Published: February 4, 2019

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.

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.

Members of the ENT Advocacy Network have access to:

The ENT Advocate, a monthly e-newsletter providing timely advocacy updates;
Briefing materials about the Academy’s legislative and policy priorities;
Assistance in organizing and hosting a Member of Congress or state legislator at your practice; and
Pre-written messages or talking points to use in contacting your lawmakers via AAO-HNS Calls to Action. (See www.entadvocacy.org.)

Successful legislative advocacy starts with you. Join the ENT Advocacy Network today and become an active participant in the political process. To sign up, visit www.entnet.org/advocacy or email govtaffairs@entnet.org.

More from February 2019 – Vol. 38, No. 1

ENThealth-webpage

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.

February_BulletinCoverArt

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.

passport

Passport to get involved

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.

Richard-Smith

CME that counts for MOCME

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).

5288

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.

Parr

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.

Haser-Pic2

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.

02_XI-Balkan-congress_111

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.

9152

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.

Tania

Call for nominees

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.

02_BOG-Spencer-Payne

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.

AAOHNS_BOGSpringMtg_HalfClass

Agenda: Practice Management Pearls and Successes / Wellness

All sessions are open to all attendees unless otherwise noted (events subject to change).

James C. Denneny III, MD AAO-HNS/F EVP/CEO

Celebrate the small victories

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.

Albert L. Merati, MD AAO-HNS/F Past President

The best and brightest

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.