Across the President's Desk

James H. Beaty, MD

Education was the original purpose of our Academy and is what we are all about. I’ve had the opportunity to interact with other orthopaedic societies and associations, and I’ve seen how the AAOS serves as a role model for continuing medical education (CME) for all of medicine.

A pat on the back to:

Mary I. O’Connor, MD, the first orthopaedic surgeon named to the Advisory Committee on Research on Women’s Health at the National Institutes of Health Gregg Wolff, MD, named Physician of the Year at the Western Maryland Health System’s Physician Recognition Gala Douglas G. Wright, MD, appointed to the Maryland Board of Physicians. New board members of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons: Daniel J. Berry, MD, president; David G.

It’s time to drop insurance contracts

Thomas J. Grogan, MD

About 10 years ago, I wrote an article for the AAOS Bulletin outlining how to “manage” managed care. The approach was simple—understand what was happening in the world of contracting and learn to manage the process before it managed us. To be successful then, surgeons had to embrace the contracting system, even going so far as to undertake capitation contracts and become comfortable with financial risk assumption.

In memoriam: Walter A. Hoyt, Jr., MD

Peter Pollack

AAOS past president helped spearhead first edition of Orange Book On March 18, 2007, Walter A. Hoyt Jr., MD, of Akron, Ohio, passed away. Dr. Hoyt served as AAOS president in 1973 and helped develop the first edition of Emergency Care and Transportation of the Sick and Injured—the “Orange Book,” which remains a standard text for emergency medical services workers across the United States. “Education must be our modus operandi, now and in the future,” said Dr.

From cartilage to carburetors: Sonny Bal, MD, treats classic cars

Peter Pollack

Given the stresses of the profession, it’s understandable that many orthopaedic surgeons have hobbies that are far removed from the operating room, but others have it in their nature to continue tinkering. When B. Sonny Bal, MD, heads home from his day job, he looks forward to wrenches, grease, and vacuum hoses. His pastime is restoring old cars, especially Ford muscle cars from the 1960s.

Industry News

AdvaMed’s Chris White wins Leadership Award AdvaMed’s General Counsel, Executive Vice President and Secretary Christopher L. White, Esq., was the first recipient of the PricewaterhouseCoopers Award for Leadership in the Advancement of Ethics in the Medical Device Industry at the Second Annual Medical Device Regulatory, Reimbursement and Compliance Congress held in March.

Upcoming Orthopaedic Meetings of Interest

Listed below are upcoming meetings through September 2007 that may be of interest to orthopaedic surgeons. For more information, contact the source listed. May 24-26 Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America Hollywood, Fla. Web site: www.posna.org June 1-2 Missouri State Orthopaedic Association Chase Park Plaza—St. Louis Contact: Brian Treece at treece@treecephillips.

Professional compliance program continues to evolve

Kathleen I. Delaney

Holds fellows, members accountable for actions In just two short years, the AAOS Professional Compliance Program has grown from a simple idea to a flourishing program. When it was established by a vote of the fellowship in April 2005, some suspected that the program would be inundated with petty complaints, while others viewed it largely as a symbolic gesture. Neither viewpoint has been realized.

Diversity champions open doors for women, minorities in orthopaedics

Jennie McKee

As trailblazers, mentors, and role models, Mary Ann E. Keenan, MD, and Michael J. Patzakis, MD, are helping to make orthopaedics a more inclusive field. When Mary Ann E. Keenan, MD, entered the field of orthopaedic surgery in the late 1970s, she had very few female role models in the profession. Today, she is a role model and mentor for a growing number of women and minorities entering orthopaedics. After earning her medical degree from the Medical College of Pennsylvania, Dr.

AAOS files amicus brief on Maryland MRI issue

AAOS argues ruling unnecessary because it is a blanket ban on conduct prohibited by State Board On March 23, 2007, the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) filed an amicus brief in Potomac Valley Orthopaedic Associates, et.al. v. Maryland State Board of Physicians in the Circuit Court of Montgomery County, Md.

Orthopaedic educators needed in ‘the other Iraq’

Lynne Dowling

Once, the most advanced medical care in the Mideast was available in Iraq. Now, medical and surgical specialty groups from around the world are helping establish a National Medical Training Center (NMTC) to rebuild a healthcare system devastated by war and upheaval. The new NMTC will be in Erbil, which is known as “the other Iraq.”

AAOS puts the world at your doorstep

Global Orthopaedic Opportunities Web site is now open You can turn your dreams into reality at the new AAOS Global Orthopaedic Opportunities Web site (www.aaos.org/global). This free, user-friendly, online resource is designed for individuals seeking temporary orthopaedic-related opportunities around the world.

OKO goes monthly

Orthopaedic Knowledge Online (OKO) is now publishing clinical and surgical articles on a monthly basis. Each month, AAOS members, residents, and subscribers can find three to four new clinical topics and surgical techniques, and a variety of special features.   “By going to a monthly publication schedule, we let our readers know that there will be original material each month,” says William A. Grana, MD, MPH, editor-in-chief of OKO.

Specialty societies focus on education

American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons Members of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons (AAHKS) are encouraged to bring their residents or fellows to the 17th Annual Meeting, Nov. 2-4, 2007. Attendees will receive up to 13 hours of CME credit during the intensive weekend format. The Annual Meeting covers state-of-the-art scientific, clinical, socioeconomic, and practice-related topics. Program chair Thomas P.

Stem cell research makes headlines

Nicholas DiNubile, MD

Scoliosis, plantar fasciitis, yoga, MORE Awards also in the news Stem cell technology—particularly as it applies to orthopaedics—is of great interest around the world. At the end of March, New York Times reporter Bill Pennington filed a story entitled “For athletes, the next fountain of youth?” The story dealt with elite athletes’ “banking” stem cells from their offspring’s umbilical cords to one day heal potentially career-ending injuries to tendons, ligaments, muscle, and cartilage.