January 5, 2014
Today’s Top Story
1. FDA expands recall of Customed surgical convenience packs.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced an expanded Class I recall of Customed Inc., surgical convenience packs. The packs contain tools or other items that are used during surgery and are used primarily in hospitals or medical offices for a variety of surgical interventions, including orthopaedic procedures. Read more…
Read the Customed press release…
View the expanded list of recalled devices…
Other News
2. Study: Meniscus lesions linked to increased risk of NP among patients with knee OA.
A study published online in the journal Arthritis Research & Therapy suggests that meniscal lesions may be among the strongest risk factors for neuropathic pain (NP) in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). The researchers conducted a cross-sectional, observational, pilot study of 50 knee OA patients with moderate to severe pain in the target knee. Among the 50 patients included, 25 had PainDETECT score ≤12 (unlikely NP), 9 had PainDETECT score between 13 and 18 (uncertain NP) and 16 had PainDETECT score ≥19 (likely NP). Although the researchers found no difference in cartilage volume between groups, the presence of meniscal extrusion in both medial and lateral compartments and meniscal tears in the lateral compartment were significantly associated with increasing PainDETECT score. In addition, the presence of bone marrow lesions in the lateral plateau and the extent of the synovial membrane thickness in the lateral recess were also associated with increasing PainDETECT scores. Read more…
Read the abstract…
3. Study: Liposomal bupivacaine may reduce pain compared to femoral nerve block in knee arthroplasty.
Data presented at the annual meeting of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons suggest that an injection of iposomal bupivacaine into the tissue surrounding the knee during surgery may reduce recovery time and increase patient satisfaction in the hours following knee arthroplasty. The research team evaluated 216 knee arthroplasty patients for pain control during the first 2 days after surgery. Half of the patients received continuous femoral nerve block and half received liposomal bupivacaine injection. They found that patients in the bupivacaine group had better pain relief for up to 2 days after surgery, and better knee function than those in the nerve block cohort. Read more…
Read the abstract (enter #57 in the search box)…
4. CMS registration for April 2015 ICD-10 end-to-end testing now open.
Jan. 9 is the deadline for orthopaedic practices to complete carrier volunteer forms to participate in limited end-to-end testing of ICD-10 codes during the week of April 27–May 1, 2015. Beginning Oct. 1, 2015, all HIPAA-covered entities will be required to submit claims using ICD-10 codes. The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is soliciting volunteers for a series of tests that will represent a broad cross-section of provider types, claims types, and submitter types. Providers who are selected will be notified of the specific details regarding the test and who to contact for testing support by Jan. 26, 2015. Read more (PDF)…
5. CMS to host session to address questions about Physician Compare site.
CMS plans to host a 1-hour Virtual Office Hour session to address questions regarding the Physician Compare website. The session will be conducted via WebEx on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2015, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET. Participants must register by 5 p.m. ET, Wednesday, Jan. 14, by emailing the Physician Compare support team with the subject line “Physician Compare Virtual Office Hour,” and including their name, organization, telephone number, and e-mail address in the body of the email. All questions will be solicited in advance. Read more…
PhysicianCompare@Westat.com
6. Florida.
Modern Healthcare reports that a federal judge has ruled that Florida’s Medicaid system violates several U.S. laws, because lawmakers have for years set its budget at an artificially low level. The court found that doing so effectively rationed care and exacerbated a shortage of pediatricians and other specialists, particularly in rural areas. Between 2005 and 2011, enrollment in the program increased from 1.2 million to 1.7 million, but the number of pediatricians accepting Medicaid did not increase. Read more…(registration may be required)
7. Minnesota.
The Minnesota Supreme Court has ruled that medical staff bylaws can be considered an enforceable contract between a hospital and members of its medical staff. In 2012, a medical system introduced new medical staff bylaws, allegedly without input from staffers. A group of staff physicians sued the hospital, claiming that the changes stripped away many of their rights and responsibilities. The system argued that the bylaws don’t constitute a contract between the hospital and the staff and several lower courts agreed. However, the state supreme court reversed those findings, stating that because the medical staff “is composed of two or more persons who associate and act together for the purpose of ensuring proper patient care at the hospital,” it meets statutory criteria giving it the power to sue and be sued. Read more…
Read the decision (PDF)…
8. OKOJ January updates now online!
Check out the new topics and video in the Orthopaedic Knowledge Online Journal (OKOJ) on the AAOS OrthoPortal website. The following topics have been recently added or updated: “Metabolic Bone Disease in the Foot and Ankle,” “Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy in the Upper Extremity,” and “Surgical Hip Dislocation in the Pediatric Population.” In addition, OKOJ now offers full-text, downloadable PDFs for articles in recent issues, with more on the way!
View these topics and more…(member login required)
