Erika Gandee Shares Behind-the-Scenes Look at OrthoCarolina’s Participation in MIPS

Cindy Bracy; Peter Pollack

On Jan. 1, 2017, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) launched the Medicare Quality Payment Program (QPP) with the goal of rewarding high-value, high-quality Medicare clinicians with payment increases, while reducing payments to clinicians who do not meet performance standards. The QPP consists of two tracks: the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and Advanced Alternative Payment Models (APMs).

A Bright Future: AAOS Leadership Addresses NOLC Attendees

Tanya Kenevich

AAOS is making innovative advancements in its strategies, outreach, and educational options. David A. Halsey, MD, AAOS president; Kristy L. Weber, MD, AAOS first vice-president; Joseph A. Bosco III, MD, AAOS second vice-president; M. Bradford Henley, MD, MBA, FACS, AAOS treasurer; and Thomas E. Arend Jr, Esq.

TriHealth Good Samaritan Hospital: Registry, EBM, and ICPs

Karen Metropulos, MBA

The American Joint Replacement Registry (AJRR) is the largest hip and knee arthroplasty registry in the United States, exceeding the 1 million procedures milestone in 2017, and is a part of the Academy’s growing family of orthopaedic registries. TriHealth Good Samaritan Hospital (GSH), located in Cincinnati, has been an AJRR subscriber since January 2015.

MARCQI Demonstrates Value and Impact of Registries

Terry Stanton

In the context of the U.S. government, the nation’s states are sometimes called the “laboratories of democracy.” Ideas often are tested in single states, and results may predict how programs might fare nationally. In orthopaedics, that concept might apply to the context of national registries.

Debate: Are Ultrasounds Necessary for Routine Knee and Shoulder Injections in the Office?

Holly J. Duck, MD; Alan M. Reznik, MD, MBA

The use of ultrasound guidance for routine knee and shoulder injections in the office is increasing. There is no doubt that ultrasound can improve the accuracy of injections, yet questions remain. How much accuracy is gained and at what cost? Moreover, are patient outcomes negatively affected if ultrasound is not used for these injections? Two respected sports medicine physicians debate the issue.

Orthopaedic Leaders Meet with NIH and NIAMS

Erin Ransford; Kurt Sprindler, MD

Representatives and leaders from AAOS, the Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS), and the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (OREF) met with National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Francis Collins, MD, PhD, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) Director Stephen Katz, MD, PhD, and other NIAMS leaders to highlight the impact and value of orthopaedic care.

Exposure: Radiation Is the ‘Invisible Enemy’ of Female Orthopaedic Surgeons

Sravya Vajapey, MD; Julie Balch Samora, MD, PhD

Marie Curie, a brilliant physicist, was the first female to win the Nobel prize for her pioneering work on radioactivity. She is a role model for her groundbreaking contributions to science. It’s ironic that the same research that brought her such well-earned recognition eventually led to her demise: aplastic anemia secondary to radiation exposure. Adverse events associated with radiation include deterministic (e.g., hair loss, skin burns, nausea, cataracts) and stochastic (i.e.

Will Osseointegration Become the Standard of Care for Amputees?

David B. Doherty Jr, MD

When I arrived at the Ibn Sina Hospital in Baghdad, Iraq, I was stunned to see the conditions of some of the patients. I had never been in a war zone, and although the active fighting was north of Baghdad, the steady flow of subacute and chronic injuries into the clinic seemed never-ending. Until then, hasty battlefield reductions and wound closures had been the definitive treatments.