Regulations: The Good, Bad and Ugly?!

by: Omer A. Ilahi, MD

Nov

15

Regulations: The Good, Bad and Ugly?!

Regulation! It’s almost become a dirty word as we struggle under evermore burdensome regulations from federal and state agencies, from private and workers’ compensation insurance carriers, and even from our local hospitals. Yet, what we’re really referring to when we decry “regulation” is over-regulation and/or counterproductive regulation resulting in increased administrative effort and loss of flexibility in decision-making, yet providing little tangible benefit.

Sports Medicine: AAOS Lobbies Congress to Close Loop Hole

by: Basil R. Besh, MD

Category: Touches

Nov

01

Sports Medicine: AAOS Lobbies Congress to Close Loop Hole

At 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.

Surgical Timeout Failure = Surgeon Engagement Failure

by: Jeffrey M. Nakano, MD

Category: Touches

Oct

18

Surgical Timeout Failure = Surgeon Engagement Failure

Despite the incorporation of a surgical timeout in every OR, surgical “never events” still persist. Surgical “never events” include: 1) operating on the wrong patient or wrong surgical site, 2) performing the wrong procedure, 3) overlooking a retained foreign body, and 4) the death of an ASA Class 1 patient in the perioperative period. I submit that the failure of a surgical timeout to protect a patient is due to the failure of surgeon engagement.

SAE for WOA Members is Free

by: Paul Collins, MD

Category: Touches

Oct

04

SAE for WOA Members is Free

For many of us, Maintenance of Certification (MOC) is the “Sword of Damocles” hanging over our heads as we pursue our busy practices. As members of the Western Orthopaedic Association, we have a great partner to keep us safe from the sword while we focus on the best care of our patients – our membership in WOA.

WOA Initiates Blair Filler MD Lifetime Achievement Award

by: Brian Jewett, MD

Category: Touches

Sep

20

WOA Initiates Blair Filler MD Lifetime Achievement Award

The Western Orthopaedic Association’s Blair Filler, MD Lifetime Achievement Award will be initiated at our annual meeting in Indian Wells, California on September 30th. The award celebrates a lifetime of achievement for Dr. Filler and his wife Dodie, who will be present for a special presentation during the Friday Gala Dinner.

Celebrating 80 Years of WOA History

by: Larry Housman, MD

Category: Touches

Sep

06

Celebrating 80 Years of WOA History

The WOA was the first U.S. regional orthopaedic organization and predates both the ABOS (1933) and the AAOS (1933). The WOA’s mission emphasizes education for our members and opportunities for resident/fellow/faculty participation. The Association also encourages members to collaborate and network with colleagues in the region.

Leadership Lessons from Abraham Lincoln

by: John R. Tongue, MD

Category: Touches

Aug

16

Leadership Lessons from Abraham Lincoln

We can all draw inspiration from the courage of our country’s early leaders. As David McCullough said of history, there is “no better subject to get caught up in to understand what it is to be a human being, and particularly what it is to lead in any field.”

MOC Update

by: Basil Besh, MD

Category: Touches

Aug

02

MOC Update

Maintenance of Certification (MOC) has become a progressively contentious and controversial topic in the world of medicine. While verification of continued learning is a time honored tradition, the current process specifically in orthopaedics, and more broadly in the house of medicine, has become needlessly onerous, investigatory, and expensive in both time and treasure, but has never been proven to correlate to improved patient care.

Your Working Patients

by: Paul Collins, MD

Category: Touches

Jul

19

Your Working Patients

A patient’s job is an important part of orthopaedic treatment decisions, yet we often shy away from fully considering this aspect of our patients’ lives.

Physician Owned Hospitals

by: Bryan Moon, MD

Category: Touches

Jul

05

Physician Owned Hospitals

While it is clear that physician owned hospitals provide high-quality and cost conscious care, Section 6001 of the Affordable Care Act prevents the further establishment or expansion of physician owned hospitals. Since it is the role of the Board of Councilors (BOC) to advise the AAOS Board of Directors regarding “matters of importance to orthopaedic surgeons,” the issue of physician owned hospitals received much attention at the recent NOLC in Washington, D.C. and the issue was addressed in two important ways. First, there was active lobbying on Capitol Hill requesting support of H.R. 2513- The Promoting Access, Competition, and Equity Act (PACE). H.R. 2513 seeks to suspend the ban on expansion for approximately 3 years. Second, an advisory opinion requesting legislative relief regarding physician ownership of hospitals was developed with support of the BOC and Board of Specialty Societies (BOS) and will be submitted to the AAOS Board of Directors. For more details regarding H.R. 2513 and a list of co-sponsors go to: https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/2513/all-info

The Western Orthopaedic Foundation: Exciting New Horizons

by: Robert R. Slater, Jr., MD, FACS

Category: Touches

Jun

21

The Western Orthopaedic Foundation: Exciting New Horizons

The Western Orthopaedic Foundation (WOF) is a newly created extension of the Western Orthopaedic Association (WOA). WOA is a not-for-profit 501(c)6 organization that conducts important education and advocacy functions for our members, including an annual meeting. In contradistinction, the WOF is now established under section 501(c)3 of the IRS code as a tax exempt organization
focused on scientific research and education.

Regulations: The Good, Bad and Ugly?!