EWI Focuses on Reducing Disability within the Military

Elizabeth Fassbender

On Feb. 10–12, 2014, military and civilian orthopaedic surgeons—along with researchers and government personnel—met in Washington, D.C., for the Extremity War Injuries (EWI) IX Symposium. The event was hosted by the AAOS, along with the Orthopaedic Trauma Association (OTA), the Society of Military Orthopaedic Surgeons (SOMOS), and the Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS).

Legislation Focuses on AAOS Priorities

Elizabeth Fassbender; Simit Pandya

Three bills recently introduced in Congress put national attention on the following issues that the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) has identified as critical: Creating a level playing field in physician insurer negotiations Extending protections to sports medicine professionals who travel with teams Adequately funding biomedical research Antitrust exemptions for physicians Antitrust laws are designed to foster competition in the marketplace.

Bundled Payments from the Specialist’s Perspective

Andrew Osterman, MBA

A quiet revolution in episodic risk contracts—bundled payments—could have a significant impact on the role of specialists in the healthcare system. These contracts have the potential to not only improve outcomes for patients, but also benefit a specialist’s practice.

CMS Releases Payment Data on Physicians

Elizabeth Fassbender

The federal push for transparency regarding payments to physicians took another step forward when, on April 9, 2014, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released data on Medicare payments for services provided in 2012 by approximately 880,000 physicians. These data include the number and type of services provided by each physician, average allowed payment, and the average Medicare payment paid to physicians.

Divided Congress Fails to Repeal SGR

Thomas C. Barber, MD; Elizabeth Fassbender

Earlier this year, Congress came closer than it ever had before to permanently repealing and replacing the flawed sustainable growth rate (SGR) form­ula. Bipartisan legislation had been proposed with substantial support, but differences between Republicans and Democrats on how to pay for the fix resulted in a last-minute maneuver to avoid a 24 percent reduction in physician payment fees under Medicare—through yet another short-term patch.