Today’s Top Story
HHS and ONC propose rule to improve health IT systems.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) have announced a new proposed rule to enhance the safety, reliability, transparency, and accountability of certified electronic health records (EHR) systems. Among other things, ONC would have the authority to review certified health information technology (IT) products and take action to address potential risks to public health and safety, increase ONC oversight of health IT testing bodies, and increase transparency regarding the overall performance of certified health IT. The proposed rule would also make more information available about how an individual certified health IT product performs in the field. Read more…
Read the ONC fact sheet (PDF)…
Read the proposed rule (PDF)…

Other News

AAOS Board approves revised CPG on carpal tunnel syndrome.
The AAOS Board of Directors has approved a clinical practice guideline (CPG) on carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) that represents a substantive update to the CTS guidelines originally issued in 2008 and updated in 2011. The revised guideline advises that CTS cannot be definitively diagnosed by one physical examination maneuver. The guidelines also recommend not using single results from common tests and maneuvers (muscle testing, nerve stress tests, etc.), and/or medical history and demographic information (sex/gender, ethnicity, comorbidities, body mass index, age, etc.) independently to affirm CTS diagnosis. Read the complete guideline (PDF)…
View all AAOS CPGs…

Study: Female soccer players may be at increased risk of graft re-tear, contralateral ACL injury after ACL reconstruction.
Findings from Scientific Poster P434—on display in Academy Hall C of the Orange County Convention Center—suggest that female soccer players who undergo anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction and return to sport may be at increased risk of graft re-tear and contralateral ACL injury than female athletes who do not play soccer. The researchers reviewed data on 180 patients (90 soccer players and 90 nonsoccer players) who underwent primary ACL reconstruction following an athletic-related injury. At mean 5.8-year follow-up, they found that soccer players had more second ACL injuries, including both graft failures (11 percent vs. 1 percent) and contralateral ACL tears (17 percent vs. 4 percent), compared to athletes who did not play soccer. Read more…
Read the abstract…

AAOS welcomes Colombia as 2016 Guest Nation.
AAOS welcomes Colombia as this year’s Guest Nation. The Sociedad Colombiana de Cirugía Ortopédica y Traumatología (SCCOT) was founded in 1946 and contributes to the responsible development of orthopaedics and the ethical application of medical practice in Colombia. SCCOT will participate in the following special events and other activities to be held throughout the AAOS Annual Meeting:

  • Opening ceremony (Wednesday, March 2, 4:00 p.m.–5:30 p.m.)
  • Guest Nation Posters (Academy Hall C)
  • Guest Nation Exhibit (Academy Hall C)
  • Symposium L, “Gunshot and Explosive Wounds” (Wednesday, March 2, 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.)

In addition, special articles prepared by SCCOT members will be in the AAOS Now Daily Edition throughout the AAOS Annual Meeting. Read more…

AAOS Now Daily Edition now available online and everywhere at the Annual Meeting!
The AAOS Now Daily Edition is freely available each morning in bins located throughout the Orange County Convention Center. In addition, all editorial content is available online at the AAOS Now website. Visit the AAOS Now website…
Read the AAOS Now Daily Edition…

Last call: AMA representatives to Joint Commission Professional and Technical Advisory Committees.
AAOS seeks to nominate individuals to serve as American Medical Association (AMA) alternate representatives to the following Joint Commission Professional and Technical Advisory Committees (PTACs): Home Care Accreditation Program PTAC and Hospital Accreditation Program PTAC. PTAC Representatives and Alternate Representatives may not be board members, advisory committee members, elected officers, employees, or paid independent contractors of other accrediting organizations, and they may not hold leadership positions in healthcare organizations accredited by other accrediting organizations. Applicants must be AAOS active fellows, candidate members, candidate members osteopathic, candidate member applicants for fellowship, or candidate member applicants for fellowship osteopathic, as well as active members of AMA at the time of appointment and throughout the duration of their term. In addition, all applicants must provide the following: an online AAOS CAP application, a current curriculum vitae (no more than 3 pages), a 100-word biosketch, a letter of interest highlighting his or her expertise in the subject area and a statement that he or she is able to participate in full capacity, and an AMA nomination form. The nomination form can be obtained by emailing Kyle Shah at the address below. All supporting materials must be submitted by March 6, 2016, at 11:59 p.m. CT, to Kyle Shah at: shah@aaos.org
Learn more and submit your application…(member login required)