Friday, June 17, 2011
Last Week’s One Question Results
Did You Know?
Application Is Now Available for AFSH Board of Trustees
ASSH Survey Results Available Online
Resident and Fellow Fast-Track Seed Grants
Advanced Techniques in Reconstructive Elbow Surgery
Thank You to AFSH Donors
Center for Public Health Preparedness and Disaster Response – from the AMA
MedPAC issues June report to U.S. Congress - from the AAOS
Last Week’s One Question Results
Last week, we asked if you used text messaging on your cell phone and whether or not you would like the ASSH to update you on ASSH news via text message. View the results of last week’s One Question.
Did You Know?
that the OREF has revised its policy on how to allocate part of your OREF-contribution to a specialty organization, like the American Foundation for Surgery of the Hand (AFSH)? With OREF’s new policy, donors contributing up to $999.99 to the OREF Annual Campaign may designate 50% of their donation to the American Foundation for Surgery of the Hand. The remaining 50% goes to OREF. Donors who contribute at least $1,000 to OREF can still designate any portion of their gift after the first $500 to AFSH. Learn more on the OREF website.
Application Is Now Available for AFSH Board of Trustees
Submissions Due July 5, 2011
The role of the American Foundation for Surgery of the Hand is vital to the future of the field of upper extremity surgery. The AFSH funds vital research and education projects that lead to groundbreaking innovation in surgery and treatment.
The AFSH Nominating Committee, chaired by Robert M. Szabo, MD, would like to invite all Active Members to apply to the AFSH Board of Trustees. Members of the Board should be committed to the Foundation's Mission and also be willing to contribute and raise funds to support that mission. Open positions on the board include Secretary and Trustee at large.
Complete the online application by July 5, 2011. Please contact Alexzandra Wallace at awallace@assh.org with questions.
ASSH Survey Results Available Online
The results of the resent surveys regarding member value and upper extremity practice, conducted by the ASSH this year have been posted to the ASSH website. Check out our survey listing to view the results of surveys that interest you. The Hand Society depends on you to provide feedback, and we appreciate the time you take to share your opinions through our surveys. They help Council make better informed decisions for the organization.
Resident and Fellow Fast-Track Seed Grants
Hand surgery fellows or surgical residents in ACGME-accredited programs are invited to apply for the 2011 Resident and Fellow Fast-Track Seed Grants. Funding will be limited to one applicant per institution. The AFSH believes that hand surgery residents and fellows benefit from a research funding mechanism that offers a small amount of funding to seed innovative projects related to hand surgery. That's why the program is geared towards projects of smaller scope and allows for faster funding than the traditional AFSH basic science and clinical research grants.
Deadline for application is August 15, 2011. Funding decisions will be made by October. Submission requirements have been modified, so be sure to read the application instructions on the ASSH website.
Advanced Techniques in Reconstructive Elbow Surgery
Co-Chairs: Scott P. Steinmann, MD and A. Lee Osterman, MD
July 29-30, 2011
Orthopaedic Learning Center, Rosemont, IL
Join us in July to learn all the current elbow arthroplasty options and the most innovative surgical approaches from the most experienced surgeons. This course will provide in depth discussions of elbow arthroscopy with the entire first day devoted to elbow arthroscopy in the lab. Allowing plenty of hands-on lab time, attendees have the opportunity to practice the newest techniques and technology, as well as time to present your own cases for advice from the elbow experts.
The deadline to register is July 8, 2011. Learn more and register today!
Thank You to AFSH Donors
Thanks to the partnership of hundreds of donors each year the American Foundation for Surgery of the Hand continues to make a difference in patient care, research, and education. We especially thank these donors who made a contribution to the Foundation in the past week.
Peter C. Amadio, MD
Paul K. Ho, MD
Pamela L. Jones, MD
Michael A. McClinton, MD
Satyam R. Patel, MD
Nicholas E. Rose, MD
Suresh Velagapudi, MD
In response to all the deadly tornadoes this spring, the AMA's
Center for Public Health Preparedness and Disaster Response provided open access to tornado-relevant articles previously published in the
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness journal. Those articles include commentaries on tornado and disaster management and research on the regional response to a 2007 tornado that destroyed about 95 percent of Greensburg, Kansas and killed 12 people. The center also provides a
resource guide for physicians and other community responders to public health emergencies such as tornadoes. And, with influenza season just around the corner, the center has published a
primer for physician on pandemic influenza.
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) has released its June 2011 "Report to the Congress: Medicare and the Health Care Delivery System." The report examines the sustainable growth rate system (SGR), which currently calls for an approximate 30 percent reduction to Medicare physician fee schedule payments. MedPAC states that the magnitude of the payment reduction coupled with repeated short-term fixes may undermine provider and beneficiary confidence in Medicare and raise concerns about beneficiaries’ access to physician services.
In addition, the report recommends a series of payment reductions and limits for certain imaging services, including a multiple procedure payment reduction to the professional component of diagnostic imaging services provided by the same practitioner in the same session, a reduction to the physician work component of imaging and other diagnostic tests that are ordered and performed by the same practitioner, and a prior authorization program for practitioners who order substantially more advanced diagnostic imaging services than their peers.
Read MedPAC's full report.