Today’s Top Story
CMS Open Payments review and dispute period now open.
Physicians have until May 15, 2016, to review and dispute reports regarding their financial interactions with drug and medical device manufacturers as reported under the Open Payments (Sunshine Act) program. Under the Sunshine Act, drug and medical device manufacturers are required to report their financial interactions with licensed physicians, including consulting fees, travel reimbursements, research grants, and other gifts. The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will publish the 2015 payment data and updates to the 2013 and 2014 data on June 30, 2016. Read more…
Learn more about the Open Payments system…
CMS will host a provider call on April 12, 2016, to help physicians understand the program and how they can review applicable data on payments or transfers of value prior to publication. Register for the call…
Access the Open Payments website…
Other News
FDA announces recall of sterile drug products produced by Medaus Pharmacy in Birmingham, Ala.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is alerting healthcare professionals and patients not to use unexpired drug products that are intended to be sterile that were produced by Medaus Pharmacy in Birmingham, Ala., due to lack of sterility assurance. The agency states that a recent inspection of the company’s facility revealed unsanitary conditions, including poor sterile production practices. FDA requests healthcare professionals immediately check their medical supplies and quarantine any Medaus drug products marketed as sterile. Read more…
Studies examine link between menopause and bone loss.
Three recent studies look at the issue of menopause and bone loss. A paper presented at the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society looks at an association between serum levels of anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) and suggests that AMH levels may predict the rate of trans-menopausal bone loss and help identify women at risk of most loss. Read the abstract…
A second paper presentation from the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society suggests that treatment with the investigational drug abaloparatide may help reduce risk of fracture for postmenopausal women. The authors analyzed data from a randomized, double-blind trial covering 2,463 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis and found that administration of abaloparatide was associated with increases in bone mineral density at the lumbar spine, total hip, and femoral neck. Read the abstract…
A study published online in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine analyzes longitudinal data on 90,014 women and finds that healthy dietary patterns among postmenopausal women may be associated with improved bone health. Read the abstract…
Study: Increased arthritis severity linked to improved patient satisfaction following TAA.
According to a study published online in the journal Foot & Ankle International, increased radiographic severity of arthritis may be associated with increased patient satisfaction following total ankle arthroplasty (TAA). The authors reviewed data on 124 patients who underwent TAA performed by a single surgeon. They found that 91.1 percent of patients determined to be Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) grade 4 were satisfied at 2-year follow-up, compared to 50.0 percent of patients who were KL grades 1-3. In addition, 93.9 percent of patients who were KL grade felt that their quality of life had been improved by the surgery, compared to 47 percent of KL grades 1-3 patients. Overall, patients who were “very satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied” postoperatively had an average KL grade of 3.9 preoperatively, while “very dissatisfied” and “somewhat dissatisfied” patients had an average KL grade of 2.9. Read the abstract…
Study: Better patient experience ratings linked to improved outcomes and reduced readmission rates.
Findings from a study published in the March issue of the Journal of Patient Experience suggest that improved patient experience according to CMS star ratings may be associated with favorable clinical outcomes and reduced readmission rates. The researchers analyzed risk-adjusted data for more than 3,000 hospitals in the United States using data from the CMS Hospital Compare database. They found that a higher number of stars for patient experience was significantly associated with lower rates of many in-hospital complications and unplanned 30-day readmissions. Read more…
Read the abstract…
Wisconsin.
The Wisconsin State Journal reports that a recent audit has found that the Wisconsin Injured Patients and Families Compensation Fund has a surplus of $783 million—$406 million more than recommended. The fund was set up to cover large medical liability awards. The audit recommends that the state Office of the Commissioner of Insurance, which administers the fund, develop a plan to bring the surplus into the target range. The fund currently plans to reduce physician fees by 30 percent during 2016-2017. Read more…
Submit your 2017 AAOS Annual Meeting abstracts now!
Share your knowledge with orthopaedic surgeons from around the world at the 2017 AAOS Annual Meeting, to be held March 14-18, 2017, in San Diego. Nowhere else will your discoveries reach such a wide-ranging orthopaedic audience! June 1 is the deadline to submit abstracts for paper presentations, poster presentations, and scientific exhibits. The deadline for Orthopaedic Video Theater submissions is July 15. Please note that, prior to abstract submission, presenters and all coauthors must disclose current financial relationships in the AAOS Disclosure Database Program. Disclosure reported on April 1, 2016 or later is acceptable. Submit your abstract…
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