Breaking the News: It’s Not the Job

J. Mark Melhorn, MD

What do you tell a patient who says, “My work caused my condition. What should I do?” Sometimes, the answer is easy. But other times, despite the patient’s conviction that his or her condition is work-related, science suggests a different etiology. Do you elect not to address the issue and leave the decision to the employer, the insurance carrier, or the courts? Or do you, as the orthopaedic surgeon, attempt to address the issue based on current science?

Maintaining Practice Profitability: No Easy Feat

Frank B. Kelly, MD; Mary Ann Porucznik

The economics of an orthopaedic practice are rapidly changing, according to Michael J. McCaslin, CPA, and current revenue sources are likely to shift in importance going forward. Mr. McCaslin shared his thoughts on “Maintaining Practice Profitability in 2020” during the 2015 AAOS Now Forum on Orthopaedic Economics. “Professional services revenues for private practices are likely to be flat to declining,” said Mr. McCaslin, “as the shift from fee-for-service to value-based payments continues.

Ignoring Potential HIPAA Violations Is Risky Business

Cindy Bracy, MPH, RHIA

When was the last time your practice performed a security and risk assessment (SRA)? If you don’t know, ask your practice executive. If your practice executive doesn’t know, chances are you need to conduct one—and soon. An estimated one third of solo and group medical practices have not conducted an SRA, which puts them at risk for substantial fines. You don’t want to be among them.

FACS: What’s in It for Me?

Douglas W. Lundy, MD, MBA, FACS

The other day, I counted up how many dues-paying medical organizations I belong to and I came up with 12! That made me think about what I actually “get” from belonging to each of these organizations. I started to measure the value of my memberships. I think every orthopaedic surgeon would agree that AAOS membership is an excellent value, based on the education, advocacy, and quality efforts it undertakes on behalf of our profession.

Orthopaedic Practice in the United States

Hazel Oreluk, MA; Sarah Eisinger, MS; John Cherf, MD, MPH, MBA

What’s the most popular orthopaedic specialty? Is there a potential shortage of orthopaedic surgeons? How many orthopaedic surgeons are women? How fast is hospital employment of orthopaedic surgeons growing? These are the types of questions that reporters, researchers, and regulators ask. And the answers can be found in the Orthopaedic Practice in the United States (OPUS) Survey, also known as the AAOS Census Survey.

Understanding Your Employment Contract

Kathleen L. DeBruhl, JD

By definition, contracts are agreements between two or more parties that describe, in writing, the agreement of certain business terms. When physicians negotiate employment contracts, they usually focus on certain items like compensation, bonuses, or on-call arrangements. But even when verbal agreements have been reached on these issues, a physician may be surprised when these terms—and multiple others never discussed—appear in the written contract.

P Is for POWER

Jessica Metros

As an orthopaedic practice executive, I recognize the importance of raising the visibility of our orthopaedic practice—Bone and Joint Specialists in Merrillville, Ind. I would like to share three ways that remembering “P is for power” can help. Practice managers may outsource certain services—such as transcription or billing—to decrease overhead. One area that many orthopaedic practices outsource is lobbying local, state, and national legislators.

Breaking Bad News: How to Disclose an Adverse Event

Talking with patients after an adverse event is never easy. In the July issue of AAOS Now, AAOS Medical Liability Committee members Thomas Fleeter, MD, and Robert Slater, MD, started a conversation with Lee McMullin, CPHRM, senior risk management and patient safety specialist for Cooperative of American Physicians, a physician-owned and governed, California-based medical malpractice liability cooperative. The conversation continued in an AAOS Now podcast (downloadable from www.aaosnow.