Common Sense or Unreasonable Boycotts?

Mary Ann Porucznik

The good news? Antitrust laws are designed to protect physicians as consumers. The bad news: Antitrust laws are not designed to protect physicians as sellers of professional services. That was the message delivered by Robert Canterman, staff attorney at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), one of the two agencies charged with enforcing antitrust laws.

Selecting a new partner

James K. Weaver, MD; Dale A. Reigle

Compatibility is as important as competence Selecting a new partner for a group practice is one of the most important tasks the group will undertake. Every recruitment should advance the practice toward achieving its goals, not just from a scope of practice standpoint, but also from the perspective of building a strong, cohesive, and sustainable practice. Yet groups often approach this undertaking in a haphazard and nonchalant manner.

AAOS Physician Narrative Exchange Program: Coming to the 2011 Annual Meeting

Jackie Ryan

Program is designed to help practices streamline EMR documentation If your orthopaedic practice has not yet adopted an electronic medical record (EMR) system, such a purchase is probably in your future. Federal government incentive programs to promote adoption and use of EMR systems will prompt most orthopaedic practices to implement an EMR system within the next 5 years.

Tech issues in 2011: Data storage and security

Howard Mevis

By Howard Mevis Digital technology is reaching into every aspect of an orthopaedic surgeon’s practice. Recent regulations—particularly those on data storage and security—will have an increasingly significant impact on orthopaedic practices in 2011. Data security Data security is the number one technology issue for 2011.

AAOS Group Purchasing Program suspended

For 4 years, the AAOS has sponsored a group purchasing program for medical and surgical supplies, with nearly 1,000 practices participating in the program. On Nov. 29, 2010, however, the AAOS received word from eSurg Corporation, the entity that has had operational responsibility for the program, that the AAOS Group Purchasing Program is being discontinued. The AAOS agreement with eSurg expires on Dec. 31, 2010, and the program will cease operation at that time.

What risks? Whither management?

S. Jay Jayasankar, MD

Risk management—in any field—attempts to identify and control hazards to prevent or minimize risks. Ideally, managing risk becomes part of an organization’s culture, with an emphasis on human factors and behavior. Secondary prevention Traditional risk management in medical tort liability has focused on defending claims. (See “The surgeon’s role in assisting defense counsel” and “Tips and pointers for depositions,” AAOS Now, November 2010.

Evolving standards of professionalism

Melissa Young, JD

From “expert witness” to “expert opinion and testimony” Effective May 12, 2010, a revised set of AAOS Standards of Professionalism (SOP) apply to all expert opinions provided by AAOS fellows and members. The amended and renamed SOP for Orthopaedic Expert Opinion and Testimony replaces and amplifies the original SOP for Orthopaedic Expert Witness Testimony and requires all AAOS fellows and members who serve as expert witnesses to comply with these minimum standards of acceptable conduct.

Taking the tiger by the tail

Stuart J. Fischer, MD

When a practitioner switches practices, who pays for tail coverage? Medical liability policies come in two basic forms—occurrence and claims-made. An occurrence policy covers the insured for events that occurred during the policy dates, regardless of when the claim is filed. Under a claims-made policy, however, both the event and the claim must be reported while the policy is in effect.