May 21, 2010
A Message from the ASSH President
One Question - Last Week's Question Results
Did You Know - ASSH Annual Meeting?
Comprehensive Review Housing Deadline - May 23rd
AFSH - Commitment Has Its Perks during the Annual Meeting!
Update from ASSH LinkedIn Group
AMA opposes SGR Proposal - From AMA
House Advances Short-term SGR Relief - From AMA
A Message from the ASSH President
Today and tomorrow, the ASSH Council will be engaging in rigorous conversations at our meeting in Sonoma. The agenda for our two-day meeting is full of issues of great consequence to our field, and I will be updating you about all of the outcomes over the following weeks. We will be tackling some big topics during the meeting, including the introduction of a comprehensive curriculum for hand surgery education presented by Jim Chang and Marty Boyer. The curriculum lays the groundwork for several pathways, and it is an incredible credit to the intricacies of our field as well as a giant first step to defining our body of knowledge.
Also in the area of education, we will be discussing our options for GME funding in the future. We have committed to exploring two-year pilot programs for upper extremity training with ASES, and therefore we have an obligation to help secure funding for the second year of these programs. One of the options that we will discuss is to set up a home for GME funding through the American Foundation for Surgery of the Hand (AFSH). There are many pros and cons to be considered for all options to get the best results for the programs.
Other items on the agenda include exploring two-year fellowship pilot-programs as mentioned above, clarifying our conflict of interest policy, producing an online implant catalog, producing a web-based version of the Self-Assessment Exam and much more. It will be an exciting couple of days, and I’m looking forward to reporting back to you with how this all unfolds.
My best from Sonoma,
Bob Szabo
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One Question
Take a look at the results from the May 14, 2010 "One Question" about the frequency of Weekly Member Update emails.
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Did You Know - ASSH Annual Meeting?
Did you know... you can search the Annual Meeting Exhibit Hall by company, by location or by product category? Visit the interactive floor map to try it out. See where the exhibitors you are interested in will be, and start to make your Annual Meeting plans today.
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Comprehensive Review Course – May 23 Housing Deadline
Plan your stay at the Renaissance Chicago Downtown for the Comprehensive Review in Hand and Upper Extremity course July 16-18. Reserve your room by May 23 to ensure you receive the ASSH discounted rate. Call (312) 372-7200 or book online using code: ASHASHA.
Visit the Comprehensive Review Course program page for complete details on topics, faculty, exhibitors and CME.
Don't forget to register for the General Orthopaedic Review precourse hosted by the AAOS on July 15 at the Renaissance Downtown Chicago. The course will prepare you for the General Orthopaedic questions on the combined CAQ exam. Learn more by visiting the course webpage.
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AFSH - Commitment Has Its Perks during the Annual Meeting!
Many members are making plans for the Annual Meeting, and if you are a Founders Circle or Complus Manus donor, you should keep a few things in mind.
Founders Circle donors have:
- Priority booking at the Sheraton Boston Hotel – ASSH Headquarters during the Annual Meeting.
- Access to the Founders Circle lounge at the Hynes Convention Center throughout the Annual Meeting.
- A private reception with other committed donors prior to the Welcome Reception.
Complus Manus donors have:
- A discounted registration fee for Coding precourses. Contact the Central Office at AM10@assh.org for details.
- A private reception with other committed donors prior to the Welcome Reception.
Learn more about becoming a Founders Circle donor or Complus Manus donor. Or contact Jessica Daniels at afsh@assh.org to learn more about the benefits of donating to the AFSH.
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Update from ASSH LinkedIn Group
A new discussion about the 2010 NRMP Hand Surgery Match results was started by a member on the ASSH Members LinkedIn Group.
Join the discussion and learn more about other ways to stay in touch with the Hand Society through social media.
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AMA Opposes SGR Proposal - From AMA
Based on their conversations with policymakers, the AMA will not support an emerging proposal to address the flawed Medicare physician payment formula, which would result in steeper cuts for physician practices in five years, making it much more difficult—if not impossible—to achieve the objective of permanently repealing the “sustainable growth rate” (SGR).
It is the AMA’s understanding that a draft proposal developed by the House of Representatives and the Senate congressional leadership would provide for statutory updates of 2.2 percent for the remainder of 2010 and an additional 1 percent increase in 2011. Short-term positive updates are no doubt attractive. From 2012 through 2014, physician updates would be determined by two expenditure targets that were proposed by H.R. 3961. The AMA believes updates during this period would likely produce modest increases for E&M services and no less than a freeze for other Medicare services. In 2015, physician payments would be scheduled to revert back to the current SGR formula with a projected cut of no more than 37 percent. While this cut would result in a 2015 conversion factor in line with that projected under current law, the update baseline will continue to fall during these five years as a result of the underlying SGR formula. By 2015, the AMA believse that the price tag to permanently repeal the SGR, or even to extend the proposed 2012-2014 policy, could exceed $500 billion.
Find out more about health reform at the AMA’s Health System Reform Resources webpage.
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House Advances Short-term SGR Relief - From AMA
The House of Representatives plans to vote on an “extenders bill” that is expected to include a new proposal to avert the 21 percent cut in Medicare physician payments that is scheduled to take effect on June 1. Elements of the proposal, include:
- A 1.3 percent Medicare payment update for the remainder of 2010
- A 1.0 percent payment update in 2011
- Updates for 2012-13 established under two expenditure targets
- The SGR formula resuming in 2014 to reflect current law
The two expenditure targets are patterned after those proposed in H.R. 3961, which passed the House last year. An expenditure target for evaluation and management and preventive services will be set at gross domestic products (GDP) plus two percentage points; a separate expenditure target for all other physician services will be set at GDP plus one percentage point. These targets are more generous than the current sustainable growth rate (SGR), which is set at GDP with no additional growth allowance. During the two-year period when the twin targets are in place, an update floor will be set at zero to prevent any conversion factor cuts in 2012-13.
In 2014, the current SGR formula will resume with a conversion factor that is expected to be considerably lower than it is today. The cost of repealing the SGR formula will also be higher.
Find out more about health reform at the AMA's Health System Reform Resources webpage.
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