AAOS Now, July 2015
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The Interoperability of Health Data
At the 2014 AAOS-sponsored Orthopaedic Quality Institute (OQI), cochairs Kevin J. Bozic, MD, MBA, and Thomas C. Barber, MD, brought together a wide range of external stakeholders to focus on topics relevant to the quality movement in orthopaedic surgery. Among those topics, healthcare data informatics stood out as a field undergoing explosive changes. One presentation in particular, by coauthor Frank G.
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What Is the Two-Midnight Rule?
On Oct. 1, 2015, barring any additional delays, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) plans to begin enforcing the “two-midnight rule.” The rule specifically identifies the minimum length of a hospital stay for Medicare beneficiaries to qualify as an inpatient stay. CMS has provided little guidance to hospitals on this matter, instead emphasizing the physician’s role in determining a patient’s admission status.
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The Importance of State Orthopaedic Societies
As the eyes and ears of the AAOS, state orthopaedic societies play a critical role in the orthopaedic community, according to Diane Przepiorski, executive director of the California Orthopaedic Association. Speaking at the National Orthopaedic Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C., Ms. Przepiorski outlined the many benefits that state orthopaedic societies provide to their members and the orthopaedic profession as a whole.
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LOA’s Executive Director Wins Top Award
Cindy Bishop, executive director of the Louisiana Orthopaedic Association (LOA), was honored as the 2015 Executive Director of the Year during the National Orthopaedic Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C. According to LOA’s immediate past-president Daniel Gallagher, MD, Ms. Bishop represents the association with professionalism, leadership, and vision, and works closely with the association’s board of directors to execute the mission and goals of the leadership. Ms.
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South Dakota Honored as State Orthopaedic Society of the Year
The South Dakota State Orthopedic Society (SDSOS) received the 2015 State Orthopaedic Achievement Award for its role in ensuring that patients in the state are able to see their choice of physicians, regardless of the doctor’s network status. James MacDougal, MD, society president, accepted the award, which was presented during the National Orthopaedic Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C.
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Finding Value in Value-Based Payment Models
A focus on value has changed both commercial and government payment models for orthopaedic surgical services. One of the alternative payment models with highest participation by orthopaedic surgeons is bundled payment. The AAOS webinar, “Finding Value in Value-Based Payment Models” provided an update on how some orthopaedic practices are implementing bundled payments BPCI at OrthoCarolina According to Daniel B.
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Legislation to Delay ICD-10 Introduced
Physicians and other eligible professionals are expected to implement the International Classification of Diseases–10th edition (ICD-10) diagnostic coding system effective Oct. 1, 2015. Under ICD-10, the number of diagnostic codes would increase from the 13,000 currently in place under ICD-9 to more than 68,000 codes.