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President Biden Chooses ACS Fellow to Direct NCI

Renowned cancer surgeon Monica M. Bertagnolli, MD, FACS, from Boston, MA, is slated to become the 16th director of the National Cancer Institute.

Deadline Is Next Week for Late-Breaking Abstract Submission

Time is running out to submit your late-breaking abstract for Clinical Congress 2022, October 16–20 in San Diego, CA. The deadline to submit is Monday, August 1.

COVID Variant Fuels Rise in Cases, New Vaccine Option Coming Soon

The Omicron BA.5 variant has led to a spike in the number of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths from COVID-19 in the US. Meanwhile, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended the Novavax vaccine as a primary series option in adults.

Anywhere from 10 to 30 percent of those who contracted COVID-19 suffer chronic aftereffects—some lasting many months after the initial diagnosis—and now face increased risk of thromboembolic disease, cardiovascular complications, hepatic and renal impairment, and systemic inflammatory response syndrome.

Peter Kolbert, Senior Vice President of Claim and Litigation Services for Healthcare Risk Advisors, part of TDC Group, and Dr. Zijian Chen, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Medical Director of Mount Sinai’s Center for Post-COVID Care, discuss the effects of long COVID.

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Parag Mehta, MD - MSSNY President

Not very long ago, New York’s physicians and other health care workers were cheered as heroes for their efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. They risked their lives for their patients. They risked the lives of their loved ones as they provided this care.  

Many physicians were sickened, and some died. Countless physicians continue to wear the emotional scars from these overwhelming circumstances. 

However, the cheers are long forgotten.

Now the physicians of New York face a potential new disaster, due to a well-intentioned — but egregiously harmful — bill recently passed by the New York state Legislature. 

The recent legislation would exponentially increase the damages that are awardable under New York’s wrongful-death statute. One actuarial study concluded the increased damages and the new lawsuits this bill would trigger would increase liability insurance costs for New York’s doctors and hospitals by nearly 40 percent.

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The American College of Surgeons (ACS) Division of Education invites academic and industry engineers, scientists, surgeons, and surgical educators to submit abstracts for presentation at the 2023 Annual ACS Surgeons and Engineers: A Dialogue on Surgical Simulation, a full-day meeting occurring on Wednesday, March 1, 2023, in Chicago, IL.

Both original and previously presented abstracts are welcome.

Visit the Call for Abstracts to review the abstract categories, requirements, and timeline and submit your abstracts.

The Committee on Resident Education is accepting applications for volunteers to serve on the committee. The committee’s mission is to address issues of resident education in surgery, including the educational environment, characteristics of the resident population, graduate surgical education curricular issues and competency, and faculty development as educators.

To be eligible for consideration, please send a letter expressing your interest in becoming a member of this committee and an updated CV to Brad DeFabo Akin (bakin@facs.org) by August 15, 2022.

 

Medical Student Travel Award to Clinical Congress – Deadline July 22

The ACS Division of Member Services created an award for one medical student interested in surgery to attend four days at Clinical Congress 2022 in San Diego, CA. Registration and travel expenses will be reimbursed up to $2,000 (with applicable receipts). 

Application Terms and Requirements:  

• This award is only open to domestic medical student members transitioning into surgical residency 
• Applicants must be a current member of the American College of Surgeons  
• Applicants must be in their final year of medical school and matched into surgical residency program 
• The award recipient must upgrade their medical student membership to residence status 
• The awardee must join a RAS-ASC Committee of their choice and participate in conference calls leading up to Clinical Congress 2022 

Application Process: Applications will be accepted online until 11:59 PM on Friday, July 22. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.        

Apply here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MStravelaward2022                                                          

 The legislative session ended the first week of June. Overall, the session was a success for the NY Chapter ACS resulting in the enactment of telehealth payment parity, maintaining funding for Physician Excess Medical Malpractice without any changes to eligibility, and helping to defeat inappropriate scope of practice expansions. The Chapter was able to secure passage in both the Senate and Assembly for Chest Wall Reconstruction (S.7881/A.8537) and Colorectal Cancer Screenings at 45 (S.906B/A.2085B).  Both bills now await signature from the Governor. The NY Chapter ACS also promoted prior authorization reforms which has helped to set stage and momentum for action in 2023.

2022 Advocacy Day Target Issues:

Prior Authorization Reform
Support: Prior Authorization Proposed Gold Card Program (S.8299 RULES/A.9908A INSURANCE)  https://facs.quorum.us/campaign/40082/

Support: Prior Authorization Utilization Review (S.6435A RULES /A.7129A INSURANCE) https://facs.quorum.us/campaign/40084/

Support: Carter's Law - Give Kids a Chance (S.24 / A1943 Insurance Committees)  https://facs.quorum.us/campaign/31038/

Trauma
Call for a Study on the NYS Trauma System and Disaster Preparedness: https://facs.quorum.us/campaign/40091/

Support: Stop the Bleed Training in High School Health Education Classes: https://facs.quorum.us/campaign/40087/

Support: Stop the Bleed Kits in Schools (A.6462 Held for Consideration): https://facs.quorum.us/campaign/40098/

Cancer
Support: Provide Coverage for Chest Wall Reconstruction (S.7881/A.8537)   PASSED Awaits Gov. Signature  https://facs.quorum.us/campaign/40096/

Support: Colorectal Cancer Screenings at 45 (S.906B/A.2085B)  PASSED Awaits Gov. Signature https://facs.quorum.us/campaign/39298/

ACS Calls for Urgent Action to Address US Firearm Violence Epidemic

In response to recent and continuing firearm violence, the ACS hosted a recent news conference during which leaders of the organization reiterated their commitment to collaborating with lawmakers and communities with the goal of addressing this public health epidemic. Click here for more information.

ACS In-Person CPT Coding Workshop

Interested in refining your general surgery coding skills and keeping up with new codes? Register now to attend an ACS CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) coding workshop on Friday, June 24, and Saturday, June 25, in Dallas, TX. Register today!

Women in Surgery Committee Membership Applications: Due June 15

The mission of the Women in Surgery Committee (WiSC) is to enable women surgeons of all ages and practice types to develop their individual potential as professionals; promote an environment that fosters inclusion, respect, and success; develop, encourage and advance women surgeons as leaders; and provide a forum and networking opportunities to enhance women’s surgical career satisfaction. Click here for more information.

Claude H. Organ Jr., MD, FACS, Traveling Fellowship: Applications Due June 30

The Organ Traveling Fellowship is awarded to an outstanding young surgeon so he or she can attend an educational meeting or make an extended visit to an institution of his or her choice, tailored to his or her research interests. The successful applicant will receive the sum of $5,000 U.S. Click here for more information.

 

Karen Altfest recently joined the podcast REPURPOSED After 40 with life coach Lissa Figgins to discuss being a Financially Savvy Woman.

The best time to plant a tree is 30 years ago…and the second best time is today. The same is true for planning your financial future. Karen Altfest is a personal wealth advisor who specializes in educating and empowering women and widows by teaching them to be a financially savvy woman. Now is the time to position yourself for financial strength and growth.

Click to listen to the podcast with Karen Altfest

The ACS New York Chapter organized a virtual advocacy day with state legislators and staff on April 26, which garnered participation from surgeons across the state. Their efforts included:

• Advocating for state legislation that would establish a “gold card” prior authorization program, in which insurers will exempt physicians and other care providers from Prior Authorization requirements if they receive at least 90% approval for prior authorizations for that specific health care treatment (Senate Bill [SB] 8299/AB 9908A)
• Creating a separate process for more timely prior authorizations (SB 6435A/AB 7129A)
• Training school personnel on STOP THE BLEED® and installing bleeding control kits in public schools (AB 6462)
• Requiring insurance coverage of colorectal cancer screenings for individuals aged 45 or older (SB 906B/AB 2085A)
• Requiring insurance coverage for chest wall reconstruction after mastectomy in patients with breast cancer (SB 7881/AB 8537)

As a result of those meetings, the New York Assembly Insurance Committee passed the chest wall reconstruction legislation the following day. The bill is expected to move to the Assembly floor for a full vote before the end of the year.

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When Is It Time to Let Go?

By Karen Caplan Altfest

For many people, retirement is their ultimate life goal. To achieve their desired retirement lifestyle, habitual saving — beginning early and compounding regularly — is important. As financial advisors, we strive to teach our clients that lesson well. We also have told them in which tax-advantaged vehicles they should save. But we often don’t let people know that at certain times in their lives, it’s appropriate to let go, to begin to use the money they diligently put away for decades. I think some are waiting for a sign: “Now it is all right to spend,” or “You will be OK if you spend on your medical needs, your retirement costs, even sometimes on your loved ones!”

Rather than counseling clients on the freedom to spend as they age, we put a lot of time into thinking about whether retirees can safely withdraw either 3% or 4% from their portfolios in retirement.

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