine family, a preview of this program. The theme of the 23rd Annual Pain Medicine Meeting in Las Vegas, November 21-23, is “LET’S GO! Advancing Access and Advocacy.” This theme reflects the mission and vision of ASRA Pain Medicine in our current times: We will meet challenge with resilience, solutions, and the indefatigable conviction that our community will work together to address the current crisis of advocacy and access in our field.

For so many of us, ASRA Pain Medicine is more than just a society. It is a community and a place for professional growth and lifelong learning, and the Annual Meeting is an opportunity to reflect and recharge. From residency in PM&R to Pain Medicine fellowship and through my current career as a pain medicine specialist, ASRA Pain Medicine has provided direction, training, support, and inspiration. Just like many of you have experienced, this community has provided mentors who have guided me, giants upon whose shoulders I have stood, mentees who have provided such hope and joy at supporting their rise and success, and genuine friends that I love to see at ASRA events. Amidst the noise and uncertainty of our times—some unique to today, some that are with every generation—the ASRA Pain Medicine Annual Pain Medicine Meeting has always been a place for our community to come together to learn, be inspired, grow, and leave with the knowledge and tools to take even better care of our patients, our teams, and ourselves.

Months ago, while planning for #ASRAFALL24, we anticipated the topics that would be most relevant and compelling, and some of the issues that we thought would become even more pressing, such as access to treatment and the importance of advocacy in our field. We wanted to make space for emerging content and late-breaking science. We didn’t know that the work championed by Dr. David A. Provenzano and the ASRA Pain Medicine Board of Directors, together with the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), to launch the new Pain Medicine Coalition would come to fruition.¹ More than ever, our patients face daunting barriers to access to medical care, and we have never had such an incredible opportunity to join forces with other physicians and societies to advocate and champion their cause at the national level. This incredibly special 2024 Fall Meeting will deliver a robust blend of science, technology, training, and networking opportunities, and take these areas onto a national stage through collaboration with other organizations and societies.

The content for 2024 is strategically designed to be foundational, inspirational, and tailored to the needs of today’s pain medicine practice. Thursday’s opening session includes special addresses from the American Medical Association House of Delegates and the ASA President followed throughout the day by refresher courses in neuromodulation, complex regional pain syndrome, and updates in radiofrequency ablation. Every parallel session will include abstract presentations and billing and coding “pearls,” delivering the latest scientific developments and highly practical content relevant to every pain practice.

Throughout our meeting, you will see the ethos of our theme, “LET’S GO!” as we emphasize actionable solutions to complex challenges and highlight the latest in medical advancements.

Throughout our meeting, you will see the ethos of our theme, “LET’S GO!” as we emphasize actionable solutions to complex challenges and highlight the latest in medical advancements. Key highlights in our parallel sessions include how to use artificial intelligence tools to aid practice management, detailed anatomy review in challenging procedures and pinnacle pain therapies, emerging concepts in pain medicine and health span, updates in risk management, new opportunities in neuromodulation, and discussions of new ASRA Pain Medicine guidelines for steroid injections and sacroiliac joint procedures. I am particularly honored and thrilled to announce a special session on insights gained from treating and training warriors, which will be both inspiring and full of lessons relevant for every pain practice.

Drs. Tina Doshi and Ariana Nelson have organized outstanding workshops for our fall meeting with highly comprehensive content that we have expanded to include advanced musculoskeletal interventions and ultrasound, surgical skills relevant to pain medicine procedures, and pinnacle pain therapies alongside workshops that you know and love, covering fluoroscopically and ultrasound guided procedures and regenerative medicine. I encourage you to come prepared for discussion and interaction for this year’s novel interactive sessions with formats designed for heightened engagement, including hands-on demonstrations, neuromodulation topics, a preview of ASRA Pain Medicine’s emerging content in physician leadership development, and thought-provoking case discussions.

Our specialty benefits from its inherent multidisciplinary nature and diverse provider backgrounds. Our allied health professionals' program for 2024 continues to grow, and working with leaders, including Heather Jackson, Kim Bayless, and Katherine Cloud, we have developed a program that weds fundamentals with critical updates. Lectures this year will also include key imaging and procedural considerations for common pain procedures and pinnacle pain therapies.

Last year’s content for clinician educators and trainees was incredibly popular, and I’ve got good news for you – this will grow in 2024! We are excited to bring back the Master Clinician Educator Course designed for anyone interested in growing their educational skillset in pain medicine as well as an even bigger and better fellows’ course, including core didactic content and workshops for fellows enrolled in any of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education's programs. Thanks to Dr. Siyun Xie’s excellent suggestion, we have developed special interactive sessions with top faculty specifically for trainees covering subjections including contract negotiation, financial considerations for early career physicians, and foundations in billing, coding, and documentation. We aim to attract and cultivate future leaders in pain medicine and to support your growth in our society and your career.

ASRA Pain Medicine has met the challenges in access and reimbursement facing our field with the strongest effort ever undertaken in our specialty to advocate in a united fashion on a national level for the needs of our patients and our practices. We work as a community with diverse needs and voices to deliver actionable solutions to problems facing pain medicine providers. It has been a joy to work with such an outstanding ASRA Pain Medicine administrative staff led by Elizabeth Smith and the Planning Committee, including our ASRA Pain Medicine President David Provenzano, Alexios Carayannopoulos, Anuj Bhatia, Sandy Christiansen, Tina Doshi, Ariana Nelson, Katherine Cloud, Jason Eldrige, Andrea Nelson, Sam Eldabe, Stuart Grant, Max Eckmann, Brian Sites, Lynn Kohan, and Linda Hogan. We will continue to work together to organize and deliver a program that will support your growth and development and be a cause for celebration and hope as we come together in Las Vegas.

November’s meeting at Caesar’s Palace promises to be engaging, ground-breaking, and full of actionable solutions to today’s practice challenges. The first themed resort to open in Las Vegas in 1966, Caesar’s Palace was built to celebrate excess and shaped the city known today for its excitement and world-class entertainment. However, I reflect on a very different theme when considering the Roman Empire and how we might benefit from the lessons of its greatest leaders. When considering the challenges we face and the work of this meeting to support patient access and advocacy, I consider this quote from Seneca: “I don’t complain about the lack of time… what little I have will go far enough. Today – this day – will achieve what no tomorrow will fail to speak about. I will lay siege to the gods and shake up the world.” The meeting that we are designing for you, and the comprehensive approach ASRA Pain Medicine is taking to champion causes for our practices and patients, promises such a positive impact for the future if we do this work together. I can’t wait to see you in November. LET’S GO!

Reference

1. American Society of Anesthesiologists. Anesthesia medical societies announce launch of national pain medicine coalition. https://www.newswise.com/articles/anesthesia-medical-societies-announce-launch-of-national-pain-medicine-coalition. Newswise. Published March 25, 2024. Accessed April 10, 2024.