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The Leading Edge
Winter brings otolaryngology residency (and fellowship) interview season. You know the drill: letters of recommendation, travel snafus, origin stories, polished (and not so polished) answers to standard questions, and on and on.
As we look forward to the new year, there are several defining events for which we need to prepare. First, the AMA combined CPT/RUC report on altering the E/M system as proposed by CMS this year will be presented at the February CPT meeting. The results of that report and proposal for CPT coding will be discussed and could possibly create significant changes in the way we document and see office patients.
At The Forefront
ENT Advocacy Network: Keep an ear to the ground
By joining the ENT Advocacy Network—a free AAO-HNS member benefit—you can take an active role in improving legislation and regulations affecting the practice of otolaryngology. Often, elected officials look to physicians in their districts for expertise when trying to develop or change healthcare policies.
Agenda: Practice Management Pearls and Successes / Wellness
All sessions are open to all attendees unless otherwise noted (events subject to change).
Board of Governors: Your 2019 resolution
By the middle of February, nearly 80 percent of individuals have already stumbled in maintaining their New Year’s resolutions. Plus, internet-derived commentary suggests that the reasons for these failures are summed up nicely with the acronym CLIFF.
In an effort to foster a global otolaryngology community, the AAO-HNS Foundation supports otolaryngologists around the world who demonstrate a unique commitment to the specialty.
Advocacy in Action: Revised physician compounding requirements improved
The AAO-HNS recently submitted comments to the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) supporting its proposed revisions to Chapter 797 regarding in-office sterile compounding by physicians. The revised chapter, which is markedly different from the first USP draft released in 2016, re-establishes an exception for allergen extracts mixed with aseptic technique, but without the environmental and other controls required for more dangerous compounded drugs.
XI Balkan Congress of Otorhinolaryngology
While the waves lapped the sand and rock music blared from the loudspeakers of the many bars lining the beach, inside the Congress Center of the International Hotel in Golden Sands, Bulgaria, the XI Balkan Congress of Otorhinolaryngology took place.
Online content: Humanitarian service in Rwanda
Medical Missions for Children (MMFC) is a Massachusetts-based non-profit organization established by H. Dennis Snyder, MD 25 years ago, with a goal to build sustainable healthcare, education, and social services infrastructure in the underserved areas of the world. This is accomplished by fostering long-term relationships and sending volunteer teams on missions to over 15 countries each year.
Epic-approved solution for data sharing in pilot-testing with the Reg-ent Registry
Epic is one of the most highly used electronic health records and is used by many Academic Medical centers, hospitals, and health systems. FIGmd has been working with Epic to develop an Epic-approved solution for use across all the FIGmd registries, including Reg-ent.
AMA House of Delegates report: Issues impacting otolaryngology
The American Medical Association (AMA) held its 2018 Interim House of Delegates (HOD) Meeting November 9-13, at National Harbor, MD. The American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery was represented by Delegation Chair Douglas R. Myers, MD; Delegate Robert Puchalski, MD; Delegate Craig S. Derkay, MD; Alternate Delegate Susan D. McCammon, MD; and Alternate Delegate James C. Denneny III, MD, AAO-HNS EVP/CEO.
This summer, the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME®) and the American Board of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery (ABOHNS) announced a new collaboration to expand opportunities for ABOHNS Board-Certified Physicians to receive Maintenance of Certification (MOC) credits, or continuing certification, by participating in accredited continuing medical education (CME).
Make your impact on the specialty by engaging with the Academy. From publishing and advocacy opportunities to getting involved with sections and committees, there are several pathways that are designed to fit different levels of participation based on your availability.
ENThealth.org: a reliable source for newly released and updated CPG patient information
ENThealth.org provides a reliable resource for patients wanting to understand guideline recommendations. Its “Conditions and Treatments” pages are developed and updated with the CPG participants in coordination with these important findings.
Committee report: The prescription opioid crisis and otolaryngology
The U.S. is facing an opioid epidemic, the scale of which is difficult to overstate. Surgeons are important contributors to this public health crisis. Opioids form the backbone of postoperative pain control in the United States, however, concerns about the potential risks of abuse from short-term postoperative opioids are relatively new.
Features
Tonsillectomy in children update
“Tonsillectomy with or without adenoidectomy is one of the most common surgical procedures performed on children in the United States. The principal indications are obstructive sleep disordered breathing (oSDB) and recurrent sore throats. Since the guideline’s publication in 2011, there has been a large number of new studies published on tonsillectomy, including randomized-controlled trials and several meta-analyses.
Kids ENT Health Month: Ankyloglossia
Ankyloglossia, also known as “tongue-tie,” is an anomaly in which there is restricted tongue movement due to a short or thickened lingual frenulum or a highly attached genioglossus muscle. Despite the lack of consensus on diagnostic criteria, there has been a steady increase over the last 20 years in the diagnosis of ankyloglossia, as well as in lingual frenotomy procedures.
