AAOS Now, March 2011
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Partisanship: The new model for Congress
For real change to occur, politicians must read across party lines “I’m sure in your profession that you often consult your colleagues about certain procedures and are able to sit down and collectively determine how to treat a patient, knowing that there is no absolutely right or absolutely wrong solution. This is almost impossible to do in Congress,” admitted former Ways and Means Subcommittee Chairman and BlueDog Coalition co-founder John Tanner. Mr.
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All politics are local
Although a great deal of media attention has focused on federal healthcare reform, orthopaedic surgeons know that what happens on the state level is just as—if not more—important. State politics may actually have more impact and influence on our practices than federal politics. State laws affect every aspect of orthopaedic care. State legislatures introduce thousands of bills each legislative session, and an increasing percentage of these relate to health care.
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Military, civilians partner at EWI symposium
The sixth annual Extremity War Injuries (EWI) symposium, sponsored by the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), the Orthopaedic Trauma Association (OTA), the Society of Military Orthopaedic Surgeons (SOMOS), and the Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS), focused on data-driven research in combat casualty care.
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Some bright spots in FY2012 budget
While AAOS members were attending the Annual Meeting, President Obama released his budget for the 2012 fiscal year (FY). Although the final budget will look very different after the House Republican leadership has its say, some of the most relevant proposals are good news. 30,000-foot view The $3.7 trillion budget blueprint for FY2012 would impose a 5-year freeze on domestic discretionary programs and trim or terminate $33 billion from more than 200 federal programs.
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Health Care: Past and Future
The passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) on March 23, 2010, marked a landmark shift in the delivery of health care in the United States. Response to the reform bill has largely been mixed, with supporters claiming that the bill will improve coverage and reduce costs, while critics claim that the savings estimates are unrealistic and predict that the changes wrought by PPACA will increase pressure to scale back the delivery of quality health care.