COVID-19 will continue to impact the healthcare system, hospitals, practices, orthopaedic surgeons, and patients for the foreseeable future. To help disseminate the most relevant and current news, the Academy will publish bonus COVID-19-focused editions of Headline News Now each Tuesday and Thursday through the end of May.
 
 
Today’s Top Story

Webinar: New Orthopaedic Training Modalities and Overcoming Barriers to Adoption

AAOS Vice Chair of the Resident Assembly Stephanie Stopka Pearce, MD, will speak during a webinar, “New Orthopaedic Training Modalities and Overcoming Barriers to Adoption,” tomorrow, May 6, at 11 a.m. E.S.T.

Register for the webinar…

 
 
 
 
In Other News

HHS Starts Issuing Payments to Hospitals with High COVID-19 Populations, Rural Providers

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) began distributing payments from the Provider Relief Fund to hospitals with high COVID-19 inpatient admissions through April 10, and to rural providers. According to HHS Secretary Alex Azar, $12 billion will be allocated to hospitals with high COVID-19 inpatient counts, and $10 billion will go to providers in rural areas.

Read the HHS press release…

 
 
 
 
Study: Effect of COVID-19 on Surgical Selection and Inpatient Paradigms

A study published online in the Journal of the AAOS ® assessed how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected various areas related to orthopaedic care, including surgical selection, inpatient care, and physician well-being. Inpatient paradigms that are subsequently affected include priority, physical or social distancing, file sharing for online clinical communications, and physician wellness. Based on a literature review, the study authors made the following recommendations for orthopaedic surgeons: (1) follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, (2) wear personal protective equipment when appropriate, (3) have teams created utilizing physical distancing, (4) understand the department’s policy on elective surgery, and (5) engage in routines that enhance physician wellness.

Read the abstract…

 
 
 
AMA Updates Reopening Guidelines

The American Medical Association (AMA) issued updated guidelines for physicians to consider in order to safely reopen. The guidelines provide a checklist of criteria that should be met when planning to reopen, including comply with governmental guidance, make a plan, open incrementally, institute safety measures for patients, ensure workplace safety for clinicians and staff, and more.

Read the guidelines…

 
 
 
California Orthopaedic Institute ‘Slowly and Carefully’ Resumes Elective Surgery

Hoag Orthopedic Institute (HOI) in Irvine, Calif., resumed certain elective surgeries on May 1. The institute said it is proceeding “slowly and carefully” and following guidance from the federal, state, and local levels, as well as from industry groups. HOI, which is one of the largest hip and knee replacement providers in the state, will largely be performing outpatient procedures and surgeries for low-risk patients. All patients will be tested for COVID-19 three days before the procedure.

Read more…

 
 
 
AAOS Now

COVID-19: A Roundtable Discussion with Two Affected Orthopaedic Leaders

AAOS leaders Elizabeth Matzkin, MD, FAAOS, associate professor at Harvard Medical School and chair of the newly created AAOS Membership Council, and Douglas W. Lundy, MD, MBA, FAAOS, an orthopaedic traumatologist at Resurgens Orthopaedics in Atlanta and AAOS Now Editorial Board member, were both diagnosed with COVID-19 They shared their personal stories and advice with Julie Balch Samora, MD, PhD, MPH, FAAOS, during a roundtable discussion.

Read more…

 
 
 
Your AAOS

COVID-19: Member Resource Center

To help Academy members stay informed during this rapidly evolving situation, AAOS is gathering COVID-19 resources to be housed in one place online. In addition to general resources, AAOS is working to provide materials that are more specific to orthopaedics, including information for practice management, patient safety, policy changes around coding and regulation, and ongoing advocacy efforts.

Be sure to check this page regularly, as it is updated daily with new information, including the most recent message from AAOS President Joseph A. Bosco III, MD, FAAOS.

Access the resource center…