NYS SOciety of ORTHOPAEDIC Surgeons

STATEMENT ON THE APPOINTMENT OF DR. MARY T. BASSETT AS NEW YORK STATE COMMISSIONER OF HEALTH 

By NYSSOS President John DiPreta, M.D.

 

“The orthopaedic community welcomes the appointment of Dr. Mary T. Bassett as New York State’s new Commissioner of Health. Muscloskeletal health and the associated quality of life issues central to orthopaedic care are critical elements of a comprehensive and accessible health care system.

“We look forward to working with Dr. Bassett to continue our efforts to address disparities in care that undermine the muscloskeletal health of many underserved communities. Many complex and fundamental issues impact these matters, including insurance company practices that restrict care, and proposed policy changes that create barriers for orthopaedic physicians. We hope to work with DOH and the Legislature to address these concerns in the coming year.

“In addition, building on the work of NYSSOS and that of our national group, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, we are eager to work with Dr. Bassett to build more diversity among the orthopaedic physician ranks to better address the needs of all communities.

“Governor Hochul has pledged to rely on health experts to advise her in making appropriate, evidence-based decisions for all New Yorkers. We believe such a foundation is essential for crafting effective health policy, and we are committed to helping her fulfill that pledge.”

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By Order dated August 18, 2021, the New York State Commissioner of Health is requiring that healthcare workers in general hospitals (i.e., hospitals that provide inpatient care 24 hours a day) and nursing homes be vaccinated against COVID-19, except for those with bona fide religious or medical exemptions. These healthcare workers, including employees, students, volunteers and medical staff, are required to have at least one dose of an approved vaccine by September 27, 2021. It does not appear that applicable health care workers will be permitted to undergo regular testing in lieu of vaccination.  On September 2, 2021, there is an opportunity for health care facilities impacted by the announcement to present evidence that failure to comply will not constitute a danger to the health of the people of the State of New York.

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The New York State Society of Orthopaedic Surgeons (NYSSOS) is pleased to announce it has selected Altfest Personal Wealth Management as the preferred wealth management education provider for its members. 

NYSSOS is the premier organization representing the orthopaedic community in New York. The Society serves orthopaedic specialists, subspecialists, fellows, residents and their patients by helping to create an optimal practice environment in which to provide quality and efficacious orthopaedic care.

“Our relationship with Altfest demonstrates further NYSSOS’ commitment to deliver value to its members throughout their professional lifecycle and beyond,” said NYSSOS’ president, Dr. John DiPreta.  “Our partnership with Altfest enables members to receive custom tailored financial planning and investment management education as well as complimentary consultations.  As the professional and personal demands on our members increase, we find it important to provide needed support and services to promote their education, resilience, and well-being.  Our relationship with Altfest underscores this commitment to our members.”

Andrew Altfest, CFP®, President of Altfest Personal Wealth Management, said, “We are honored to have been selected by NYSSOS.  Since its founding in 1983, Altfest has served the distinct financial planning and investment management needs of physicians.  As NYSSOS’ partner, we will offer members timely, helpful, and usable financial planning information through a variety of means, including webinars, and email communications.  We encourage members to take advantage of our educational content, which includes topics such as creditor and asset protection, student debt management, and tax reduction strategies, as well as our complimentary consultations.”  “Given our many years of service to doctors,” Altfest continued, “we well understand the crucial part financial planning education plays in promoting their personal wellness.  Altfest is gratified to have been chosen for this important role.”

To learn more about NYSSOS, including its benefits for orthopaedic surgeons, please visit www.nyssos.org.  To learn more about Altfest, including its educational webinars, other informative content, and complimentary consultations for orthopaedic surgeons, please visit www.altfest.com/physicians or contact Jesse Frehling at jfrehling@altfest.com.

 

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that New York will end the state disaster emergency declared on March 7, 2020 to fight COVID-19. Given New York's dramatic progress against COVID-19, with the vaccination rates, and declining hospitalization and positivity statewide the state of emergency will expire after Thursday, June 24.

Federal CDC guidance will remain in effect, which includes masks for unvaccinated individuals, as well as all riders on public transit and in certain settings, such as health care, nursing homes, correctional facilities, and homeless shelters.

State and local government health departments will still be able to ensure mask rules and other health precautions are adhered to in those settings.

We will keep you abreast of any guidance coming out of the New York State Department of Health.

NYS Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker released the following statement regarding the Johnson & Johnson vaccine:

"Today the CDC and FDA issued a statement recommending a pause in the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine out of an abundance of caution. New York State will follow the CDC and FDA recommendation and pause the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine statewide immediately today while these health and safety agencies evaluate next steps. All appointments for Johnson & Johnson vaccines today at New York State mass vaccination sites will be honored with the Pfizer vaccine.

"As the CDC and FDA have said, any adverse events related to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine 'appear to be extremely rare' and, 'People who have received the J&J vaccine who develop severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination should contact their health care provider.'

"I am in constant contact with the federal government and we will update New Yorkers as more information becomes available."

OrthoInfo, the AAOS patient education website, is a free member resource that provides orthopaedic surgeons and patients with authoritative, in-depth information about musculoskeletal health.

The website features more than 400 articles, videos, and animations on common orthopaedic problems, surgical procedures, nonsurgical treatments, injury prevention, and healthy living.

All content is developed and peer reviewed by AAOS members. Written in simple language, OrthoInfo articles can help your patients be better informed and participate more fully in their care and recovery.

Access the site

The year 2021 marks a historic change in the coding world for outpatient office visits, with the first major revision to the CPT evaluation and management (E/M) codes in more than 20 years taking effect. Learn more: https://www.aaos.org/aaosnow/2021/feb/managing/managing01/

NYSSOS is proud to share this article from Ariana Lott, MD a resident at NYU Langone! She partnered with Drs. Weiss, Baker and Kim to explore the need for formal training on communication with patients.

Patient-physician communication skills have always been important for orthopaedic surgeons in providing patient-centered care. Although communication is important, orthopaedic surgeons have little formal training on how to communicate with patients. Compared to the countless hours dedicated to surgical training, there is little direct observation of orthopaedic resident and fellow communication skills. This lack of training is demonstrated in the literature, as orthopaedic surgeons ranked last out of 28 specialties with respect to patient-reported communication skills.

Studies have demonstrated that with improved communication, there is higher patient satisfaction, increased compliance with proposed treatments, and overall improved outcomes. In an analysis in the outpatient setting, physician empathy was found to be the strongest driver of patient satisfaction. Communication skills are particularly important for surgeons because establishing trust with patients presenting for surgical evaluation is essential. For true shared decision making, it is imperative that surgeons are able to communicate clearly so patients understand their diagnosis and treatment options for their specific medical conditions. Improved communication and trust also correlate with decreased medical-legal liability.

> Read the entire article

This week the AAOS and the New York State Society of Orthopaedic Surgeons (NYSSOS) joined with other physician organizations in encouraging state legislative leaders to embrace a proposal for reducing medical liability costs. Specifically, the measure tucked into Governor Cuomo’s Executive Budget proposal would provide much-needed relief to medical professionals in the form of lower liability insurance premiums and litigation costs. The organizations pointed out that a significant impediment to an already challenged industry is a dysfunctional medical liability adjudication system that is increasing costs at a time when medical practices are already operating amidst heightened financial stress as a result of COVID-19. The stark reality is evident in New York, where physicians and hospitals endure the highest liability awards and costs. A recent report indicated that in 2019, New York had the greatest total medical liability payouts of any state and nearly 70% more than the state with the second greatest amount. AAOS believes that the structure of the current medical liability system limits the ability of physicians to provide the highest quality patient care and that systemic reform is necessary to improve the overall health care system. Read the full letter... 

Recently enacted legislation has removed the McCarran-Ferguson Act, an antitrust exemption that has protected insurers since 1945. Insurers will now be required to follow the same free-market rules as the other industries. On an episode of AAOS’ advocacy podcast “The Bone Beat,” George Slover, senior policy counsel for Consumer Reports, discusses why this repeal took so long and how the new law will introduce more choice and opportunity into the marketplace. > Listen in