Obesity Epidemic Has Impact on Specialty Care

Mary Ann Porucznik

The impact of obesity on surgical and nonsurgical treatment outcomes can be seen in every orthopaedic specialty. At the AAOS Now-sponsored forum on “Obesity, Orthopaedics, and Outcomes,” held March 18 in Chicago, orthopaedic surgeons and other experts noted that the problems associated with obesity can begin in childhood and last throughout a person’s life.

Orthopaedic Surgery Helps Keep U.S. Economy Going

Mary Ann Porucznik

As healthcare reform takes shape and healthcare consumers become more cost conscious, evidence-based, cost-effective approaches to what orthopaedic surgeons do can make a big difference in both patient access to care and physician compensation. Looking at just one set of numbers—the projected increase in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) surgeries, for example—might well raise eyebrows among insurers, employers, and legislators for several reasons.

Setting the Standard for Orthopaedic Surgery

John S. Kirkpatrick, MD, MS

Every day, in operating rooms around the world, orthopaedic surgeons implant devices that restore mobility to their patients. Most do so without a worry about the biomechanics, biocompatibility, materials, and quality controls in manufacturing, processing, and delivering those implants. But not that long ago—within the living memory of some surgeons who are still practicing today—implantable devices such as screws and wires came from the local hardware store.

The Importance of Clinical Significance in AAOS CPGs

David S. Jevsevar, MD, MBA

The main goal of clinical orthopaedic research is determining how to best treat patients. Studies are designed to answer the following questions: Do patients improve with a particular intervention? Or do the results indicate that the intervention makes things worse—even to the point of inflicting harm to the patient? Improvement is measured by many outcomes, including decreased pain, better function, and enhanced quality of life.

Drive for Quality Takes Center Stage

Terry Stanton

In the popular sense, quality is a somewhat subjective concept, which can be described and valued but not so easily measured. In medicine, however, quality has become a quantity, measured in processes and outcomes and geared not only to targets and mandates but also, increasingly, to physician payments. Joseph D.

The Pathophysiology of Bone Loss

Jay D. Lenn

Over the course of his more than 20-year career, Francis Y. Lee, MD, PhD, found his passion in pursuing noninvasive interventions to treat osteolysis. Two grants from the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (OREF)—a Research Grant in 2004, and a Career Development Grant in 2006—have helped Dr.