Looking back on 2005: A year that offered challenges, accomplishments

Issue: December 2005

Douglas W. Jackson, MD [photo] --- Douglas W. Jackson, Chief Medical Editor

Orthopedics Today is completing another year — our 25th — bringing our reader-friendly scientific newspaper format to you. The staff and I have enjoyed covering and reporting on many of your presentations, publications, round table discussions and interviews. We have had input from thought leaders on every aspect of our profession.

During 2005 there have been incremental changes in many areas affecting our field of medicine. Yet very few developments this year have changed the basic aspects of how we practice and treat patients.

That is good news. We as orthopedic surgeons still are involved in meaningful and satisfying patient care. We are able to treat and care for our patients in state-of-the-art working environments — hospitals, surgicenters and our offices. We have great support staff that includes office workers, nurses, administrators, technicians and others. We can still go into the examining room or emergency room and it is just the patient and us. The challenge remains to try and do what is best for them.

Rising challenges

Of course the pace of change quickened during 2005 in some areas that cause concern. Chief among them are the following:

more denials of requested treatments (mostly workers’ compensation cases);
more outside “peer reviews” of ongoing treatments;
more patients choosing insurance plans that our practice chooses not to accept; and
a continuing trend towards decreasing reimbursement.

In the new year, expect to see increasing pressures on health care finances. Our government is on a spending spree. There is a war in Iraq, and we need funding for recovery from natural disasters, a new drug prescription benefit program and preparations for potential threats from Avian flu are just a few key demands. The red ink is flowing from our capital. Health care costs are increasing and the largest single purchaser of health care — our government — wants more for less. Added to pressures coming out of Washington, D.C., are those from industry, where some prominent spokesmen now say they simply cannot afford to pay so much for health care. In 2006, the squeeze will continue to be on the providers — and the patients.

Satisfying accomplishments

“In 2006 the squeeze will continue to be on the providers — and the patients.”

Despite the clouds on the horizon, it has been a great year for most of us. And since December is a time of giving, sharing and celebrating, let me recount some of the notable developments internally at Orthopedics Today:

Launched a new Web site, ORTHOSuperSite.com, in February, which integrates our full family of orthopedic publications, including Orthopedics Today, Orthopaedics Today International, The Journal of Knee Surgery and Orthopedics. You can find daily updates on ORTHOSuperSite.com, too. Some 200 orthopedic surgeons worldwide help direct and review coverage of this publication lineup.
Expanded full-time staff to include 10 writers and editors devoted entirely to orthopedics as the number of pages devoted to covering orthopedics grew significantly.
Orthopedics Today’s second CME Course — OT NY2005 — took place in New York City and was a great success. Joining me on the outstanding faculty were Bernard Bach Jr., MD, The Journal of Knee Surgery chief medical editor, and Robert D. D’Ambrosia, MD, Orthopedics chief medical editor. They helped serve as moderators and planned portions of the course, including sessions on minimally invasive hip, knee and shoulder surgery.
Orthopedics Today celebrated its 25th anniversary by publishing our monthly series on “Innovations in Orthopedics.” The last article in the series appears this month and covers Rotator cuff surgery and healing of tendon injuries (see page 26).
And during the year our editors and writers traveled the United States, Canada and other parts of the world to cover 16 major medical meetings — from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 72nd Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. to the 7th European Federation of Orthopaedics and Traumatology (EFORT) Congress in Lisbon, Portugal.

I want to personally wish a wonderful holiday season to all our readers, medical and industry advisory board and professional staff. I have enjoyed interacting with all of you. Thank you for meeting deadlines, doing creative work, bringing forward challenging ideas and input, and doing it all in a positive and constructive way.