Today’s Top Story
Surgeon general resigns; deputy to serve as acting surgeon general.
USA Today reports that Vivek H. Murthy, MD, MBA, has resigned as surgeon general of the United States, at the request of the Trump administration. Dr. Murthy is replaced in an acting capacity by RADM Sylvia Trent-Adams, PhD, RN, who has previously served as deputy surgeon general. Read more…
Read more about Dr. Trent-Adams…

Other News

Study: Ambulatory TSA may be appropriate model for certain patients
Data from a study published in the April 19 issue of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery suggest that ambulatory total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) may be a viable and safe practice model for appropriate patients. The authors reviewed information from a national insurance database on 706 patients who underwent ambulatory TSA and 4,459 patients who underwent inpatient TSA. They found no significant difference across cohorts in complication rate or readmission rate. In addition, the authors found that patients in the ambulatory group had significantly lower costs compared with matched controls. Read the abstract…

Study: How is fracture risk in postmenopausal women affected by genetic factors and hormone therapy?
A study published online in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism examines the use of menopausal hormone therapy (HT) and genetic links to fracture risk in postmenopausal women. The research team reviewed data on 9,922 genotyped white postmenopausal women, aged 50 to 79 years, who participated in the Women’s Health Initiative HT randomized trials. The investigators developed two weighted genetic risk scores (GRSs): one based on 16 fracture-associated variants and another based on 50 bone mineral density (BMD) variants. The researchers note that both GRSs were associated with increased fracture risk. They also observed a significant additive interaction, in which the highest quartile of both GRSs and randomization to placebo were associated with excess fracture risk. “These results suggest that HT reduces fracture risk in postmenopausal women,” they write, “especially in those at highest genetic risk of fracture and low BMD.” Read more…
Read the abstract…

Oregon.
The Oregonian reports that a bill under consideration in the Oregon Senate would, if enacted, remove the state’s current $500,000 limit on pain and suffering damages in medical liability cases. Critics of the bill say that removing limits on non-economic damages may drastically increase insurance costs for all parties. Supporters argue that some catastrophically injured patients cannot be effectively compensated under the $500,000 cap. Read more…
Read the bill…

Vermont.
An article by the Associated Press reports on new rules to limit opioid prescribing in Vermont. Beginning July 1, 2017, healthcare providers in the state will be required to check patient histories for previous opioid prescriptions. In addition, the new rules limit the number of pills that can be prescribed, and require providers to discuss misuse concerns with new opioid users. Read more…
Read the rules (PDF)…

Call for abstracts: AAOS 2018 Annual Meeting.
Share your knowledge with orthopaedic surgeons from around the world at the AAOS 2018 Annual Meeting, to be held March 6-10, in New Orleans. Nowhere else will your discoveries reach such a wide-ranging orthopaedic audience. Please note the following deadlines:

  • May 1, 2017—Applications due for instructional course lectures and symposia
  • June 1, 2017—Paper presentations, posters, or scientific exhibits
  • July 17, 2017—Orthopaedic Video Theater presentations

Presenters and all coauthors must disclose financial relationships in the AAOS Disclosure Database Program prior to abstract submission. Disclosure reported on April 1, 2017 or later is acceptable. Submit your abstracts…
Update your disclosures…

Last call: Central Evaluation Committee.
April 26 is the last day to submit your application for a position on the Central Evaluation Committee (two member openings—hand and wrist). Members of this committee write questions for the Orthopaedic In-Training Examination. Applicants for these positions must be active or emeritus fellows with a practice emphasis in hand and wrist. Learn more and submit your application…(member login required)