Medicare debate entering second stage

My compliments to Bob Fine and his co-authors on their comprehensive article regarding Medicare payment. With this information in hand, the next stage of the debate regarding Medicare and our position must begin. We now know how we are being disadvantaged. We also can infer that Congress, consciously or subconsciously, is precipitating a crisis in Medicare to which it can therefore react. I think our Association can assist them in their endeavor. These are my thoughts.

Get the most from the AAOS Placement Center

Cristina Cabral

Orthopaedic practices that use the AAOS Placement Center during the Annual Meeting give the venue and the service high marks. According to last year’s participants, it’s a “great service—very helpful…well run and organized…comfortable and conveniently located…so helpful.” If you plan to use the AAOS Placement Center during Annual Meeting, the following tips will help you find the ideal orthopaedic surgeon to fill the vacancy in your practice.

Enhance your communications with help from AAOS

Nicholas DiNubile, MD

Ready-to-use materials spread message of musculoskeletal health Good, strong, positive communication is the cornerstone of any message, whether it is to your patients or the news media. To increase public awareness of what orthopaedists do and to enhance the image of orthopaedics, the Public Relations Oversight Group and the public relations department have developed several exciting ways to share an orthopaedic message and bring it to life.

Advice isn’t gender-specific

Stuart Hirsch, MD

RJOS “Guide” has words of wisdom for all The Ruth Jackson Orthopaedic Society (RJOS) serves as a networking and mentoring group for the growing and important—but still small—number of women in our specialty.

JOR celebrates 25 years of publication

Brenda Frederick

This year, the Journal of Orthopaedic Research (JOR) reaches an important milestone—25 years of publication. The JOR is acknowledged as one of the preeminent journals for orthopaedic research, with a unique blend of articles spanning engineering, clinical, and basic science perspectives. This special anniversary will be recognized in several ways.

Pat on the Back

John K. Drake, MD, retiring as Communications Cabinet Liaison to the Council on Advocacy and member of the AAOS Now editorial board. In nominating Dr. Drake for “A Pat on the Back,” Communications Cabinet Chair Frank B.

Test your orthopaedic history knowledge

Carolyn Rogers

Close your books, class – it’s time for a pop quiz! How much do you really know about the AAOS and the past 75 years of orthopaedic history? Read on to find out. In the years leading up to the 1933 founding of AAOS, any sizable city hospital would be familiar with the prognosis of typhoid fever, smallpox, cholera, tuberculosis, diphtheria, measles, and pertussis.

Industry News

AAAASF named authorized agency The New York state department of health has designated the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities (AAAASF) as an authorized agency to be used by office-based surgery practices to meet new state accreditation requirements.

It’s been my pleasure to serve

James H. Beaty, MD

James H. Beaty, MD In my view, a good leader is able to identify and respond to the timely, tough issues facing an organization. The “hot” issues during the past year—and there were many—did not just suddenly appear. But they did, for several reasons, take center stage and need to be addressed.

Second Look

If you missed these news items the first time around, AAOS Now gives you a second chance to review them. Headline News Now, the AAOS thrice-weekly, online update of news of interest to orthopaedic surgeons, brings you the latest on clinical, socioeconomic, and political issues, as well as important announcements from AAOS. FDA alert: Bisphosphonates linked to severe musculoskeletal pain The U.S.

2007—a year of achievements and challenges

Jennie McKee

AAOS President James H. Beaty, MD, focused on service and leadership AAOS President James H. Beaty, MD, an orthopaedic surgeon specializing in pediatrics and chief of staff at Campbell Clinic in Memphis, Tenn., believes that a leader should be selfless and should serve an organization by leading. (See “It’s been my pleasure to serve,” page 4.) James H. Beaty, MD AAOS Now staff writer Jennie McKee recently sat down with Dr.

eMotion Pictures: The sequel

Carolyn Rogers

Art reflects healing, struggles, and independence The highly successful art show created by orthopaedists and their patients—eMotion Pictures: An Exhibition of Orthopaedics in Art®—is being reprised in honor of the Academy’s 75th Anniversary.

AAOS offers ‘grand rounds’ cultural competency seminar

Jennie McKee

Program meets an unfulfilled need in resident training programs How did a randomly selected group of 3,500 resident physicians in their final year of training rate their ability to deliver culturally competent care? Pretty low, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association by Weissman and associates in 2005.

What is the Board of Councilors?

Timothy Lamar Beck, MD

Many AAOS Now readers may be familiar with the Board of Councilors (BOC), but more often than not, I hear, “What is the Board of Councilors and what do they do?” Each state—as well as Canada, Puerto Rico, and the military—has a designated number of representatives who serve on the BOC, similar to the House of Representatives in the U.S. Congress. (On the BOC, however, there is no partisan politics and we hope to be more effective than Congress.

New products debut at 2008 Annual Meeting

Meghan Jacobs

Educational, coding products available at Resource Center Bookstore The AAOS Annual Meeting, March 5–9 in San Francisco, is the premier educational event in orthopaedics…and the AAOS Resource Center Bookstore is where you can check out the latest titles. It’s also where you’ll find the best selection of peer-reviewed and unbiased publications, exams, and electronic programs exploring the breadth and depth of orthopaedics.