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| Today’s Top Story
Congress Passes Bill to Mitigate 2022 Medicare Pay Cuts
Yesterday evening, Congress passed a bill to avoid several Medicare payment cuts that would otherwise go into effect Jan. 1, 2022. Specifically, the legislation delays the 4 percent PAYGO (Pay As You Go) cut until 2023, delays the 2 percent sequester cut until April 2022 (when it will start at 1 percent before going back up to 2 percent in July), and drops the 3.75 percent Medicare fee schedule cut to 0.75 percent. As a result, in 2022 orthopaedic surgeons will see a 0.75 percent cut from January through March, a 1.75 percent cut from April through June, and a 2.75 percent cut from July through December. AAOS appreciates that Congress once again heeded the pleas of the healthcare community by averting some of the cuts, but will continue to advocate for a long-term solution to Medicare’s broken payment system.
Read more about the Senate bill…
See AAOS’ media statement on the House bill… |
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| In Other News
Study: DOACs versus Enoxaparin for VTE Prophylaxis in TKA among Asian Patients
A systematic review published online in The Journal of Arthroplasty found that direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) was associated with lower incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) than enoxaparin after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in Asian patients. Five studies were included, comprising 121,153 patients. Differences in likelihood of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism were in favor of DOACs, but these figures were not statistically significant. Bleeding-related complications were comparable between groups. Enoxaparin was associated with a nonsignificant reduction in likelihood of major bleeding in the OR.
Read the abstract… |
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| Study: Return to Sport after Arthroscopy for FAI in Athletes with Borderline Hip Dysplasia
A study of 41 athletes with borderline hip dysplasia, published online in The American Journal of Sports Medicine, reported that 75.6 percent returned to sport following hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) after a mean of 8.3 months. Forty-five percent returned at the same level and 51.6 percent returned to a lower level of sport. One patient (3.2 percent) returned to a higher level of sport than baseline. Patients who returned to sport had significantly better patient-reported outcomes and Visual Analog Scale pain scores at two years follow-up compared to those who did not return.
Read the abstract… |
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| Survey Assesses Trends in Medical Cannabis Use in Patients with Thumb Basal Joint OA
A survey of 103 patients with thumb basal join osteoarthritis (OA), published online in the Journal of Hand Surgery, found that more than 20 percent reported a history of use of oral or topical medical cannabis, with mixed efficacy reports. Twenty-five percent had used oral cannabis, and 21 percent used topical cannabis. Twelve of 25 oral users and 7 of 21 topical users reported the product was effective in relieving pain and worth the financial cost. Sixty-nine percent reported interest in participating in a trial of an oral formulation for thumb pain, and 80 percent were interested in a trial of a topical formulation.
Read the abstract… |
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| AAOS on Consequences and Misalignment of Regulations with the No Surprises Act
In its formal comments to regulators on the process for resolving out-of-network medical billing disputes, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2022, the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) strongly urged for revisions that are more closely aligned with the No Surprises Act. Rather than creating a fair and comprehensive process for physicians and insurers to settle payment disputes in a way that protects patients, the rule as-written tips the scale in insurers’ favor by making the insurer-formulated median in-network rate the presumptive appropriate payment amount. AAOS re-emphasized alarm by the deviation from congressional intent and government overreach on an already-strained healthcare system. In a new development, hospital and doctors’ groups including the American Medical Association and the American Hospital Association are suing the Biden administration over its implementation of the law.
Read AAOS’ full comment letter…
Learn more about this healthcare policy issue… |
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| AAOS Now
Infertility and Pregnancy Complications in the Female Orthopaedic Surgeon
Women may be deterred from choosing orthopaedic surgery as a career due to the perceived inability to maintain a healthy work-life balance, while female orthopaedic surgeons often choose to delay pregnancy because of training. In this article, Lindsey C. Valone, MD, MAS; Nina Lightdale-Miric, MD, FAAOS; and Maureen A. O’Shaughnessy, MD, FAAOS, discuss the risks of infertility and pregnancy loss among female orthopaedic surgeons, as well as how the profession can better support women of childbearing age.
Read more… |
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| Your AAOS
Submit Nominations for Diversity, Humanitarian, and Tipton Leadership Awards
AAOS annually recognizes three of its living members with the following awards that are presented at the Annual Meeting:
The AAOS Awards Committee has oversight of the review process for all award nominees and recommends the AAOS Award winners to the AAOS Board of Directors for approval. To view the specific award criteria and submit nominations, please visit the AAOS Awards page (linked below). Nominations will remain open through Dec. 17. Questions about the AAOS Awards should be directed to governance@aaos.org.
Learn more and submit nominations… |
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