July 16th, 2010
A Message from the ASSH President
Did You Know - ASSH Annual Meeting?
Clinician-Scientist Development Program and Young Investigators Initiative - AFSH
Young Members Needed for the 2010 ASSH Young Leaders Program
Breaking Ground on Payment Reforms: AMA Hosts First Regional Seminar in Chicago - From AMA
HHS Issues Final Rule Regarding Meaningful Use of EMRs - From AAOS
New CPT Category III Code Established for PRP Injection Procedures
A Message from the ASSH President
The Hand Society continually explores ways to leverage technology and focus on evidence-based medicine to enhance the value of your membership. To support these efforts, Council approved a recommendation to revamp the Online Journal Club. Currently, the Journal Club is a periodic publication led by Editor-in-Chief Mark Cohen, MD, who works diligently to review current hand and upper extremity literature and create abstracts for member consumption. Each Journal Club issue is posted to our website and sent out via email to our membership, similar to the Weekly Member Update. But I think we can all agree that the true value of participating in a Journal Club is the lively discourse.
In May, I appointed a workgroup comprised of Mark Cohen, David Ring, and Scott Kozin to explore ways to make the Online Journal Club more interactive, so members can engage in an open discussion hosted by content experts. The task force developed a pilot format for the new interactive Online Journal Club which will debut in a few weeks. It will include a “Feature Article,” and you will be invited to post your comments, criticism or questions, and of course read what your fellow members have to say. I hope you take advantage of this new opportunity to share with and learn from other Hand Society members, and challenge each other to strive for excellence.
Bob Szabo
Did You Know - ASSH Annual Meeting?
Did You Know… that the committee meeting schedule is now posted to the Annual Meeting Website? The meetings are also included in the online schedule-at-a-glance. Throughout this past week, ASSH staff liaisons have been sending out committee meeting notifications via email. Please RSVP to your staff liaison by August 1st.
New this year, committee meetings are now included in the personal itinerary that you receive onsite when you pick up your registration materials.
Clinician-Scientist Development Program and Young Investigators Initiative - AFSH
For the second year, the AFSH is sponsoring Hand Society members to attend the Clinician-Scientist Development Program (CSDP) run by AAOS, and the Young Investigators Initiative, which is a grant writing program run by the US Bone and Joint Decade. Both will take place this Fall.
This year the AFSH will sponsor Dr. Nina Lightdale to attend the Clinician-Scientist Development Program. Dr. Lightdale is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Children's Hospital of Los Angeles. The CSDP provides participants with an orientation to the research environment including research history, funding sources, and orthopaedic research organizations. The workshop also provides the opportunity to meet and interact with research professors and establish a mentor relationship with selected faculty.
Also in 2010, the AFSH will sponsor Dr. Lance Brunton to attend the Young Investigators Initiative and Workshop. Dr. Brunton is an Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. The Young Investigators Initiative and Workshop program is designed to provide early-career clinical investigators an opportunity to work with experienced researchers in the field of Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery and to assist them in securing funding and other survival skills required for pursuing an academic career.
Young Members Needed for the 2010 ASSH Young Leaders Program
The Young Leaders Program is a leadership development program for young members who are interested in becoming more involved in the Hand Society and are dedicated to the future of hand surgery. For more information about the program, visit our website or fill out the Online Application.
The deadline for applications is August 16th. Questions should be sent to Alexzandra Wallace at awallace@assh.org.
Breaking Ground on Payment Reforms: AMA Hosts First Regional Seminar in Chicago - From AMA
How can pathologists contribute to the quality improvement initiatives of a clinically integrated group and benefit from financial incentives for performance improvement?
Why is a Texas hospital in Medicare's gainsharing demonstration project making more money from the project than the orthopaedic surgeons who secured the savings?
What advice should organized medicine be providing to the government as it works to establish the pilot accountable care organizations (ACOs) created in the Affordable Care Act?
These are just a few of the many questions participants asked during the AMA's first regional seminar on pathways for physician success under health care payment and delivery reforms July 12 in Chicago. Nearly 100 attendees, including many practicing physicians, heard firsthand from national experts and physician leaders on how to organize the delivery of care and change payment policies in ways that benefit patients and physicians while reducing costs.
HHS Issues Final Rule Regarding Meaningful Use of EMRs - From AAOS
The US Department of Health and Human Services has announced a set of final rules designed to expand the use of electronic medical records (EMRs), including one that defines the "meaningful use" criteria that healthcare providers must meet to qualify for bonus payments under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009. Requirements for meaningful use incentive payments will be implemented over a multi-year period, phasing in additional requirements that will raise the bar for performance on information technology and quality objectives in later years. The rule also includes the formula for calculating incentive payment amounts, a schedule for payment adjustments under Medicare for professional services provided by facilities that fail to demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHR technology by 2015, and other program participation requirements. Learn more.
New CPT Category III Code Established for PRP Injection Procedures
On July 1, 2010, the following new category III (new technology code) for the performance of Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) injection procedures was published by the AMA Current Procedural Terminology (CPT):
0232T – Injection(s), platelet rich plasma, any site, including image guidance, harvesting and preparation when performed (Do not report 0232T in conjunction with 20550, 20551, 20600-20610, 20926, 76942, 77002, 77012, 77021, 86965)
The new code means that surgeons who perform PRP injections must always use 0232T in reporting the procedure in lieu of whatever single code, or combination of codes, that were used previously. The new code cannot be billed in conjunction with other injection procedure codes (20550, 20551, 20600, 20605, or 20610), nor can it be used if the PRP injection is part of a larger surgical procedure. Unlike Category I CPT surgical procedure codes, Category III codes do not have an assigned Medicare value and are therefore priced by regional carriers. Physicians will need to estimate the work involved in providing the service.