From the Editor: OPIOIDS AND US: Designed to Fail

BY MALACHI SHEAHAN III, MD DEPUTY MEDICAL EDITOR, VASCULAR SPECIALIST

AIDS, the Vietnam War, whatever your preferred scale for measuring horrific events, the numbers from the opioid crisis are as grave or worse. And, once again, it is the young who are dying. How we got to this point is an unbelievable story of corporate greed, government incompetence, regulatory commission overreach, and, unfortunately, physician ignorance.

From the Editor: Gods and Monsters

BY MALACHI SHEAHAN III, MD

For the first time in history, four generations of physicians work side by side in the U.S. health care system. An expanding population, longer life expectancies and later retirement ages all contribute to this phenomenon. Each of these generations has made significant contributions to modern surgery and how we practice it. For better and for worse.

SVS: W.L. Gore & Associates Block Grant Will Support Vascular Quality

W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc. will support a new Society for Vascular Surgery initiative to advance patient safety programs and the quality of vascular care.

Through a general block grant, Gore will help fund SVS quality initiatives designed to improve vascular patient surgical outcomes. These related projects will address key practice factors influencing quality care, including new care delivery and payment models, patient education, costs, surgeon wellness, and the value of vascular surgery services.