Don’t give up on the ACO

Alexandra Page, MD

Key features likely to survive Although some pundits are declaring healthcare reform dead, the concepts behind the Accountable Care Organization (ACO) are still alive. Despite increasing costs, provider reimbursement is not going up; this forces all stakeholders to provide high-quality care at a lower cost.

Tips to becoming better physician advocates

John T. Gill, MD

Build a working relationship with your Congressional representatives With ongoing discussions over health insurance reform, the physician payment system, a potential Medicare overhaul, and other healthcare challenges, it is more important than ever that you—as an orthopaedic surgeon—establish relationships with your Congressional representatives. Who better than you can educate them about the importance of orthopaedic practice?

AAOS to host inaugural Orthopaedic Quality Institute

Simit Pandya

Focus will be on healthcare quality and payment issues Critics claim that the U.S. healthcare system delivers high cost, yet ineffective, services. They point to studies that show that Americans receive recommended care only about half of the time. As a result, both federal and state governments have launched initiatives aimed at reducing healthcare costs and bolstering healthcare quality.

Medicare Fraud and Abuse 102

Madeleine Lovette

Proper claims submission is essential Last month, in “Medicare Fraud and Abuse 101,” AAOS Now reviewed the five most important federal fraud and abuse laws: the False Claims Act, the Anti-Kickback statute, the Physician Self-Referral (Stark) Act; the Exclusion Statute, and the Civil Monetary Penalties Law. This article explains how to avoid violating those laws when billing the federal government for services provided to Medicare beneficiaries.

The evolution of medical device regulation in the United States

Manish K. Sethi, MD; Hassan R. Mir, MD; William T. Obremskey, MD, MPH; A. Alex Jahangir, MD

The IOM, the FDA, and the 510(k) process On Sept. 23, 2009, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioned the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to study the premarket notification program—known as the 510(k) process—used to review and clear most medical devices marketed in the United States. After nearly 2 years of study, the IOM finally released its findings on July 29, 2011.

Time to say, “No more mandates, enough is enough!”

Herbert L. Kunkle Jr, MD

As physicians, we are highly skilled professionals and key stakeholders in arguably the most important sector of our country’s economy—health care. So why then do we complain and feel helpless, frustrated by a bureaucracy that impedes and controls the care we deliver and creates endless regulations and paperwork that have little to do with clinical situations or improving outcomes?

Orthopaedic PAC keeps the doors open

Stuart L. Weinstein, MD

The battle over healthcare reform is far from over! As the Deficit Reduction talks continue in Washington, DC, continuing discussions over healthcare reform and debt-exacerbating policies like the Sustainable Growth Rate, Medicare, and medical liability reform remain a high priority. Not surprisingly, many of these issues have been included in discussions and white papers concerning the deficit and any proposed solutions.