Published: February 4, 2019

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).

Richard V. Smith, MD
AAO-HNSF Coordinator for Education

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).

AcademyU.org has over 50 activities registered in www.CMEfinder.org that are now deemed for CME and MOC credit with plans to grow the opportunities available in the coming year. I encourage you to take advantage of Member+ when you renew your 2019 AAO-HNS dues. For an additional $50, you gain access to over 200 courses for the price of one—many of which count for MOC.

The AAO-HNSF 2019 Annual Meeting & OTO Experience will offer CME that counts for MOC for the first time. Full conference registrants will receive access to additional enduring CME activities, where MOC credit can be earned after the conference is over by completing the course, posttest, and evaluation. As a CME provider, AAO-HNSF is responsible for submitting diplomate MOC completion information to ACCME, which will then report this to ABOHNS. This saves members the step of having to track this in AcademyU.

I would like to recognize and thank Brian Nussenbaum, MD, MHCM, for his leadership in guiding the ABOHNS and his willingness to work with the Academy on this important benefit for our mutual members. None of this would be possible without the tremendous dedication of the Foundation’s Education Committees that develop these activities; and to Tirza Lofgreen, CHES; Bryan H.D. May; and the Education team for their work to make them accessible in AcademyU.

To learn more, visit www.AcademyU.org.

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Agenda: Practice Management Pearls and Successes / Wellness

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

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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.

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.