AAOS Now Podcast

At only two months into the new administration, partisan politics remain center stage in the healthcare policy debate. President Biden’s healthcare nominees are stuck in limbo, key congressional committees are slow to take shape, and Republicans and Democrats remain sharply divided over Coronavirus relief efforts. National Journal Health Care Correspondent Erin Durkin explains how these competing...

For decades, health insurers have been exempt from antitrust laws and allowed to act as a monopoly setting rates and maximizing profits—until now. Enactment of new legislation removes the McCarran-Ferguson Act which has protected insurers since 1945 and now requires them to follow the same free-market rules as the rest of the health care industry. In this episode, we talk with an antitrust expert...

Recounting the ways AAOS shaped health policy in the year 2020 cannot be done without mentioning COVID-19. What began as a year dedicated to encouraging physician burden relief and resolving surprise medical billing, quickly turned into a rapid transformation of telehealth and fight for relief to preserve access to musculoskeletal services. NYC-based joint replacement surgeon Claudette Lajam, MD,...

Bundled payment programs are designed to promote value-based care and remain largely voluntary. With the deadline to renew or modify contracts rapidly approaching and Medicare’s acceleration towards mandatory models, a four-person panel with varying perspectives discusses whether linking payments to clinical episodes can reduce Medicare expenditures while maintaining or improving quality of care....

Biologics are increasingly being marketed and used to improve outcomes for orthopaedic patients, but the requirements for evidence of safety and effectiveness vary greatly. Leaders from the AAOS Committee on Devices, Biologics & Technology discuss the regulatory landscape, the AAOS Biologics Initiative, and the Academy’s investment in this evolving area of medicine, They also explain how the new A...

With the U.S. general election just one week away, much is at stake for the physician community. Orthopaedic PAC Executive Committee Treasurer Douglas W. Lundy, MD, FAAOS, and former candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives and Oregon State House Representative Knute Buehler, MD, FAAOS, discuss the upcoming election and orthopaedic surgeons’ need to both vote on Nov. 3 and become involved i...

AAOS physician leaders discuss Medicare’s proposal to eliminate the inpatient-only list (IPO) beginning with 266 musculoskeletal procedures. They recount the unresolved challenges with only recently removing several procedures from the list, and the critical opportunity for orthopaedic surgeons to lead the decision-making process with patients and safely shift care to the outpatient setting. Host:...

In this episode, produced in partnership with the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons (AAHKS), advocacy leaders from both organizations discuss the payment policy changes that have been proposed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The agency is reducing all orthopaedic surgical services by approximately 5% and reducing the work relative value units for hip and knee arthropla...

Orthopaedic surgeons across the U.S. are engaging with members of Congress this August as part of AAOS’ In-District Advocacy Event. AAOS First Vice President Daniel K. Guy, MD, FAAOS, talks about the policy issues they’re raising with legislators and why grassroots advocacy is a powerful tool for strengthening the voice of the musculoskeletal community. Learn more at aaos.org/indistrictevent and b...

Physician-owned hospitals provide some of the highest quality care, at the lowest cost. Yet since the Affordable Care Act passed in 2010, they have been prohibited from expanding or establishing new facilities to meet the growing demand for services. Congressman Michael Burgess, MD (TX-26), explains why restrictions on this competitive force in America’s healthcare system should be permanently lif...

Structural inequities and barriers to health care existed prior to COVID-19. But the pandemic has put a spotlight on the problem, which has also recently become the focus of advocacy efforts nationwide. In this episode, Movement is Life Chair Mary O’Connor, MD, FAAOS, explains how public policy and individual surgeons together can strengthen community-based programs to ultimately help narrow the h...

As the only national political action committee dedicated solely to representing orthopaedic surgeons before Congress, the nonpartisan Orthopaedic PAC is a powerful tool for advancing AAOS priorities. Chairman John T. Gill, MD, FAAOS, explains how it continues to break records as a $4 million-dollar PAC, produce award-winning campaigns and support candidates for federal office including three AAOS...

In this second add-on episode dedicated to COVID-19, Dr. Marion Couch from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) shares details on the agency’s response to the pandemic. She covers the sweeping regulatory changes made to support America's health care system, the gradual resumption of non-emergent surgeries and procedures, as well as COVID-19's potential long-term effects on various va...

Based in Washington, D.C., the AAOS Office of Government Relations promotes and advocates the viewpoint of the orthopaedic community before federal and state legislative, regulatory, and executive agencies. Guided by the Council on Advocacy, it identifies, analyzes, and directs all health policy initiatives to advance the organization's Unified Advocacy Agenda. Hosts: Kristen Coultas, Advocacy Com...

In this add-on episode, Congressman Brad Wenstrup, D.P.M. (OH-02), provides insight on the congressional response to COVID-19. We cover the three stimulus bills that have passed so far and look towards what’s coming in the fourth package and the future of health care post-pandemic. (Recorded on 4/17/20) Hosts: Kristen Coultas, Advocacy Communications Director, AAOS and Catherine Hayes, Senior Dire...

AAOS President Kristy L. Weber, MD, FAAOS, sits down after a busy day on Capitol Hill to talk about Advocacy as a strategic plan enabler. She talks about how these efforts to shape health care policy also help to achieve AAOS' three goals and that Advocacy will be a priority of the association for years to come. Host: Kristen Coultas, Advocacy Communications Director, AAOS

Brought to you by the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons, "The Bone Beat" covers health policy issues affecting musculoskeletal health. Through conversation with the experts, each episode features insights on the changing landscape of orthopaedic surgery and supporting advocacy efforts to advance quality and access to care.