Member News

By Julie Adams, MD - Increasing public and professional attention has recently been focused upon the opioid epidemic. In part due to well meaning efforts to “adequately treat pain” and the thought that “pain is a vital sign”, as well as the erroneous message that opioids were not addictive, physicians began to prescribe an increasing number of opioid medications in the late 1990s.

Check out this visual abstract from the August 2018 issue of JHS.

August 2018's IFSSH Ezine addresses controversies related to truthful medical data reporting, acute scaphoid fracture management and evidence-based medicine.

The international hand surgery community lost a giant with the death of Edward Nalebuff on July 8, 2018. Born an identical twin in Bloomfield New Jersey, he starred on baseball teams in Bloomfield High School and Tufts University. After completing medical school at Tufts he spent a year in surgical internship at Yale-New Haven and two years in the Air Force where he delivered 430 babies despite requesting orthopaedics.

The opioid epidemic is receiving increasing attention from organized medical societies including the ASSH and AMA, but also from the US government. Recently, HR6, the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act, passed in the US House. It will now go to the US Senate. 

The AMA held its 2018 annual meeting of the House of Delegates (HOD) from June 9th to the 13th at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago, Illinois.  The AMA Hand Caucus convened its meeting at 5:00 PM, Saturday November 9th, immediately following the opening assembly of the House of Delegates. The Hand Caucus consists of the primary and alternate delegates to the AMA from the ASSH and the AAHS as well as all interested hand surgeons representing the various AMA state and specialty (e.g.-AAOS, ASPS, etc.) societies.  It also includes hand surgeons who may be officers of the AMA. The purpose of the caucus is to discuss matters before the HOD that are of common interest to hand surgeons (and our patients) and to make recommendations regarding voting on these matters.  Hand caucus members not only vote individually but they can (and do) influence the votes of others in their delegation as well as the entire HOD (using appropriate means of communication and persuasion). In addition, your AMA Delegates and Alternates participate in other caucuses, such as the Plastic Surgery, Orthopedic, Musculoskeletal, and Surgery Caucuses, as well as the Specialty and Service Society (SSS), where all specialty delegates and alternates convene. This year, to enhance the voice of musculoskeletal medicine and surgery, the ASSH, AAHS, AOA, and eleven other musculoskeletal specialty organizations formed the Mobility Caucus.  This caucus has more voting members than any seated state delegation.

On June 5, 2018, the AMA sent a letter to the Director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) urging the agency to expedite review of pending H-1B visa applications by non-U.S. international medical graduates (IMGs) who have accepted positions in U.S. Graduate Medical Education programs which begin on or before July 1. The AMA is hearing reports that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Office of Academic Engagement is working closely with the USCIS to quickly resolve each of the remaining cases of medical residents applying for H-1B visas using data from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Survey of Resident/Fellow Stipends and Benefits Report.

From May 16-19, Council and the Corporate Advisory Council gathered for their annual spring meetings. Each Council member was responsible for presenting on a key initiative, resulting in a fully engaged and rewarding meeting.

Check out this visual abstract from the June 2018 issue of JHS.

The results are in! Find out which ASSH programs members value most, how ASSH members' income has changed over the years, and more.