Today’s Top Story
Study: Physicians report reduced satisfaction when using EHRs and CPOE.
A study published online in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings finds low physician satisfaction with electronic health records (EHRs) and computerized physician order entry (CPOE). The research team surveyed 6,375 physicians in active practice, of whom 5,389 (84.5 percent) reported that they used EHRs and 4,858 (82.5 percent) reported using CPOE. After adjusting for age, sex, specialty, practice setting, and hours worked per week, they found that physicians who used EHRs or CPOE were less likely to be satisfied with the amount of time spent on clerical tasks, and that use of CPOE was also associated with a higher risk of burnout. The research team notes that use of EHRs was not associated with burnout in adjusted models, after controlling for CPOE and other factors.
Read more…
Read the abstract…

Other News

Study: Both single- and double-bundle ACL reconstruction with 6- to 8-stranded hamstring autograft may offer satisfactory mid-term outcomes.
Findings from a study published online in the journal Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research suggest that both single-bundle (SB) and double-bundle (DB) anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction with 6- to 8-stranded hamstring autograft may offer satisfactory outcomes in the mid-term. The authors conducted a randomized, controlled trial of 80 patients with chronic ACL rupture who underwent either SB or DB ACL reconstruction with a 6- to 8-stranded hamstring autograft. Of 68 patients available at mean 80-month follow-up, no significant differences were found across cohorts in functional scores, incidence of pivot shift, range of motion, Lachman test, KT-2000 arthrometer anterior laxity, or time and level of return to sport. The authors note that there were two traumatic instability failures and two 5° extension restrictions in the DB group, and no failures or 5° extension restrictions observed in the SB group.
Read the abstract…

Study: Communication skills program may help increase residents’ sensitivity and knowledge, reduce anxiety in dealing with older patients.
Information presented at the annual meeting of the Council of Orthopaedic Residency Directors suggests that implementation of a program designed to enhance resident interactions with older adults may be associated with improved resident communication skills. The communication training consisted of two parts: educational sessions taught by a social worker, and presentations by residents to groups of adults aged 65 years or older. A total of 64 orthopaedic surgery residents participated in the program from 2009 to 2015, with 25 residents surveyed before and after training. Researchers found that after training:

  • Residents’ mean knowledge scores regarding aging and older people significantly increased
  • There was a statistically significant decrease in resident anxiety levels with regard to the enjoyment of talking to older adults
  • Residents showed improvement in their attitude toward older or aging adults

Overall, 96 percent of the older adults who participated “strongly agreed” or “agreed” that the residents had demonstrated sensitivity toward them.
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Antibiotic stewardship efforts gain traction.
An article in U.S. News & World Report looks at efforts to reduce antibiotic overprescribing. A recent proposal from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) would require hospitals to develop antibiotic stewardship programs to ensure the responsible use of antibiotics and minimize effects of overuse. In addition, a recent report from the Pew Charitable Trusts offers several stewardship strategies to improve antibiotic prescribing, including the following:

  • Audit and feedback of provider prescribing rates compared against peers or practice guidelines
  • Clinical decision support to provide clinicians with information to help them determine the most appropriate diagnosis and treatment plan for individual patients
  • Communication training to help physicians effectively discuss treatment options to overcome patient expectations for antibiotics

In addition, the article states that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention plans to increase efforts to get healthcare providers to implement better systems to reduce antibiotic resistance caused by overprescribing.
Read more…
Read the Pew report (PDF)…

AAOS to host webinar on Performance Measures in Orthopaedics.
Performance measures have emerged as central components of value-based requirements for measuring outcomes, assessing quality, and improving physician/patient communication. A 1-hour webinar has been designed to provide participants with various resources and tools so that providers and specialty societies can stay informed and take an active role in the development and implementation of orthopaedic performance measures. The webinar will take place Thursday, July 21, from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm CT.
Register for the webinar…

July AAOS Now is online now and in your mailbox soon!
AAOS members will soon receive the print edition of the July issue of AAOS Now, but the online edition is already available on the AAOS Now website. This month’s issue includes a look at the 2016 National Orthopaedic Leadership Conference, a point/counterpoint discussion of surgical and nonsurgical treatment of acute Achilles tendon ruptures, an examination of custom implants and instruments, and much more!
Read more…
Read “Orthopaedic Surgeons Press Congress for Action”…
Read “Face Off: Surgical Versus Nonsurgical Treatment of Acute Achilles Tendon Ruptures”…
Read “Patient-matched and Custom Implants and Instruments”…

Call for volunteers: MACRA Resource Use Measures Technical Expert Panel.
AAOS seeks to nominate members to the MACRA [Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015] Resource Use Measures Technical Expert Panel (TEP). As part of the measure development process, CMS is asking contractors to convene groups of stakeholders and experts to contribute direction and thoughtful input to the measure developer. The TEP is expected to meet for one all-day, in-person meeting in the Washington D.C.-Baltimore metropolitan area in late July 2016 to discuss the development of episode-based resource use measures. Additional input may be sought from TEP participants via email or webinar. 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, current curriculum vitae, a letter of interest, and a signed TEP nomination form. Please contact Kyle Shah to obtain a copy of the TEP nomination form. All supporting materials must be submitted to Kyle Shah by July 3, 2016, at 11:59 p.m. (CT), at shah@aaos.org.
Learn more and submit your application…(member login required)