Features


December 2020/January 2021 – Vol. 39, No. 11

From the Education Committees

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common condition in children and one that most otolaryngologists are familiar with. Pediatric OSA has an estimated prevalence of 1%-4% in the United States.1 In most cases adenotonsillectomy (T&A) is the first-line therapy. About 500,000 of these procedures are performed annually in the U.S.

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Differences in Parathyroid Surgery around the World

At the AAO-HNSF 2020 Virtual Annual Meeting & OTO Experience, head and neck endocrine surgeons from around the world met virtually to discuss techniques and differences in the management of primary hyperparathyroidism. Differences in resources and access to care highlighted various opinions across the topic.

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Tech Talk: Business Processes – Precursor to EMR Selection

Selecting the right electronic medical record (EMR) software solution is critical. The wrong choice can be devastating. These implementations are not just IT projects but require participation and effort from everyone—users, clinicians, and technologists alike. Without a full team effort and proper project oversight, these endeavors can easily spiral out of control on many fronts. So, where do you start?

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New Category I CPT Codes for Sleep Surgery in 2022

At the October 2020 American Medical Association (AMA) Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) Editorial Panel meeting, the AMA accepted new Category I CPT codes for both hypoglossal nerve stimulation (HGN) and drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE). These new codes will become part of the CPT code set in 2022. For CPT, ‘Category’ refers to the division of the code set. CPT codes are divided into three categories.

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Advocacy Issue Brief: Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact

Several years ago the Council of State Governments (CSG) was asked to develop a model compact for allied health professionals, in this case, audiologists and speech-language pathologists. CSG is an organization committed to working with state officials to shape public policy and includes a program dedicated to developing interstate compacts.

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Out of Committee: Endocrine Surgery Committee

Thyroid nodules are quite common and typically benign. Nonetheless they can be troubling in many ways to patients who then seek treatment, which often results in thyroid surgery. Thyroid surgery comes with some generally accepted risks, and quality of life may become significantly altered in several ways. The possible need for thyroid hormone supplementation or replacement is one of the major concerns for these patients undergoing surgery.

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Patient Safety and Quality Improvement

We had just finished the composite resection, and it was late in the evening as the case had gotten off to a later start. We were done with the case, the drapes were off, and I had just removed the anode tube to insert the cuffed tracheostomy tube. I pulled on the upper stay suture to pull the trachea into view and it immediately came loose—obviously the tracheal ring had been broken during its placement.

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