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| Today’s Top Story
CMS asks insurers to make health data more accessible
Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma called on health insurance companies to make claims information more accessible. Speaking at the White House Blue Button 2.0 Developer Conference, Ms Verma said, “We’re at the beginning of the digital health revolution; we have the ability to take that data and unleash it.” She emphasized that CMS is “very serious” about insurance companies sharing data in application programming interface (API) format. She discussed CMS’ role in sharing information, including the development of its Blue Button 2.0 API, as well as the impact artificial intelligence will have on sharing information. “The potential of what this data could mean for our country is really unimaginable,” Ms. Verma added.
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| Other News
Study analyzes changes in vertebral dimensions during early adulthood
A study published online in the journal Bone found that vertebral growth occurs between ages 20 and 30 years. Researchers performed MRI scans on 375 participants ages 20 and 30 years to document width, depth, height, and cross-sectional area (CSA) of the fourth lumbar vertebra. Generalized estimating equation models showed that all measured dimensions increased over a 10-year period for men and women. CSA and vertebral depth growth was greater in men than women. Men had between 7.6 percent and 26.5 percent larger vertebral dimensions than women at baseline and follow-up. Smaller baseline dimensions among men and women were correlated with higher growth at follow-up.
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| Study observes a higher likelihood of fracture after gastric bypass surgery
Patients who underwent gastric bypass surgery were at an increased risk of fracture and injuries from falling postoperation, according to a retrospective cohort study published online in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. Researchers assessed Swedish national databases to identify 38,971 obese patients undergoing the surgery, 7,758 of whom were diabetic. Gastric bypass was associated with an approximately 30 percent increased risk of fractures in patients with diabetes (32 percent) and without diabetes (26 percent). Flexible parameter models showed that risk elevated over time. The operation also increased the risk of fall injury without fracture. Researchers found no correlation between degree of weight loss or calcium and vitamin D supplementation.
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| Study finds osteoporosis drugs may be tied to lower fracture risk, healthcare costs
A study published online in Osteoporosis International observed a correlation between continuous use of osteoporosis medication and a decreased risk of fracture in older women. The study included 294,369 older female Medicare beneficiaries (≥ 66 years) who were diagnosed with and began taking osteoporosis medication between Jan. 1, 2009, and June 30, 2011. Of the patients, 32.9 percent were persistent users of their medication (no gap ≥ 60 days, for one year or longer) and 67.1 percent were nonpersistent users (< 12 months continuous use). Among the persistent group, fracture incidence rates were 16.2 per 100 patient-years preinitiation (1–6 months before initiating medication) and 4.1 postinitiation (up to 18 months after initiating medication). For the nonpersistent group, rates were 19 and 7.3 per 100 patient-years pre- and postinitiation, respectively. Total average health costs for patients nonpersistent users were $19,181 per year compared to $14,476 for persistent users. The researchers said payers and patients would benefit from interventions aimed at improving medication persistence.
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| NYU offers full tuition scholarships to all med students
The New York University (NYU) School of Medicine announced that it will cover the cost for all current and future students in its MD program, making it the only top 10-ranked medical school to do so. Annual tuition for this program is $55,018. The scholarship will not cover the cost of room and board. Robert I. Grossman, MD, dean of NYU School of Medicine, said, “This decision recognizes a moral imperative that must be addressed, as institutions place an increasing debt burden on young people who aspire to become physicians.” According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, three-quarters of medical students graduated with debt in 2017; nearly half owed $200,000 or more.
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Read the NYU press release… |
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| AAOS Now
Drawing the line on sexual harassment
The outcry over allegations of egregious conduct toward women by high-profile figures in media and entertainment has led to a tipping point in terms of how even famous and powerful men are called to account for their behavior Yet sexual harassment and bullying are not confined to the celebrity realm and, despite the events of the past year, continue to pervade workplaces and social settings. The world of medicine cannot claim exception, and orthopaedics, where the physician ranks and the positions of power are still strongly male-dominated, may well lag in upending and updating a culture that can harbor behavior now deemed unacceptable. In recognition of the importance of the issue, AAOS devoted a full-group session during the National Orthopaedic Leadership Conference in June, in a symposium titled “Blurred Lines: Appropriate Behavior at Work.”
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| Your AAOS
Last call: Apply for OKU Evaluation Committee member position
The Orthopaedic Knowledge Update (OKU) Evaluation Committee has an open member position, a two-year term that runs from March 18, 2019, to March 22, 2021. The committee develops and reviews the OKU self-assessment examination triennially and acts as a resource as requested for providing examination questions for other AAOS educational programs. The deadline to apply for this position is Aug. 17.
Learn more and submit your application…(member login required) |
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