AAOS Now, March 2010
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Virginia governor appoints orthopaedic surgeon to cabinet
William A. Hazel Jr., MD, takes government post Orthopaedic surgeons in Virginia have seen one of their own join the upper levels of state government. Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell, whose election drew national attention, named William A. Hazel, Jr., MD, the state’s secretary of health and human resources. Dr. Hazel started a solo practice in northern Virginia that has grown into a group of 41 physicians in 11 locations.
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Physicians face payment cut
As this issue of AAOS Now went to press, physicians face a 21 percent cut in Medicare reimbursement rates, beginning March 1, 2010. The cuts are the result of the flawed sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula and a series of temporary “fixes” that have created ever-larger debts and steeper future cuts.