Today’s Top Story
CMS extends deadline to apply for hardship exemptions under Meaningful Use program.
Modern Healthcare reports that the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has extended until July 1, 2016 the deadline for healthcare providers to apply for hardship exemptions under its electronic health records (EHR) incentive payment program. The previous deadlines were March 15, 2016 for physicians and other eligible professionals, and April 1, 2016 for hospitals. CMS had also earlier streamlined its hardship exception application forms in order to reduce the level of information required to apply for an exception. Read more…(registration may be required)
Learn more from CMS about applying for a hardship exemption…
Learn more from AAOS about applying for a hardship exemption…

Other News

CMS releases proposed rule that would require providers to disclose affiliations with individuals barred from participating in government healthcare programs.
CMS has released a proposed rule to implement sections of the Affordable Care Act that require Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) providers and suppliers to disclose affiliations with individuals who may be barred from billing those programs or who may owe money to the government. In addition, the proposed rule would provide CMS with additional authority to deny or revoke a provider’s or supplier’s Medicare enrollment. Finally, the proposed rule would require that to order, certify, refer, or prescribe any Part A or B service, item, or drug, a physician or eligible professional must be enrolled in Medicare in an approved status or have validly opted-out of the Medicare program. Read more…(registration may be required)
Read the proposed rule (PDF)…

FDA issues communication regarding safety concerns with neurosurgical head holder (skull clamp) systems.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a safety communication regarding neurosurgical head holder (skull clamp) systems. Between January 2009 and January 2016, the agency received more than 1,000 medical device reports associated with slippage or movement of a skull clamp before and/or during surgical procedures, resulting in more than 700 injuries. The reports describe unintended patient movement during surgical procedures that resulted in injuries including skull fractures, facial injuries, lacerations, and hematoma. Additionally, unintended patient movement has compromised procedures dependent upon head immobilization causing inaccurate stereotaxic navigation and delayed, prolonged, or halted surgical procedures. An FDA review of medical literature and analysis of currently available data suggests that device slippage is not specific to any manufacturer or brand of devices. The causes of skull clamps slipping before and/or during surgical procedures are multifactorial, and may include device performance, device application, patient specific characteristics, and lack of maintenance. The agency states that some risks can be mitigated through device placement considerations, proper use, and proper device maintenance. Read more…

Study: What long-term changes may be seen after ACL reconstruction?
A study published online in The American Journal of Sports Medicine examines changes in knee osteoarthritis (OA), symptoms, and function after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. The authors conducted a prospective, cohort study of 210 patients who underwent ACL reconstruction, with 168 available at 20-year follow-up. At 20 years, the authors noted that 42 percent of patients had radiographic tibiofemoral OA and 21 percent had radiographic patellofemoral OA. Overall, patients with ACL injuries and other combined injuries were at significantly increased risk of radiographic tibiofemoral OA, compared with those who had an isolated ACL injury. The authors noted a 13 percent increase in radiographic tibiofemoral OA and an 8% increase in patellofemoral OA from the 15- to the 20-year follow-up. With the exception of quality of life, they observed a significant deterioration in knee symptoms and function on the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score subscales, and also a decrease in quadriceps muscle strength and hamstring muscle strength. Read the abstract…

Study: Hospital readmissions appear to have declined after implementation of ACA penalty program.
Findings published online in The New England Journal of Medicine suggest that some hospital readmissions may have been reduced under an Affordable Care Act (ACA) program designed to apply financial penalties to hospitals with higher readmission rates for targeted conditions. The researchers compared monthly, hospital-level rates of readmission and observation-service for Medicare elderly beneficiaries across 3,387 hospitals from October 2007 through May 2015. They found that, from 2007 to 2015, readmission rates for targeted and non-targeted conditions dropped overall. However, shortly after passage of the ACA, readmission rates declined quickly—especially for targeted conditions—and then continued to fall at a slower rate after October 2012 for both targeted and non-targeted conditions. From 2007 to 2015, stays in observation units for targeted conditions increased from 2.6 percent to 4.7 percent, while rates for non-targeted conditions increased from 2.5 percent to 4.2 percent. The researchers write that the evidence does not suggest that changes in observation-unit stays accounted for the decrease in readmissions. Read more…
Read the complete study…

AAOS updates privacy policy.
AAOS has updated its privacy policy to specify when AAOS will provide member email addresses to third parties. The change was necessitated by a growing number of AAOS services that are provided by outside vendors. Specifically, AAOS has clarified:

  • “AAOS may provide the names, postal mailing addresses, email addresses, and telephone and Fax numbers of AAOS Fellows and Members to third party organizations with whom the AAOS has contracted to provide courses, goods or services.”

For more information, please view the complete privacy policy, under “How Will this Personal Information Be Used?” Read more…

Help build a safe and accessible playground in Orlando!
In 2000, hundreds of orthopaedic surgeons, allied health and industry partners, and community volunteers first joined forces with the AAOS to give back to the communities they serve by helping construct a safe and accessible playground so that children with and without disabilities could play together. Join your colleagues on Tuesday, March 1, 2016—as the Academy returns to the city where it all began—to help construct its 17th annual volunteer playground build. Enjoy great music, food and fun as you help to assemble playground equipment under the direction of seasoned project managers. No experience is necessary! Buses will run between the Orange County Convention Center and the build site from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and lunch will be provided at the location. Learn more and register to participate…

Call for volunteers: CMS Quality of Patient Care Star Ratings Technical Expert Panel.
AAOS seeks to nominate members to the CMS Quality of Patient Care Star Ratings Technical Expert Panel. CMS has contracted with Abt Associates to evaluate and improve the quality of patient care star ratings that appear on the Home Health Compare website. As part of the process of continually evolving the rating system, CMS asks contractors to convene groups of stakeholders and experts to contribute direction and thoughtful input to the contractor for consideration in the rating system, and seeks to assemble a panel of approximately 8-12 with a variety of perspectives and areas of expertise. Applicants for this position must be active fellows, candidate members, candidate members osteopathic, candidate member applicants for fellowship, or candidate member applicants for fellowship osteopathic. In addition, all applicants must provide the following: an online AAOS CAP application, a current curriculum vitae, a 100-word biosketch, a letter of interest highlighting his or her expertise in the subject area, and a nomination form. All supporting materials must be submitted by March 13, 2016 at 11:59 p.m. CT. For a copy of the nomination form, and to submit supporting materials, please contact Kyle Shah at: shah@aaos.org
Learn more and submit your application…

Note: During the week of the AAOS Annual Meeting, AAOS Headline News Now (HNN) will publish four special editions, one each day of the meeting, Tuesday through Friday. No HNN will be sent on Monday, Feb. 29. The regular HNN publication schedule will resume on Monday, March 7.