At the March 1998 Annual Meeting, the fellowship adopted the seven resolutions. Following are the resolutions and status of implementation.
Status
In addition to the 1998 resolution, at the 1995 Annual Meeting the fellowship voted to support the development of medical savings accounts. At the 1998 Annual Meeting, the fellowship voted to support a proposed resolution offered by the Board of Councilors that the Academy would continue its educational efforts and support education to encourages the development of MSAs. The Academy's maintains several position statements which support the creation of medical IRAs or medical savings accounts. In addition, Academy staff developed an article regarding the status of the federal MSA demonstration project for the Bulletin of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. The article appears in this issue of the Bulletin.
Status
The Academy continues to monitor physician group negotiating issues, and published an article in the October Bulletin of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons regarding the latest developments in the U.S. Department of Justice investigation in physician group negotiating in Delaware. This investigation is likely to determine the legality of the third-party messenger model for physician group negotiating.
Status
The Academy continues to provide high quality educational offerings
for orthopaedic surgeons who provide nonsurgical orthopaedic care,
including practice management courses, coding courses, a comprehensive
course of workers' compensation case management (occupational
health and disability evaluation); and outcomes symposiums and
the Basic Educators course. In addition, the Academy's Scope of
Practice Task Force is exploring this issue in detail.
RESOLVED That the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons shall continue its efforts to promote health and healthy lifestyles through education of the fellowship and the dissemination of information to the general public.
Status
The Academy has developed and is continuing to develop a number of national campaigns to educate the public regarding health and fitness. The Academy, through its Committee on Public Education, has developed the "Climb It Safe," "Keep Moving for Life," "Live It Safe," "Drive it Safe" and "Don't Let a Fall Be Your Last Trip" programs. The Academys also has developed a number of brochures, posters, fact sheets and Position Statements to support these programs.
RESOLVED That the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons shall continue to promote and encourage individuals and other organizations to support federal and state legislation encouraging access to universal, affordable health care.
Status
The Council on Health Policy and Practice has reviewed the Academy's Principles of Health Care Reform, a position statement which was adopted by the Board of Directors in October 1992. The Council is recommending that the current "Principles" be retired, and that a new Position Statement be developed and adopted, consistent the 1998 fellowship resolution. The Committee on Health Care Delivery has the responsibility for developing this draft statement.
RESOLVED That the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons shall promote the concept that disability insurance policies include language that states that insured health care workers be considered disabled and thus eligible for benefits when their medical impairment prevents them from performing all the tasks required in their specialty or, because of the nature of their condition (e.g., HIV infection), they are prevented from practicing because of public health concerns.
Status
Upon request, the Academy (through its Office of General Counsel) assists individual orthopaedic surgeons to obtain appropriate coverage from their disability insurance carriers. This is an increasingly difficult matter, as many disability carriers have not embraced a broad definition of the term "disability."
RESOLVED That the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons shall continue to promote access to orthopaedists as highly qualified and cost effective professionals for the management of the full spectrum of musculoskeletal diseases and injuries.
Status
This 1998 resolution continues to be a primary position of the Academy. This matter was considered at both the 1992 and 1998 Annual Meetings.
RESOLVED That the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons shall express its gratitude and appreciation to Mr. Sheldon Garber for his service to the field of orthopaedics through his leadership efforts at OREF.
Status
There was considerable discussion at the 1998 Annual Meeting about how the review of honorary resolutions should be handled. The Bylaws of the Academy have now been clarified to exclude honorary resolutions from being reviewed every five years; they are important at the time of their adoption and then will be removed from list of on-going Academy resolutions subject to review.