Issue

Sen. Barrasso addresses BOC/BOS fall meeting

Mary Ann Porucznik

“There’s a right way and a wrong way to achieve healthcare reform,” Sen. John A. Barrasso, MD (R-Wyo.), told the members of the Board of Councilors (BOC)/Board of Specialty Societies (BOS) at their fall meeting. “We don’t need to destroy a system that works pretty well for most people. We do need to have a patient-centered focus, as opposed to a government-centered or insurance-centered bill.”

Health insurance: Is there a better way to cover Americans?

Louis G. Jenis, MD; John Flint, MD; Alok D. Sharan, MD

Why reforming health care requires reforming health insurance Why are 47 million Americans uninsured? Both the number and the reasons are under constant investigation and vigorous debate.

No outcomes, no income: The impact of performance measures

Robert H. Haralson III, MD, MBA

The quality enterprise from AQA to QIO Collecting and reporting quality data is here—and here to stay. Under essentially every version of the proposed healthcare reform legislation, participation in the (currently) voluntary Physicians Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) will be mandatory, possibly as soon as 2011. Many payors have also instituted their own versions of pay-for-performance programs. Quality data is reported by performance measures.

Second Look – Reimbursement & Regulation

If you missed these Headline News Now items the first time around, AAOS Now gives you a second chance to review them. Headline News Now—the AAOS thrice-weekly, online update of news of interest to orthopaedic surgeons—brings you the latest on clinical, socioeconomic, and political issues, as well as important announcements from AAOS. FDA wants more data on spinal fusion devices The U.S.

Dr. Mandell addresses House Committee