How many orthopaedists does it take to...?

Mary Ann Porucznik

Is the United States facing a shortage of orthopaedic surgeons? Or are recent calls for more surgeons another false alarm? By Mary Ann Porucznik Last year, the New York Times asked “Who’ll treat us as we get older?” This year, Investor’s Business Daily asked “Is there a doctor in the house?” and Congress Daily AM wondered “Will there be enough physicians?”

Reporting knee revision surgery correctly

Margaret M. Maley, RN, MS

Reporting knee revision surgery does not need to be complicated or mysterious. It does require an understanding of both the definition of revision surgery and the modifier 58. A single-stage procedure When a total knee prosthesis is removed and replaced as the definitive procedure during the same operative session, it is considered knee revision surgery.

Risk management Web site could lower your liability premiums

Murray Goodman, MD

In today’s world, orthopaedic surgeons are frequently the targets of medical liability lawsuits. Realizing this, many medical liability insurance carriers now offer a premium discount to those physicians who make an effort to limit their exposure by following simple risk management guidelines or by becoming familiar with basic preventive measures.

Pearls and pitfalls in the treatment of tibial plateau fractures

Douglas W. Lundy, MD, FACS; Mary Jo Albert, MD

Tibial plateau fractures are common injuries that affect the articular surface of the proximal tibia. They range from minimally displaced lateral depression fractures to severe bicondylar fractures that may be associated with knee dislocations, compartment syndromes, or vascular injuries. The options available to stabilize these fractures have multiplied during the past few years and include smaller screw diameters, locking plates, and improved osteobiologic implants.

Improve your practice income with audio consults

Marty Krawczyk

From maximizing income and minimizing expenses to selecting an EMR or digital radiograph system, Practice Management Consults help you with “the business side of medicine.” Most medical schools don’t cover the business side of medicine. But to succeed in today’s economic environment, orthopaedic surgeons must know more than just the proper approach to a surgical technique. That’s why the AAOS introduced the Practice Management Consults series last year.

Informed consent: A process, not a piece of paper

William J. Holt, MD

Today, every surgeon has at least some familiarity with the concept of informed consent, and malpractice lawsuits based solely on lack of informed consent are relatively rare. Aspects of informed consent, however, may still cause confusion, so it is worthwhile revisiting this topic. Part of the problem is the term “consent,” which makes it sound like surgeons go out, drag people into their offices, and ask them for permission to perform surgery on them, to which they agree.

From the cockpit to the OR

Stephen A. Albanese, MD

Crew resource management: A model for orthopaedics? Human beings make mistakes, but systems play a role as well. Poorly designed systems frequently lead people to make errors or—at minimum—fail to prevent them. That was one of the conclusions of the 1999 Institute of Medicine report, To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System, which raised awareness of the significant consequences of medical errors.

Paperless office: A must, a maybe, or a mistake?

J. Michael Maxwell, MD

In Poor Richard’s Almanac, Ben Franklin stated the paradox that best describes the current state of information technology in medicine: “A penny saved is a penny earned.” Although information technology may, in the long run, save thousands of dollars for a medical practice, this leap of faith does not easily and immediately exceed the technology’s acquisition costs.

For practice management assistance, turn to AAOS

Steven E. Fisher, MBA

Members benefit from education, products, services, one-on-one counseling Whether you want to reduce expenses, improve your business management skills, or find out how others have addressed a problem, the AAOS is ready to support your efforts through its Practice Management Group (PMG). Under the direction of the new Practice Management Committee, the PMG provides education, products and services, and one-on-one member assistance.