Sports Medicine: AAOS Lobbies Congress to Close Loop HoleAt the AAOS National Orthopaedic Leadership Conference (NOLC) this spring, one of the issues was the Sports Medicine Licensure Clarity Act, S. 689, H.R. 921 that currently enjoys bipartisan support with over 100 cosponsors, has since passed the House, and is pending in the Senate.This bill would allow licensure and malpractice coverage to follow a team physician across state lines in the circumstances when he/she is traveling with and treating athletes of a specific sports team. “Sports medicine providers should not have to choose between treating injured athletes at great professional and financial risk, and reducing athletes’ access to quality health care services,” reads the AAOS leave-behind message given to congressional staffers. Currently, most states do not reciprocally recognize licensure from another state in the case of traveling teams and most malpractice carriers do not provide coverage over state lines. One exception is California, which passed legislation over a decade ago and serves as a model for federal legislation. For more information, contact Catherine Boudreaux in the AAOS Office of Government Relations at 202-546-4430 or go to www.aaos.org/advocacy. Basil R. Besh, MD www.drbesh.com
|