Published: November 3, 2017

Cecelia E. Schmalbach, MD, MSc, named BOD Coordinator-Elect for Research and Quality

The Board of Directors approved Cecelia E. Schmalbach, MD, MSc, as the Coordinator-Elect for Research and Quality.

Cecelia E. Schmalbach, MD, MScCecelia E. Schmalbach, MD, MScThe Board of Directors approved Cecelia E. Schmalbach, MD, MSc, as the Coordinator-Elect for Research and Quality. An active search was led by Cherie-Ann Nathan, MD, and a search committee for a final candidate. The Search Committee and Research and Quality staff participated in meetings via a conference call to discuss several qualified candidates. Interviews took place during the AAO-HNSF 2017 Annual Meeting & OTO Experience in Chicago, IL. Dr. Schmalbach will spend 12 months as coordinator-elect while Lisa E. Ishii, MD, MHS, completes her term.

A fellowship-trained head and neck microvascular surgeon recognized for her expertise in cutaneous cancers, Dr. Schmalbach is a professor and otolaryngology vice chair of clinical affairs at the Indiana University School of Medicine. As an active member of the Academy for 18 years, she served in numerous positions including the Nominating Committee, CORE, Women in Otolaryngology Leadership Development and Membership, and AAO-HNS/F Advisory Council for Quality and Research. As deputy editor of Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery, she launched the first dedicated patient safety/quality improvement (PS/QI) platform for the specialty and developed the Peer Review Mentorship Program.

This position is responsible for coordinating the research and quality improvement efforts of the Foundation, with particular attention to oversight of research and evidence-based activities that improve care. This includes the maintenance and development of Reg-entSM performance measure development; treatment effectiveness and outcomes efficiency; patient safety; and activities that provide members with education and opportunities to improve performance in practice and translate research.

Specific areas of responsibility include:

  • Informs the BOD of current research and quality/patient safety-related issues and activities and raises the level of awareness of all such activities of the Foundation to the BOD.
  • Establishes, in concert with the Reg-ent Executive Committee and the chairs of CORE grants, OREBM, and PSQI Committees, and the Senior Director Research and Quality priorities for the Foundation.
More from November 2017 – Vol. 36, No. 10
Ent Connect Graphic
ENTConnect: Crowdsourced problem-solving, a real member benefit
ENTConnect, the Academy’s member-only social networking site, provides you the opportunity to join other physicians worldwide, collaborate with colleagues, and stay up-to-date with what’s new and exciting in the Academy, and within the specialty.
Am178
Annual Meeting highlights
The AAO-HNSF 2017 Annual Meeting & OTO Experience offered an array of new and well-regarded opportunities to join colleagues in the premier education and specialty event of the year.
f_2760
CY 2018 Medicare physician fee schedule (MPFS): What does it mean for you?
On July 13, 2017, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) posted the proposed rule for payments in the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) for calendar year (CY) 2018.
Getty Images 669885098 (1)
New bundled sinus codes don’t account for additional resources
On September 6, the AAO-HNS submitted comments on the CY 2018 Medicare Program: Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Payment Systems and Quality Reporting Programs proposed rule. The main issue that could impact AAO-HNS members is the proposed payment for new bundled sinus codes in the ASC.
Getty Images 496401609
Clinical Consensus Statement: BDS update
In keeping with the AAO-HNSF’s longstanding tradition of evidence-based reviews to aid physicians in providing safe and efficacious care for their patients, a Clinical Consensus Statement: Balloon Dilation of the Sinuses (BDS) was previewed at our recent Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL.
Development 17
Defining Quality in Otolaryngology with New Measures
The American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) is dedicated to the development and implementation of clinically valid performance measures, which contribute to success in quality of care for otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeons.
Am16
Academy receives Best Mobile App award
We are pleased to share the great news that the Academy was awarded “Best Mobile App 2016” for the AAO-HNSF 2016 Annual Meeting & OTO Experience at the Trade Show Executive Gold 100 Awards & Summit presentation on September 28, 2017.
Aaohns Old Logo
Academy, 3P Workgroup collaborate to review position statements
Position Statements are used to designate a statement, policy, or declaration of the American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery and Foundation (AAO-HNS/F) on a particular topic or set of topics.
Getty Images 1250153388
2018 Quality Payment Program (QPP) proposed rule
On June 20, 2017, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the 2018 proposed rule for the second year of the Quality Payment Program (QPP).
f_listen
CMS listened!
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) decided not to finalize their proposal to require all Medicare advanced diagnostic imaging final accreditation survey reports as well as acceptable plans of correction (POC) in the Fiscal Year 2018 Medicare Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System and Long-Term Acute Care Hospital (IPPS) Prospective Payment System Final Rule.
Committees
2018 Committee Application Opened November 1
Want to get more involved with your Academy? Apply to become a committee member!
Bog
Board of Governors: If not you, then who? If not now, then when?
I have to chuckle a little as I write this with my wife beside me, accusing me of having said “yes” to one more thing.
Roger D. Cole, MD, MA
Roger D. Cole, MD, MA, named Chair-Elect, Ethics Committee
The Board of Directors (BOD) appointed Roger D. Cole, MD, MA, to the position of Chair-Elect, Ethics Committee at the AAO-HNSF 2017 Annual Meeting & OTO Experience in Chicago, IL.
James C. Denneny III, MD AAO-HNS/F EVP/CEO
The path to healthcare reform
Last month, I raised the premise that meaningful healthcare reform could not be accomplished without the participation and cooperation of all participants in the debate.
Gavin Setzen, MD AAO-HNS/F Past President
Your membership and value expectations
Do you value your membership in the American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) as much as I do? The clinical practice of medicine has become enormously complicated, and we live in an era of constant flux in the provision of healthcare—especially as it relates to regulatory requirements, socioeconomic and reimbursement challenges, and a plethora of other interjected patient care paradigm burdens.