AMA Membership Update
Volunteer's Note
One Question
Members Perform Life-Saving Surgery on Afghan Girl
Now Showing! 2011 Annual Meeting Videos
Call for Weiland Medal Applications
ASSH Webinar On-Demand: Maximizing Reimbursement
Thank You to AFSH Donors
HVO Volunteer Opportunity: Nicaragua
ACO Final Rule Responsive To AAOS Concerns
AMA Wins Extension for Medicare ePrescribing Penalty Exemption
AMA Membership Update
Because 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.
ASSH members who have recently joined or rejoined the AMA:
Alejandro Badia, MD, FACS
Jan C. Bax, MD, PhD
James Chang, MD
Thomas T. Dovan, MD
Thomas J. Fischer, MD
Waldo E. Floyd III, MD
D. Kay Kirkpatrick, MD
Gary M. Pess, MD
Thomas G. Stackhouse, 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. 
Volunteer's Note
Continuing medical education programs are rapidly changing to meet the diverse needs of the learner, and the Courses and Meetings Advisory Committee (CMAC) has the important charge of providing planning and oversight for the yearly educational courses provided by the ASSH.
A recent CME needs-assessment survey has heavily influenced the workings of CMAC and has helped shape the vision for future course planning. One surprising trend on the survey was that less than 50% of the respondents indicated that their knowledge level was "more than adequate," suggesting a continued need for hand surgery education in the course venue format. The challenge for CMAC is and will continue to be identifying the educational needs of our members – specifically, the preferred topics, venues and formats.
Although attendance at certain independent courses has declined over the years, there appears to be a high level of interest in surgical-skills-type courses.
Other important recent work of CMAC has involved modifications to the Conflict of Interest Policy. During the last year, the committee has reviewed the policy and presented to ASSH Council proposed changes. The goal is for authors to be more consistent, inclusive and accountable in the disclosure process as it relates to presentation – not only at the Annual Meeting, but also at independent courses.
There are plenty of challenges ahead in the arena of continuing medical education. It is the responsibility of this committee to meet the educational course needs of ASSH members, while also offering courses that might be intriguing to non-members. The members of the CMAC committee take their educational and fiduciary charge very seriously, and they are diligent in their responsibilities. It is a privilege to serve as their chair.
Peter M. Murray, MD
Courses and Meetings Advisory Committee Chair
One Question
Last week, we asked you to share your view of a possible ASSH Membership Directory app for your mobile device.
View poll results.
This week, we'd like your to hear your thoughts on our plan to introduce a JHS app for iPad in early 2012.
Vote now.
Members Perform Life-Saving Surgery on Afghan Girl
One year ago, an Afghan soldier came across 8-year-old Fareeda while patrolling near a remote village in Afghanistan.
Fareeda stood out because she suffered from hemihypertrophy – a rare condition in which extremities on one side of the body grow to enormous proportions.
Fareeda's right hand was the size of a watermelon, and her right arm was almost twice the length of her left. If left untreated, the condition would eventually become fatal.
"[Fareeda] tried to play with the other kids, but her big hand got in the way, so she became very shy," said her father, Mohammed, who is a doctor in the village.
The soldier who encountered Fareeda decided to try to help the young girl get treatment. Through a coordinated effort by the US military (spearheaded by Jeffrey A. Marchessault, MD, a Navy hand surgeon and ASSH member), the Global Medical Relief Fund, Shriners Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, and ASSH member Scott H. Kozin, MD, that mission became a reality.
In late June, Fareeda and her father traveled to Philadelphia, where Kozin performed surgery along with his surgical team, including Dan A. Zlotolow, MD, also an ASSH member.
"We opted to remove the grotesquely enlarged thumb, index and long-finger fingers," Kozin said, "and then leave her with a little bit of an enlarged palm to act as a post so that when she curls her ring and small fingers, she can grab objects between those fingers and her palm."
Dr. Kozin also removed redundant tissue from the arm to make it a more appropriate size.
Fareeda and Mohammed returned to Afghanistan on August 5, and Fareeda can now play with the other children in her village, and she can also hold her baby sister.
Great work, Drs. Kozin and Zlotolow!
Now Showing! 2011 Annual Meeting Videos
From Dr. Nagle in an Elvis costume to David Pogue's hilarious tech presentation, there were many memorable moments at the 2011 Annual Meeting in Las Vegas.
Visit the
Annual Meeting page on the ASSH website to view footage of: the Opening Ceremony, Dr. Nagle's Presidential Address, and Pogue's Presidential Guest Lecture.
This section of our archives also features video from the 2009 and 2010 Annual Meetings.
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 less 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, 2012. To learn more about the award, visit the
Weiland Medal page on the ASSH website.
ASSH Webinar On-Demand: Maximizing Reimbursement
Get top-notch practice management coaching from the comfort of your own home. This 60-minute webinar, recorded on October 25, is now available on-demand from our Online Learning Center.
At the member rate of $50, you'll have unlimited access to the recording for two years.
Karen Branick, from Orion Advisory, discusses both sides of the physician-hospital relationship to help viewers understand what is important for service, delivery of services, growth, prosperity and even "exiting" the agreement. Mary LeGrand, from KarenZupko & Associates, covers hot coding issues for hand surgeons.
To access the video, visit the
Learning Center Access Page and click on the link to the center. If you have not logged in, you will need to do that to see the link. When you arrive in the Learning Center, click on the link to the webinar, found in both the "featured" and "messages" section of the landing page.
Thank You to AFSH Donors
Daniel A. Caligiuri, MD
Gary P. Crawford, MD
Arden L. Hothem, MD
Ramon Isales, MD
Mark S. Klug, MD
Paul N. Krop, MD
Roy G. Kulick, MD
William R. Loscher, MD
Ronnie E. Mathews, MD
Ron H. Stark, MD
Bruce R. Wheeler, MD
Did you know you can now support the Foundation (AFSH) through automated monthly payments? Visit www.afsh.org/donate to complete an auto-pay form, or contact afsh@assh.org.
HVO Volunteer Opportunity: Nicaragua
There is an urgent need for hand surgeons for a one-week assignment from January 21 to 28, 2012, in Nicaragua.
Hand surgery volunteers must be board certified in orthopaedics, plastics or general surgery. Volunteers travel with a team of two hand surgeons and two hand therapists. Please contact a.moody@hvousa.org for more information.
ACO Final Rule Responsive To AAOS Concerns - from AAOS
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released its final rule on October 20, setting out parameters for Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) to be formed under the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP).
ACOs are arrangements among healthcare providers designed to reduce healthcare expenses through improved care coordination and higher-quality care. The final rule significantly modifies provisions of the proposed rule released March 31, 2011, by easing requirements for ACO participation. The final rule retains two shared savings models as presented in the proposed rule, but modifies the first model to eliminate sharing of downside risk. Under both models, providers that achieve certain quality and cost goals will be eligible for bonuses based on savings. Read more.
AMA Wins Extension for Medicare ePrescribing Penalty Exemption - from AMA
Physicians who were unable to meet the requirements of the Medicare ePrescribing program now have until November 8 to apply for a hardship exemption to avoid monetary penalties in 2012.
After learning that some physicians were having difficulty accessing the online application, the AMA worked with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to secure an extension to the original deadline of November 1.
Read more.
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