Today’s Top Story
House passes SGR repeal; Senate won’t consider until after recess.
By a vote of 392 to 37, the U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bipartisan bill to permanently repeal the Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula. The bill now goes to the Senate, but that body has adjourned for a 2-week recess and will not consider the measure until it returns (April 13). As a result, the scheduled 20 percent reduction in Medicare physician fees will go into effect on April 1. However, as it has in the past, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is expected to temporarily delay processing Medicare payments for at least 14 days, which would give the Senate time to act when it returns. President Obama has voiced support for SGR repeal and is expected to sign the legislation, should it pass the Senate. Read more about the House vote…
Read more about the Senate delay…
Read more in the AAOS Now Daily Edition

Other News

New AAOS Board members announced.
At the end of the AAOS Business Meeting during the 2015 AAOS Annual Meeting, AAOS President Frederick M. Azar, MD, introduced the new members of the AAOS Board of Directors. They include:

  • William J. Maloney III, MD—Second Vice-President
  • Howard R. Epps, MD—Member-at-large (no age designation)
  • Daniel C. Farber, MD—Member-at-large (younger than age 45)
  • Lisa K. Cannada, MD—Board of Specialty Societies Secretary
  • Daniel K. Guy, MD—Board of Councilors Secretary
  • Ken Sowards, MBA—Lay Board Member

Read more…

Best Poster awarded to study that evaluated mobile compression devices for VTE prophylaxis.
During the “Breakfast in the Posters” event at the AAOS Annual Meeting this morning, William M. Mihalko, MD, PhD, recognized Poster P020, “Increased Patient Satisfaction with Mobile Compression Pumps for Venous Thromboembolism [VTE] Prophylaxis” as the best overall poster for the 2015 Annual Meeting. The authors prospectively compared use of a mobile compression device to the use of warfarin therapy across 2,722 patients undergoing elective primary or revision knee or hip arthroplasty. At 6-month follow-up, they found no significant difference in VTE rate between cohorts. View the list of best posters from the AAOS Annual Meeting…
Read the abstract of Poster P020…

Kappa Delta and OREF Awards presented.
The 2015 Kappa Delta and Orthopaedic Research and Educational Foundation (OREF) Awards were presented at yesterday’s Ceremonial Meeting at the AAOS 2015 Annual Meeting in Las Vegas. The award winners will present their papers on Sunday, March 29, during the Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS) annual meeting, being held at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas. AAOS Annual Meeting attendees are invited to attend at no cost; however, they must have a sticker for their badges. Stickers can be obtained on Friday, March 27 at ORS satellite check-in, located at AAOS registration in the Venetian/Sands EXPO, Academy Hall G. Stickers can also be obtained on Sunday, March 29, at the ORS registration desk at the MGM Grand Hotel. The award winners are:

  • Robert L. Mauck, PhD—2015 Kappa Delta Young Investigator Award for his efforts to develop a bioengineered method of restoring and replacing damaged dense connective tissues.
  • Steven A. Olson, MD—2015 Kappa Delta Ann Doner Vaughn Award for research into intra-articular fractures and the processes that lead to posttraumatic arthritis.
  • William D. Bugbee, MD—2015 Kappa Delta Elizabeth Winston Lanier Award for his extensive study of osteochondral allograft transplantation as a treatment for articular cartilage injury and disease.
  • Stuart L. Weinstein, MD—2015 OREF Clinical Research Award for his paper detailing decades of research into the prognosis and treatment of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

Read more about Dr. Mauck…
Read more about Dr. Olson…
Read more about Dr. Bugbee…
Read more about Dr. Weinstein…

Study: SCFE patients may have poorer long-term health than the general population.
Research presented yesterday in Scientific Presentation 631 at the AAOS Annual Meeting suggests that patients with slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) who undergo percutaneous in-situ fixation may have poorer long-term health than the general population. The authors conducted a cross-sectional study and retrospective chart review to identify the long-term health status of 66 patients (93 affected hips), and found that—approximately 2 decades after treatment—the obesity rate among the patient cohort had increased from 21.5 percent to 72.7 percent. In addition, compared to the general population, the rate of diabetes was two times higher and the rate of hypertension was 2.5 times higher. The researchers also note that 26 percent of the patient cohort rated their general health as “fair” or “poor.” The investigators called for weight management to be incorporated into the management of children with SCFE to improve their long-term health. Read more…

Don’t miss out on Specialty Day!
Saturday, March 28, is Specialty Day at the AAOS Annual Meeting. Specialty Day is a day set aside for scientific programs presented by organizations that are members of the Board of Specialty Societies. Overall, 18 orthopaedic specialty societies—from the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society to the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America—will be presenting the latest research and updates on surgical techniques. Read more…