June 4, 2010
A Message from the ASSH President
One Question Survey Results
Did You Know - ASSH Annual Meeting?
Self-Assessment Deadline Reminder - 1 Week Left!
OREF - 4 Weeks Until Grants/Awards Deadline
SGR Update - From ACS
How Reform Law Integrity Provisions Impact Your Practice - From AMA
A Message from the ASSH President
Our research program has grown into an incredibly rich part of the Hand Society and its mission, especially in recent years with the introduction of numerous grants and awards and with the success of the Capital Campaign. Jim Chang, Research Division Director, has been an integral part of our progress in this area. I’d like to thank him for what has been more than a job well done, but truly an expression of his passion for our specialty. I’d also like to announce that another member who shares that passion and drive has been nominated to succeed him as Research Division Director: Brent Graham, MD. I am sure he will do wonderful things in the position. Active members can vote to approve his nomination and the new Active Members slate by casting your ballot on or before June 29th.
Many more exciting results bubbled from the recent Council meeting; it was incredibly rich and fruitful. There will be a lot of big steps taken as a result of the meeting, which I will explore in greater depth in my Presidential Update that will be arriving in your inbox on Monday. Some of the areas where we made progress include hand trauma care, GME funding, the online membership directory, the first ASSH NIH grant submission and of course enhancing education and hand surgery curriculum. Be sure to read my update to find out about where these initiatives are headed and how they might affect you.
Sincerely,
Bob Szabo
One Question Survey Results
Last week, we asked how your practice is cutting costs. View the results of last week's survey.
Did You Know - ASSH Annual Meeting?
Did you know… that the Annual Meeting early bird registration deadline is only one week away? We’ve already received hundreds of registrations to the Annual Meeting. Be sure to register early to save money and ensure you can participate in the activities that interest you.
Self-Assessment Deadline Reminder - 1 Week Left!
Answer sheets for the 2010 Self-Assessment Exam must be postmarked by June 11th. Any exams postmarked after this date will not be eligible for CME credit. Any questions? Contact btreccia@assh.org.
OREF - 4 Weeks Until Grants/Awards Deadline
Applications for the following grants and awards must be received by July 1st:
- OREF Clinical Research Award and Kappa Delta Awards
- OREF/Stryker Prospective Clinical Research Grant
Applications for these awards must be received by September 1st:
- OREF/CCJR Clinical Practice Award
- ORS/OREF Travel Awards in Orthopaedic Research Translation
For detailed information on these grants and awards, please visit the OREF grants and awards webpage.
SGR Update - From ACS
On Tuesday, June 1st, the current extension for Medicare physician payments expired and a 21.2 percent reduction in payments went into effect. Congress will need to stop the cut retroactively when they return to Washington on June 7th.
CMS has again instructed its contractors to hold claims containing services paid under the MPFS for the first 10 business days of June. The holding of MPFS claims will only affect claims with dates of service June 1, 2010, and forward. Under current law, clean electronic claims are not paid any sooner than 14 calendar days (29 for paper claims) after the date of receipt.
How Reform Law Integrity Provisions Impact Your Practice - From AMA
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, signed into law by President Obama, contain a number of key provisions intended to increase the government's ability to:
- Ensure only legitimate health care providers and suppliers are enrolled in federally funded health care programs.
- Reduce improper payments.
- Curtail activities that undermine the financial integrity of Medicare, Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program.
The following enrollment, referral and ordering, and payment provisions in the new law may have an immediate impact on your practice and your patients. The AMA is actively seeking clarifications from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on how it intends to implement these provisions. Ongoing updates providing clarifications and information on other provisions that may have a longer timeframe before they take effect will be provided as information becomes available. Read more here.