Published: April 4, 2018

Annual Meeting International Guests of Honor Series: Ear, Nose and Throat Society of South Africa

As President of the AAO-HNS/F, it is my great honor and privilege to welcome the delegation from the Ear, Nose and Throat, Head and Neck Society of South Africa to the AAO-HNSF 2018 Annual Meeting & OTO Experience in Atlanta, GA, in October.

As President of the AAO-HNS/F, it is my great honor and privilege to welcome the delegation from the Ear, Nose and Throat, Head and Neck Society of South Africa to the AAO-HNSF 2018 Annual Meeting & OTO Experience in Atlanta, GA, in October. We look forward to another wonderful opportunity for continued friendship, camaraderie, and networking among friends and colleagues at the meeting. In addition, we anticipate and foresee our societies working closely together to improve the care and quality outcomes for our patients worldwide through this continued collaboration and outreach as our global message resonates around the world.

This meeting will be particularly meaningful for me as I was born, raised, and educated (through medical school) in South Africa, and I share a definite sense of nostalgia and pride in welcoming the South African delegation to Atlanta.

— Gavin Setzen, MD
AAO-HNS/F President

Prior to 1966, the ENT surgeons in South Africa had a governing body looking after their interest that fell under the Medical Association of South Africa. The majority of ENT surgeons practiced in three of the four provinces. The leaders in those provinces decided to form an independent ENT society. This came into being in 1966 and was called “The Society of Otorhinolaryngology.” This Society was tasked to govern and look after the interest of ENTs in both private practice and academic units. In 2006, the name was changed to the Ear, Nose and Throat, Head and Neck Society of South Africa with the adoption of a new constitution.

There are 209 current members in private practice and 69 members in training units in the now 11 provinces. The Society rotates congresses organized between these academic units with the venue rotating between Johannesburg and the main coastal regions. The format consists of two international guests of stature invited and sponsored with other guests invited and attending with sponsorship from their own entities or certain companies.

The business side is managed by the ENT Manco Society, to which all members belong. This division looks after coding and practice management queries. Most of the Society members are in private practice with their fees being used to run the Society but also to plough money back into the academic departments that are struggling for funding from the South African government’s Department of Health.

The Society also runs a continual education program with the organization of journal clubs, which are held monthly in the different regions. These meetings are sponsored by the pharmaceutical companies, and the journals are accessed via the “Journal Room” on the Society website. This “Journal Room” became a necessity due to the lack of access to journals by the members working in rural areas, and it is a great success.

More from April 2018 – Vol. 37, No. 3

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Candidate Statements

This month’s Bulletin highlights the exceptional work of the Nominating Committee, chaired by Gregory W. Randolph, MD, in selecting the group of outstanding candidates for office that you will see in the subsequent pages. The Boards of Directors have just approved a new Strategic Plan that will guide us over the next three to five years, as well as the new theme and logo seen on our cover this month.

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The AAO-HNSF 2018 Annual Meeting & OTO Experience is coming!

Mark your calendars now for the preeminent global meeting devoted to sharing new advances in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery, October 7-10, 2018, in the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA. Registration opens next month in May.

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We are one: Otolaryngology united for ENT patient care

As the Academy and Foundation move forward as contemporary organizations under the guidance of our updated Strategic Plan and vision for the future, it is only fitting that we update our theme and professional logo.

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Advocacy win: Anthem rescinds Modifier 25 policy

In the fall of 2017, Anthem announced its plan to reimburse Evaluation and Management (E/M) services at a 50 percent rate when a significant, separately identifiable E/M service (appended with the 25 modifier) and surgery/diagnostic procedural service were performed on the same day.

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Community service activity at the AAO-HNSF 2018 Annual Meeting & OTO Experience—Making global impacts a reality

With an emphasis on improving the quality of life of people, communities, and healthcare facilities and hospitals in low-resource areas around the globe, the AAO-HNSF is proud to be partnering with MedShare, a 501c(3) humanitarian aid organization.

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Call for action: Setting the pace for humanitarian efforts

It was the first time they met, but the room was filled with mutual admiration and respect as Eugene N. Myers, MD, and Vlora Çitaku, Ambassador of the Republic of Kosovo, sat down together to discuss Dr. Myers’ efforts to supply medical equipment to the ENT Head and Neck Clinic at the University Clinical Center of Kosovo in Pristina, the capital city.

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Humanitarian service: Sustainable hearing screening pilot in Kenya

Asitha Jayawardena, MD, MPH, and Charissa N. Kahue, MD, traveled to Malindi, Kenya, in October 2017 with the support of the Academy Humanitarian Travel Grant with Jim Netterville, MD, and his More than Medicine annual head and neck mission trip based out of the Tawfiq Muslim Hospital.

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Academy Advantage Premium Partner: The Doctors Company | Doctors examine injury risks with malpractice closed claims

Taking a close look at research into real-life malpractice claims and incorporating some of the findings into their practices is one way physicians are reducing risks of adverse events.

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Member resource: AAO-HNS releases two new Position Statements

Position Statements are used to designate a statement, policy, or declaration of the AAO-HNS/F on a particular topic or set of topics. Two new Position Statements recently were approved for use in state and federal advocacy efforts, or to clarify the AAO-HNS/F approval or disapproval of certain practices in medicine.

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Practice profile: Raise your hand

Kathleen L. Yaremchuk, MD, MSA, is the Chair of the Henry Ford Hospital’s Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, a personal accomplishment for her. She talked with Bulletin staff regarding gender disparity in opportunities for leadership roles across the country and academic settings.

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ABOto announces new executive director

The Board of Directors of the American Board of Otolaryngology (ABOto) is pleased to announce that Brian Nussenbaum, MD, has assumed the role of Executive Director effective January 1, 2018.

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Board of Governors: “I wish somebody would have told me … someday, these will be the good old days”

I might be the first Board of Governors (BOG) Executive Committee member to quote a rap artist in a Bulletin post, but these lyrics from the Macklemore/Kesha song capture my thoughts perfectly. The song is a nostalgic recollection of the artists’ memories and a wish that someone could have reminded them to enjoy “the magic of the good old days” as it was happening.

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“We are one”

This year, the Academy has selected “We Are One” as our Annual Meeting & OTO Experience theme and new organizational brand. This is who we are and what we represent across all areas of our membership.

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Leadership, mentorship, and resilience

We are entering another election cycle at AAO-HNS, and it is gratifying and reassuring to reflect on the well-qualified slate of candidates for leadership positions in our Academy.