Annual Meeting Includes Advocacy Education

Elizabeth Fassbender

Planning to attend the 2014 Annual Meeting in New Orleans next month? Don’t limit your educational opportunities to the latest in clinical studies and research topics. Stop by the Advocacy Booth sponsored by the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) and enhance your understanding of the regulatory and legislative issues confronting orthopaedic surgeons. The Advocacy Booth will highlight priority issues for the coming year along with advocacy accomplishments from 2013.

Shared Risk and Orthopaedic Surgeons

Craig R. Mahoney, MD; Peggy L. Naas, MD, MBA; Marc E. Rankin, MD

Under a shared-risk payment model embodied in an Accountable Care Organization (ACO), the provider assumes some financial responsibility for the continuum of patient care services. This transfer of risk from payers to providers and patients is a core strategy, common in non–fee-for-service payment reform models—whether on the federal, state, or commercial insurance level. In these models, a portion of the provider’s compensation is based on managing the cost of care and health outcomes.

AAOS, AAHKS Advocacy Efforts Help Mitigate CMS RVU Changes

Matthew J. Twetten

Each year, physicians both anticipate and dread the release of the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule final rule. In addition to covering rules and regulations proposed for implementation during the next calendar year, the rule also includes Relative Value Units (RVUs) for every procedure with a Current Procedural Terminology (CPT®) code in the current fee schedule.

News from the Orthopaedic PAC

Kristin Leighty

More than 3,800 AAOS members contributed to the Orthopaedic Political Action Committee (Orthopaedic PAC) in 2013, putting the Orthopaedic PAC on pace to have for another strong election cycle. This support enabled the Orthopaedic PAC to disburse more than $1.2 million to Congressional members and candidates who understand and support physician issues, ensuring a strong voice on Capitol Hill.

Second Look—Advocacy

ED use by Medicaid beneficiaries Data in Science (January) suggest that increasing coverage under Medicaid may significantly increase overall use of hospital emergency departments (EDs). At 18 months after the initiation of Medicaid expansion to 25,000 Oregonians, researchers found that Medicaid coverage increased overall emergency use by 0.41 visits per person, or 40 percent relative to an average of 1.02 visits per person in the control group.