Weekly Member Update - December 10th, 2010

One Question

Last week, we asked you about your personal and professional mobile app usage.  View the results of the poll.  This week, former ASSH President, Richard Gelberman, MD, would like to know your thoughts on flexor tendon repair.  Answer this week's One Question.

Have you made a contribution to the AFSH this year?  Thank you again to the 300+ ASSH members who have already made a contribution this year.  You make it possible for the AFSH to make a difference.

Donations – whether monetary or stock – and pledges from you and your colleagues enable the Foundation to support educational opportunities such as programming for residents and fellows to continue their learning, guest lectures to inspire surgeons at any point in their careers, and grant-writing programs to increase the potential for funding innovative research. 

Here is how the campaign is doing so far:

Top 4 states for number of donors:

California – 31 donors (10% of members)
New York – 25 donors (13% of members)
Massachusetts – 22 donors (21% of members)
Florida – 20 donors (12% of members)

Top 4 states for percentage of members donating:

Wyoming – 67% of members (2 donors)
Alaska – 40% of members (2 donors)
Idaho – 31% of members (4 donors)
North Dakota – 25% of members (2 donors)

Without the support of individual donors, the AFSH could not survive.  The Foundation has seen commitment growing during the 2010 Annual Campaign.  Time is running out, so make your year-end donation today: 

What all AFSH donors should know about year-end giving:

• Credit card donations are processed when received – if not received by December 29, your donation will be credited to 2011.
• Check payments must be postmarked no later than December 31, 2010.
• AFSH staff are out of the office December 23-26 and December 30 – January 2.

Thank You to AFSH Donors

The Foundation wishes to thank the following individuals for their generous contributions:

Robert J. Cole, MD
Thomas F. DeBartolo, MD
Andrew P. Gutow, MD
Roy G. Kulick, MD
William B. LaSalle, MD
JoAnne Levitan, MD
Steven A. Maser, MD
William L. Newmeyer, MD
Mitchell B. Rotman, MD
Christopher C. Schmidt, MD
Gerald J. Shealy, MD
Nathan L. Taylor, MD
John W. Toye, MD
Kimberly L. Zambito Accardi, MD

Learn more about the AFSH.

Health Volunteers Overseas Opportunities

HVO Volunteer Opportunities - for a complete list, visit www.hvousa.org or call 202-296-0928.  HVO is currently looking for volunteers in the following areas:

Hand Therapy
Certified hand therapists are needed for assignments in Managua, Nicaragua. PTs and OTs are accepted to be part of a team comprised of 2 hand surgeons and 2 hand therapists.  Assignments are available January 23-29, 2011 and April 3-8, 2011.  Contact the program department.

Orthopaedics
Orthopaedic surgeons needed for 2-4 weeks to train faculty and residents in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.  Specialty areas include pelvic and acetabular trauma, knee arthroscopy, pediatric orthopaedics, hand surgery, and other sub-specialty areas.  Contact the program department for more information.
 
Orthopaedists are needed in China to provide subspecialty training to local physicians at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical School.  Assignments are 3-4 weeks.  Contact the program department for more information.

House SGR Vote - From AMA

The House of Representatives just passed H.R. 4994, the "Medicare and Medicaid Extenders Act of 2010," on a bipartisan vote of 409-2.  This legislation, which passed the Senate yesterday by unanimous consent, would stabilize Medicare physician payments at current rates for 12 months, through the end of 2011.  It will now be sent to the White House for President Obama to sign into law.

In addition to providing an additional 12-month reprieve from the 25 percent Medicare physician payment cut scheduled to take effect on January 1, the bill extends a number of payment policies that were set to expire at the end of this year.  It also includes funds to enable Medicare contractors to reprocess claims for physician services affected by provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act passed last spring with a retroactive effective date of January 1, 2010.  Read more about this on the AMA website.

Congress Clarifies Red Flags Rule; AMA Instrumental in Outcome - From AMA

On Tuesday, the US House of Representatives passed S. 3987, the "Red Flag Program Clarification Act of 2010" - legislation that limits the type of creditor that must comply with the "red flags" rule.  Because the US Senate unanimously passed the bill on November 30, it is being sent to the White House where President Obama is expected to sign it into law before the January 1, 2011, deadline.

The red flags rule, originally scheduled to take effect November 1, 2008, requires creditors to develop identity theft prevention and detection programs.  According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), physicians who do not accept payment from their patients at the time of service are creditors and must comply with the rule by developing and implementing written identity theft prevention and detection programs in their practices.

The AMA has worked closely with FTC officials and Congress and is engaged in a lawsuit with other physician groups to get the FTC to permanently remove physicians from the scope of the red flags rule.  Its efforts have made a difference for physicians, with five delays of the red flags rule implementation date already.

"The AMA is pleased that this legislation supports the AMA’s long-standing argument to the FTC that physicians are not creditors," AMA President Cecil B. Wilson, MD, said in a statement.  "We hope that the FTC will now withdraw its assertion that the red flags rule applies to physicians."

Health Insurer Preauthorization Policies Affecting Patient Care - From AMA

How long do you typically have to wait to receive preauthorization from a health insurer for tests and procedures?  A recent AMA survey found that two thirds - 63 percent - of physicians typically wait several days to receive preauthorization from a health insurer for tests and procedures, while one in eight wait more than a week.  Meantime, 69 percent of physicians typically wait several days to receive preauthorization from an insurer for drugs, while one in ten wait more than a week.