Updated versions of the Academy's 15 clinical policies were approved by the Board of Directors at its December. Some of the clinical policies were originally published in 1989; others were published in 1991 and 1992.
The clinical policies are disease-based guidelines which address the following diagnoses: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome; DeQuervain's Stenosing Tenosynovitis; Distal Radius Fracture; Femoral Neck Fracture (Adult); Hallux Valgus; Herniated Lumbar Disk; Lateral Epicondylitis of the Elbow; Low Back Musculoligamentous Injury (Sprain/Strain); Lumbar Spinal Stenosis; Osteoarthritis (Arthrosis) of the Knee (Degenerative Joint Disease); Osteoarthrosis of the Hip; Pes Planus (Congenital, Acquired, Flexible, and Rigid); Proximal Humeral Fracture; Tear, Meniscus of the Knee (Medial and/or Lateral); and Ulnar Collateral Ligament Injury of the Thumb (Sprain/Tear).
The clinical policies will be submitted to the American Medical Association's Practice Parameters Partnership for review and a request for inclusion in the Practice Parameters Directory.