Tuesday’s proposal by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) would scale back the Comprehensive Center for Joint Replacement (CJR) mandatory bundles for lower extremity joint replacement and would eliminate the mandatory episode payment models (EPMs) for surgical hip/femur fracture episodes of care (SHFFT). CMS stated: Many providers are currently engaged in voluntary initiatives…
Congress passed an omnibus appropriations bill in 2015 that led to cuts for computed radiography (CR) x-rays by 7 percent in 2018 and 10 percent in 2023. This was supposed to serve as an incentive for practices to upgrade to digital radiography (DR). However, CR is still digital, which makes it capable of interfacing with…
Richie Edeen, MD is the fifth generation of his family to grow up in the area of Vail, Colorado. After high school, he attended the University of Colorado, where he worked as a student athletic trainer. From there, he moved to Austin, TX, where he worked as an athletic trainer for the University of Texas…
Alphabetical List Article/Post Link Alderete, Joseph Learn about Joseph Alderete, MD Balldin, Christian A Look at Youth Baseball Injuries Brigati, David Learn about David Brigati, MD Budord, Don Learn about Don Buford, MD Danilevich, Max Article with Max Danilevich Edeen, Richie Learn about Richie Edeen, MD Ellis, Henry Learn about Henry B. Ellis, MD A Look…
The Texas Orthopaedic Association submitted comments to the Texas Department of State Health Services’ call for stakeholder comments on updating the state’s scoliosis screenings standards in Texas schools. TOA recommended that DSHS follow the 2015 recommendations made by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and Scoliosis Research Society that call for females to be screened…
Click to view AAOS’s July 2017 quality update.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a proposed rule on Tuesday for implementing Medicare’s new physician payment program. Congress passed the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA), which creates two avenues for physicians to be paid under the Medicare program – MIPS (Merit-based Incentive Payment System) and APMs (Alternative…
Bone and joint disorders are the leading cause of disability in the U.S., disabling a significant part of the American workforce. Orthopaedic surgeons help millions of patients get back to work every year. With patient-centered practices, voluntary and streamlined payment models, physician led delivery and renewed patient-physician relationships, they can keep the promise of ensuring…
A new white paper published by FAIR Health relies on its claims database to examine the opioid crisis in select cities, including several Texas cities. The study examines opioid-related diagnoses. Regarding Texas, the study found that 66 percent of the claim lines occurred in San Antonio, and an additional 23 percent occurred in Dallas. Houston…
Texas became the first legislature to pass a bill related to patient reported outcomes (PROs) for musculoskeletal care through SB 55, which was introduced by Senator Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo) and Representative JD Sheffield, DO (R-Gatesville). Governor Greg Abbott signed the bill into law on June 15, 2017. SB 55 directs the two of the state’s…
