Volunteer's Note
CMS to Discuss Advanced Payments for Medicare ACO's During Conference Call
Volunteer's Note
It is with deep gratitude that I would like to thank the roughly 600 donors who gave to the American Foundation for Surgery of the Hand in 2011.
Your philanthropy is key to the extraordinary success of the Foundation. Over the past 25 years, the AFSH has been able to markedly increase the number and dollar amount of hand surgery research grants. The Foundation supports patient education on the ASSH website, as well as grants for resident and fellow education. The Foundation also funds outreach projects.
I hope we can count on your continued generosity to sustain these endeavors. I would also like to thank the many volunteers who helped with the Annual Member to Member Campaign. The Campaign's success is in large part due to their efforts.
A notable indicator of the success of AFSH-sponsored research is the fact that over the past four years, approximately 15 different projects that received a total of $610,000 in initial funding from the Foundation went on to garner over $10.6 million in extramural grants.
Continuing in that tradition of high-quality research, the AFSH will commemorate its 25th anniversary by awarding a $100,000 grant for a well-designed, prospective multi-center clinical research study. The ASSH Research Committee will review proposals and select the recipient of this grant, to be announced at the 2012 Annual Meeting in Chicago. The deadline for applications is rapidly approaching (February 1). For more information, visit the
Clinical Grants page.
A substantial number of donations are made at the end of the calendar year, but many donors find it easier to give on a monthly basis throughout the year. The Foundation can set up an automated program for you to facilitate such monthly giving. Donations can also be made online as well as by check, through the OREF, via contribution of stock, or through planned giving.
As we head into the Foundation's 25th year, we look forward to being able to make an even bigger impact on hand surgery research, education, and outreach. If you would like to learn more about the AFSH, or to make a contribution, you can visit the
AFSH website.
Sincerely,
Frederick F. Fakharzadeh, MD
AFSH President
Thank You to AFSH Donors
Rocco A. Barbieri, MD
Robert A. Chase, MD
Michael L. DiDonna, MD
Angela Y. Giuffrida, MD
Paul C. Horn, MD
Mark Ross, FRACS
Alexander M. Spiess, MD
Cary Tanner, MD
News from the International Federation of Societies for Surgery of the Hand (IFSSH)
The IFSSH has published its January 2012 Newsletter, which includes news from the 2011 IFSSH Delegates Meeting in Las Vegas.
To read the newsletter by IFSSH Secretary General Zslot Szabo, MD,
click here.
AMA Membership Update
AMA rules stipulate that in order to qualify for a seat in the AMA House of Delegates, 25% of our members must be AMA members. We'd like to recognize those who have answered the call to either join or rejoin.
Thank you to all of the ASSH members who notified us this week (via email or the Listserv) that they've joined or rejoined the AMA:
Paul C. Horn, MD
Dawn M. LaPorte, MD
Have you recently joined or rejoined the AMA? Please let us know by contacting amitchell@assh.org so we can track the progress of your AMA membership. ASSH will reconcile our membership list with the AMA to get credit for our members in early 2012.
Listserv Hot Topic: Patient with Eaton Stage III CMC Arthritis and Hyperlaxity
One member sought advice on the Listserv this week about how to proceed in treatment with a 40-year-old patient who has severe bilateral CMC arthritis as well as significant hyperlaxity.
If you have already signed up for the Physician Listserv, you can view or contribute to the discussion by visiting the
archives and scrolling down to the thread titled "40 yo with Eaton Stage III CMC arthritis and hyperlaxity." If you don't know or remember your Listserv password, you can reset your password
here.
Call for Weiland Medal Applications
Applications are now being accepted for the 2012 Andrew J. Weiland Medal for Outstanding Research in Hand Surgery. The medal is awarded annually to a mid-career researcher dedicated to advancing patient care in the field of hand surgery.
The award is a $20,000 unrestricted gift and will honor a hand surgeon-scientist who has contributed a body of research that advances the field. The medal recognizes and supports outstanding research in order to continue Weiland's vision for the field of hand surgery. It will be awarded to a mid-career surgeon who is less than 55 years old or a surgeon who is fewer than 15 years from hand fellowship training. The medal will be presented at the 2012 ASSH Annual Meeting in Chicago.
The deadline for submitting an application is April 2. To learn more about the award, visit the
Weiland Medal page on the ASSH website.
Congress Resumes Medicare Payment Debate; Physicians Urge SGR Repeal - from AMA
As Congress picks up the debate on how to address Medicare physician payments after reconvening Tuesday, the AMA is arguing against short-term payment patches and pressing for permanent repeal of the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula as the only responsible solution.
The AMA is reminding Congress that maintaining the SGR through payment patches — such as the one- and two-year extensions currently on the table — will cost billions of dollars. A one-year patch would cost $21 billion over 10 years, ratcheting the next payment cut up to 32 percent on January 1, 2013, and increasing the cost to repeal the SGR by an additional $24 billion.
Read more.
CMS to Discuss Advanced Payments for Medicare ACO's During Conference Call - from AMA
Physicians can participate in a conference call Monday, January 23, to learn how physician-led Medicare accountable care organizations (ACO) can qualify for as much as $250,000 in up-front payments.
Officials from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will discuss Medicare's new Advance Payment ACO Model
initiative as well as the approaching application deadlines during an hour-long conference call at 6 p.m. Central time.
Hosted by the AMA in conjunction with the Medical Group Management Association, this call will also include a time for questions from participants.
Register for the call.