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| Editor’s note: Starting in January 2023, Headline News Now will be distributed on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The now twice-weekly e-newsletter will continue to feature relevant and timely information while easing the burden on members’ crowded inboxes. If you have questions, please contact Publisher Dennis Coyle at headlinenewsnow@aaos.org. |
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| Today’s Top Story
Congress Only Partially Delays 2023 Medicare Pay Cuts via Year-end Spending Package
On Dec. 20, Congress unveiled a $1.7 trillion year-end spending package to avert a government shutdown. Included in the package was language to prevent the 4 percent cut to Medicare funding from the statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) Act, but Congress stopped short of preventing the additional 4.5 percent reduction to Medicare Physician Fee Schedule payments in 2023. Instead, the package reduced cuts in the new year to a 2 percent cut in 2023 and at least a 3.25 percent cut in 2024. AAOS issued a statement expressing its disappointment and called on Congress one final time to stop the cuts in their entirety before the package is finalized later this week.
Read more about the package…
Read AAOS’ full statement… |
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| In Other News
Study Evaluates Outcomes of Administration of Prophylactic Enoxaparin on the Morning of Surgery in Older Patients
A retrospective study of 507 patients in the Journal of the AAOS ® investigated whether the administration of prophylactic enoxaparin the morning of surgery resulted in increased rates of blood transfusion and/or wound drainage in patients aged >60 years undergoing treatment for femur fracture. Thirty-two percent of patients received enoxaparin on the morning of surgery. Twenty-seven percent of patients required a blood transfusion, though there were no significant differences in rates between groups. Additionally, there were no significant differences observed regarding utilization of closed incision negative pressure wound therapy for the treatment of postoperative wound drainage and 30-day mortality between groups.
Read the abstract… |
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| Study Finds Association between High-degree Posterolateral Tibial Plateau Impaction Fractures and Increased Lateral Tibial Convexity
Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy published a study evaluating the association between bone loss of the posterolateral tibial plateau and residual rotational instability and impaired functional outcome after ACL reconstruction (ACLR). Fifty-eight patients with an acute ACL injury were prospectively identified. Bony and ligament status were assessed via MRI, and KT-1000, pivot-shift, and Tegner activity scores were collected. Posterolateral tibial plateau impaction fractures (TPIF) were observed in 85 percent of patients. Multiple regression analysis showed that there was an association of high-grade TPIF with increased lateral tibial convexity. Patients with high-grade TPIF had worse Tegner scores one-year postsurgery.
Read the study… |
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| Clinical Trial Compares Corticosteroid Hydrodilatation with or without Combined Arthroscopic Release to Treat Frozen Shoulder
A clinical trial in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders found that combined arthroscopic release with corticosteroid hydrodilatation to treat freezing-phase primary frozen shoulder resulted in improved range of motion (ROM). Seventy-two patients were randomized to receive combined arthroscopic release with corticosteroid hydrodilatation (group A) or corticosteroid hydrodilatation only (group B). Main outcomes included ROM and visual analog scale (VAS) and Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) scores. Measurements were collected after one, four, 12, and 24 weeks and 12 months. At all time points, ROM was better in group A; however, VAS and DASH scores were similar between groups.
Read the study… |
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| Study: Worse Two-year Surgical Outcomes after Lumbar Fusion Surgery in Patients with Long-term Preoperative Leg Numbness
In a cohort study of 178 patients with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) who underwent lumbar fusion surgery, patients with long-term preoperative leg numbness had poorer outcomes at two years postsurgery. The study was published in the Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research. Patients were divided into groups based on the duration of preoperative leg numbness. The Numerical Rating Scale of leg pain (NRS-LP) and leg numbness (NRS-LN) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores were collected presurgery and at three, six, 12, and 24 months after surgery. Patients with leg numbness for >3 months had significantly higher NRS-LP and ODI scores.
Read the study… |
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| AAOS Now
The 2022 Combined National Orthopaedic Leadership Conference/Fall Meeting Scores Big for Orthopaedic Surgeons
In this month’s President’s Message, AAOS President Felix H. “Buddy” Savoie III, MD, FAAOS, shared some highlights from the recent AAOS National Orthopaedic Leadership Conference/Fall Meeting in Washington, D.C. “We had 255 members attend, including 22 residents. These individuals were able to meet with more than 350 members of Congress and their staff,” Dr. Savoie wrote. “As a result of these efforts, the AAOS-sponsored prior authorization reform bill (H.R. 3173) passed the House of Representatives the day after our Capitol Hill meetings.”
Read more… |
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| Your AAOS
Cadaver Skills Lab Disaster Response Course on March 7
In conjunction with the Society of Military Orthopaedic Surgeons, the Orthopaedic Trauma Association, and the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America, AAOS will present a one-day Disaster Response Course on March 7 during the AAOS 2023 Annual Meeting in Las Vegas. Learn the application of orthopaedic care techniques critical to disaster-inflicted injuries and treatment of the wounded in austere environments. Taught by surgeons with military and disaster-response experience, this course has a low faculty-to-learner ratio, meaning few spaces are available, and includes a four-hour cadaver skills lab.
Learn more and register… |
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