Today’s Top Story
Are you eligible to bill under CMS chronic-care management code?
An article in Modern Healthcare suggests that many physicians may be unaware of a U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) code that allows clinicians to bill for chronic-care management. CMS estimates that 70 percent of Medicare beneficiaries have two or more chronic conditions, which would qualify their physicians for reimbursement under the chronic-care services code. However, the agency has only received chronic-care claims for 513,000 beneficiaries through the end of 2016, and pays physicians an average of $42 per month for such services. CMS plans to launch a national campaign to encourage physicians to take advantage of the funds.
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Learn more about CMS chronic care management billing…
Other News
Study: Younger patients often satisfied with return to sports following TSA.
Many younger patients who undergo total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) return to sport after surgery, according to the authors of Scientific Paper 078, presented on Tuesday at the AAOS Annual Meeting. The authors conducted a retrospective review of 59 patients (61 shoulders) aged 55 years or younger who underwent anatomic TSA at a single center. At minimum 2-year follow-up, they found that 96.4 percent of patients returned to one or more sports at a mean 6.7 months after surgery. However, the authors noted a slight decline in the average number of sports, from 2.5 preoperatively to 2.1 postoperatively. Overall, 96.5 percent of patients considered themselves satisfied or very satisfied with their postoperative ability to play sports.
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Study: Routine use of implant sonicate culture in arthroplasty revision may help diagnose infection.
Data from a study published online in the journal Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research suggest that routine use of implant sonicate cultures in arthroplasty revision cases may help diagnose the presence of bacteria in both clinical and occult infections. The research team performed implant sonicate fluid cultures on surgically removed implants from 503 revision total hip and total knee arthroplasties (THAs and TKAs). Of those, they definitively diagnosed infection in 178 implants (35 percent), based on Musculoskeletal Infection Society criteria, while 325 (65 percent) were diagnosed as without infection. They found that specificity of implant sonicate culture was not significantly different from that of synovial fluid culture or tissue culture, but sensitivity of implant sonicate culture was 97 percent, compared to 57 percent for synovial fluid culture and 70 percent for tissue culture.
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Study: Delay in surgery following chemotherapy may increase risk of local recurrence of osteosarcoma.
Research reported by representatives from India, the Guest Nation at the AAOS Annual Meeting, examines factors linked to local recurrence of osteosarcoma. They note that the biologic aggressiveness of osteosarcoma can be “a disastrous event in resource-challenged nations,” and surgical options for reconstruction in local recurrences are limited, with amputation being the treatment of choice. The researchers reviewed information on 95 patients who had been surgically treated for osteosarcoma at a single center. They found that delay in surgery after completion of neoadjuvant chemotherapy emerged as a significant prognostic factor for development of local recurrence of osteosarcoma The “study highlights the need for high priority and prompt attention when treating osteosarcoma patients, particularly in resource-challenged environments,” they write.
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Call for volunteers: Women’s Health Issues Advisory Board.
March 31 is the last day to submit your application for a position on the Women’s Health Issues Advisory Board (one member-at-large opening). The Women’s Health Issues Advisory Board acts as a resource to the AAOS for projects and programs related to clinical, social, and economic issues in women’s musculoskeletal health. Applicants for this position must be active fellows, emeritus fellows, or candidate members with experience in women’s musculoskeletal health issues.
Learn more and submit your application…(member login required)
