Editorial Board listens to readers, continues to evolve the No. 1 orthopaedic-focused newsmagazine
As most readers are aware, the AAOS has seen significant changes in recent months, headlined by the arrival of new CEO Thomas E. Arend Jr, Esq, CAE; Chief Strategy Officer Dino Damalas; and Chief Information Officer Paul Haisman, to name a few. The AAOS Now team has also undergone some changes with the appointment of a new managing editor, Dennis Coyle.

With the arrival of such new talent, it creates an ideal opportunity for us to reassess our processes and the product we offer our readership on a monthly basis—AAOS Now.

Digital presence continues to be important
Our younger members and residents have reminded us that our evolution into the digital domain should remain a high priority. While we would love to offer the kind of app available for popular lay magazines, for us, this will be an iterative process. That said, AAOS Now remains available online and through the AAOS Access App. In both settings, additional content, illustrations, and references are available. In regard to the app specifically, it is a great way to stay in touch with the Academy with your schedule and preferences in mind. It is also a valuable tool if you are interested in receiving breaking news—especially advocacy-related news.

Content and design go hand in hand
At our recent Editorial Board meeting, we discussed the types of material we cover and the manner of that coverage. Our readers tell us that more graphics and easy-to-scan text is important to them. We are working to revise our internal style guide to emphasize shorter sentences, bullet points, and more infographics and illustrations. Enhancements of this nature will be released in an on-going effort. It may be difficult to spot them from issue to issue, but we will continue to make improvements along the way.

Subject matter experts wanted
Although our primary purpose remains the communication of important orthopaedic news and Academy activities, we recognize our readers' interest in the types of material not typically available in peer-reviewed literature. We will continue to offer practice management, medico-legal, advocacy, and other content. To meet these demands, we regularly rely on the expert reporting from our seasoned panel of writers—Maureen Leahy, Terry Stanton, and Pete Pollack—and we also benefit from outstanding, regular contributions from Elizabeth Fassbender from the Academy's Office of Government Relations in Washington, D.C., and others too numerous to list here.

However, we also welcome your input—in the form of a letter to the editor, an article submission, and/or content ideas. Your subject matter expertise is an invaluable resource. As experienced surgeons, please consider embracing a "pay it forward" approach and share your wealth of knowledge with younger, less experienced surgeons and residents. And let's be honest, for surgeons who have been around a while, myself included, we can always learn from each other as well as from the up-and-coming surgeons.

With that in mind, our editorial staff is standing by to assist you in fleshing out outlines and drafts. Also, when you hear a great talk or speakers with an interesting viewpoint at a profession-related event, please send the names or topics along to us, and we will invite their contributions, too.

Although many peer-reviewed journals no longer accept case reports, we remain interested in engaging images from your practice, whether radiographs, clinical photos, or snapshots from mission trips. We would also consider medically relevant humor or cartoons!

We encourage feedback
AAOS Now is your magazine. Your ideas and constructive criticism are always welcome. You can reach me at etruumees@gmail.com. You can also contact the staff team via Managing Editor Dennis Coyle by emailing coyle@aaos.org or calling 847-384-4118.

Eeric Truumees, MD, is the editor-in-chief of AAOS Now.

Share your expertise
The editorial board and staff writers are currently working on various relevant and timely article topics, including the following:

• Preauthorization
• Claims denial
• Electronic health record systems
• Alternative payment models

We are very much interested in hearing about your experiences with them. Please email me at etruumees@gmail.com or Managing Editor Dennis Coyle at coyle@aaos.org if you consider yourself a subject matter expert in any of the aforementioned topics.

AAOS Now is available in the Access App
To view AAOS Now on the AAOS Access App, current users will need to sign out and log back in OR refresh app content.

New users can download the free AAOS Access App in the App Store or Google Play.

View a video with further instructions

1. Navigate to the settings icon.

2. Refresh content. (may take up to 2 minutes)

3. Click on the tab under collections to access the current issue.