Will YODA End Debate Over rhBMP-2?

Terry Stanton

The word is in from the Yale Open Data Access (YODA) project: recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein (rhBMP-2), the product marketed as Infuse® by Medtronic, Inc., offers no appreciable benefit over autograft in spinal fusion surgery. The judgment is the result of an unprecedented move by the manufacturer, which turned over all patient data to the YODA project for review.

Sunshine Act Data Collection Begins

Elizabeth Fassbender

As of August 1, medical drug and device manufacturers and group purchasing organizations (GPOs) began collecting data on payments and transfers of value (TOV) made to U.S. healthcare providers. The data collection is required under the Physician Payment Sunshine Act (Sunshine Act), which establishes a publicly accessible database disclosing potential conflicts of interest between physicians and applicable medical drug and device manufacturers.

Saying “No” to Arthritis

Mark Crawford

Orthopaedic surgeon Reuben Gobezie, MD, two-time Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (OREF) grant recipient, knows arthritis is the most common disorder in musculoskeletal medicine. “Not a day goes by in my office that I don’t see somebody with arthritis,” he said. “Unfortunately, we don’t understand how it happens. We don’t have a single therapeutic agent that can address the mechanism of the disorder,” stated Dr.

AAOS CPGs Undergo Significant Changes

David S. Jevsevar, MD, MBA

At their spring meeting, members of the AAOS Committee on Evidence-Based Quality and Value Committee (EBQVC) made significant changes to the processes and language of the AAOS Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs). Developed to enhance, improve, and increase the value of the CPG program, the new processes and language are based on member input and peer review.

Clinician-led Registries Have Role in Spine Care

Neal H. Shonnard, MD

Neal H. Shonnard, MD As clinicians who care for vulnerable patients with vertebral compression fractures (VCFs), orthopaedic spine surgeons have seen firsthand how payers’ concerns about variable results has affected their specialty. The controversy about the effectiveness of vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty in managing VCFs is one example.

Data Collection: Critical for Surgical Safety

Brad Waddell, MD

Collection is one of the six “Critical Cs of Surgical Safety” identified by the AAOS Patient Safety Committee to minimize surgical harm (Table 1). Reporting of medical errors is critical to improving patient safety for several reasons. In 1999, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released its report To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System.