June 11, 2010
A Message from the ASSH President
Did You Know - ASSH Annual Meeting?
Health Volunteers Overseas
New Resource on Evolving Models of Patient Care - From AMA
Congress Keeps Medicare Doctors Waiting - From CNN
A Message from the ASSH President
In order to support our efforts in exploring ways to improve hand surgery training, we must understand the knowledge and skills necessary for competent hand surgery practice and determine the responsibilities and activities of hand surgeons. The last time comprehensive data was collected in this area was 1986. I am happy to announce that Council has established the Hand Surgery Educational Research Grant in order to collect data that will be crucial in building a comprehensive training program. We are seeking proposals from ASSH members interested in performing research to document the current Scope of Hand Surgery.
This would be an update of the work of Steyers et. al. on “A Role Delineation Study of Hand Surgery” in the Journal of Hand Surgery (15A: 681-9, 1990). In this previous study twenty years ago, the authors surveyed the practices of hand surgeons across the country and made important observations on the scope of practice, case volume, and educational and training needs. The authors of the article proposed that “the practice of hand surgery has evolved dramatically, so that hand surgeons now treat a wide variety of clinical problems requiring knowledge and skills derived from the primary specialties of plastic, general, and orthopaedic surgery, as well as vascular and neurosurgery. However, in conjunction with this increased clinical activity, there has been some contention among physicians concerning the appropriate sphere of clinical practice and the requisite skills and knowledge needed for competent practice of hand surgery.”
The purpose of the current research project would be to update this important study and to examine national trends in training and practice of hand surgeons in 2010 and beyond. Interested investigators should submit their application by September 1, 2010.
Learn more about the Hand Surgery Educational Research Grant.
Sincerely,
Bob Szabo
Did You Know - ASSH Annual Meeting?
Did you know... that guests of attendees at the Annual Meeting can register for interesting and fun activities and tours throughout the meeting days?
Just take a look at the Annual Meeting schedule for activities and spouse/guest events. Registered guests can attend the Spouse/guest breakfast each morning and on Thursday, guests will be welcomed to Boston by a “local celebrity”. Go on a whale-watching expedition, take historic walking or biking tours, try a cooking or jewelry making lesson, and much more. Bring a guest along to the ASSH Annual Meeting and enjoy everything Boston has to offer while connecting with and learning from your ASSH colleagues.
Health Volunteers Overseas
HVO Opportunities in Orthopaedics:
Mongolia - Orthopaedic surgeons needed in fall 2010 for 2 - 4 weeks to train faculty and residents in Ulaanbaatar. Specialty areas include pelvic and acetabular trauma, knee arthroscopy, pediatric orthopaedics, hand surgery, and other sub-specialty areas. Contact the HVO program department for more information.
Tanzania - Orthopaedists are needed in fall 2010 to provide general training and subspecialty training at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center in Moshi. Assignments are 2 - 4 weeks. Contact the HVO program department for more information
New Resource on Evolving Models of Patient Care - From AMA
Making good on its commitment to provide physicians with the tools to lead and participate in evolving models of patient care, the American Medical Association released a new white paper for physicians considering accountable care organizations (ACOs), payment bundling, medical homes and gainsharing.
“As physicians work to optimize the quality of care and ensure the best value from health care spending, these new health care delivery models need to be patient-centered and physician-led,” said AMA President-elect Cecil Wilson, MD. “The government is preparing to launch pilot projects and they are already underway in the private sector, so it’s critical that physicians in all practice sizes have the tools to succeed in these new programs. The AMA is committed to providing physicians with the resources they need.”
The new AMA white paper, “Pathways For Physician Success Under Health Care Payment And Delivery Reforms,” is available free online to AMA members (read the Executive Summary), and was written for the AMA by national expert Harold Miller, executive director of the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform.
Congress Keeps Medicare Doctors Waiting - From CNN
As lawmakers tussle over freezing a 21% cut to doctors' Medicare fees, physicians are stuck waiting for word as to how much they'll be paid -- and when.
Officially, a massive cut to the rates that the government pays doctors to treat Medicare patients took effect June 1. But the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said it would delay processing claims for 10 business days, in the hope that Congress will delay the cuts, making the move retroactive, as it has done for years.
But Monday, June 14, marks the 10th business day of that claims delay -- and lawmakers are still locked in a stalemate while doctors go unpaid. The House of Representatives voted May 28 to delay the 21% pay cut for 19 months, but the Senate did not take action before its Memorial Day recess.
The Senate discussed its version of the so-called "Doc Fix" on Tuesday, which would give doctors a small boost in rates for the next two years instead of just delaying the rate cut. But it's unclear whether a bill will pass. Meanwhile, doctors are left wondering how they'll care for their 43 million Medicare patients. Read the rest of the article.