The Death of Lasers in Spine Surgery?

Matthew S. Galetta, BA; Kris E. Radcliff, MD

In the early 1960s, dermatologists began using ruby lasers to remove port wine stains and melanomas. Since then, lasers have been used in other fields, including cosmetic surgery, genetics, oncology, and ophthalmology. The laser—an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation—plays a vital role in numerous medical fields. An intense, focused beam is created from emission of light waves in the same phase and at the same frequency (i.e., coherent).

Academy Issues Two Updated CPGs on PJI and Rotator Cuff Injuries

Terry Stanton; Kaitlyn Sevarino, MBA

The Academy’s Board of Directors met last month during the AAOS 2019 Annual Meeting and approved two completely updated Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs): one on periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) and the other on rotator cuff injuries (RCIs). Both CPGs were originally published in 2010, when the available evidence for management of those orthopaedic conditions was relatively limited and the field of evidence-based medicine itself was maturing rapidly.

Effective Leadership Is Needed to Ensure Quality and Safety in the Workplace

This is the last in a series of roundtable discussions from a September 2017 meeting of the AAOS Patient Safety Committee. In this article, David C. Ring, MD, PhD, chair; and committee members Michael S. Pinzur, MD; Michael R. Marks, MD, MBA; Dwight W. Burney III, MD; Andrew W. Grose, MD; and Alan M. Reznik, MD, MBA, address the importance of leadership in establishing a culture of safety. What is the role of leadership, and how does leadership advance quality and safety?

Use Detailed Operational Benchmarking Data to Drive Increases in Ancillary Revenues

Bradley Coffey, MA, O-CHCP

Durable medical equipment (DME), prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS) play an important role in musculoskeletal care. Such tools are often used to provide physical support to patients who have undergone surgery. Other types of DME may assist with correcting musculoskeletal deformities, such as scoliosis.

The Integrity of Scientific Work Relies on Transparency of Financial Conflicts

Gregory A. Brown, MD, PhD; Kevin G. Shea, MD; Kaitlyn S. Sevarino, MBA

In 2007, Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Herb Kohl (D-Wis.) introduced the Physician Payments Sunshine Act to increase transparency of the relationships between physicians and medical product manufacturers. Although initial attempts to pass the bill failed, it was enacted as part of the Affordable Care Act in 2010. To further promote transparency in medicine, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) began reporting physician payments on its Open Payments website in 2013.

AAOS’ RegistryInsights™ Platform Delivers Dashboards

The AAOS Registry Program seeks to improve orthopaedic care through the collection, analysis, and reporting of actionable data contributed by hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, and orthopaedic practices across the United States. With the recent introduction of Surgeon Dashboards, the Registry Program has added a quality-improvement resource, available to individual AAOS surgeon members.

Best Practices Help with Managing Failed Implants

Daniel R. Schlatterer, DO, MS; Richard Schlueter, JD

The first article in this series explored several of the potential liability aspects of failed implants. Although an implant failure in a patient is not malpractice per se, the duty for patient safety continues before, during, and after plaintiff attorneys advertise class action suits.

Pros and Cons of Emerging Payment Models

Benjamin Kopp, MD, MBA; Kevin Bozic, MD, MBA; Karl Koenig, MD, MS

This is part one in a series about payment models. Part two will appear in the May issue of AAOS Now and will focus on the application of condition-based payment models to the management of musculoskeletal disorders. At the core of the surgeon patient relationship is a shared goal of relieving pain, restoring function, and improving health in the most appropriate, convenient, and efficient way possible for the patient’s condition.

Study Published in JAAOS Probes Factors in Residency Application Rates Among Females

Terry Stanton

Although women now comprise half of all graduating medical students, orthopaedic surgery lags considerably in the number of women in its practice ranks. Alana M. Munger, MD, a first-year orthopaedic surgery resident at Yale School of Medicine, and her colleagues reported on the factors that may influence female students when they are selecting a residency specialty. Their study of this critical decision point appears in the April 15 edition of the Journal of the AAOS (JAAOS).