The Society for Vascular Surgery has new officers for the 2019-20 year, elected at the 2019 Vascular Annual Meeting.

New President Dr. Hodgson

Dr. Hodgson holds the David Sumner endowed chair in Vascular and Endovascular Surgery at Southern Illinois University and is medical director of the David S. Sumner Vascular Laboratory at Memorial Medical Center.

Major enhancements are coming to the SVS Vascular Quality Initiative’s Hemodialysis Access Registry, with completion expected by the end of the year.

The registry captures all arterio-venous fistulas and grafts procedures, including A-V fistulas using transposed veins and A-V grafts using autogenous, prosthetic or biological material. It has been in use since 2011.

‘DC Update’ Newsletter Debuts: The Society for Vascular Surgery has a new electronic newsletter, “DC Update” to keep SVS members informed of the events in Washington, D.C., that impact their lives. Initially, the newsletter (sent Sept. 16) will appear every other month.

SVS trainees can “specialize” in more than just vascular surgery. Those interested in health policy can apply to spend a day in Washington to learn about issues that impact vascular surgery. The recipient will spend time on Capitol Hill and share with policymakers and their staff’s issues of concern for vascular surgeons and patients across the country.

Volunteers are needed for a new SVS Task Force on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. The SVS is seeking members with a desire to explore issues related to inequity in the field of vascular surgery. The task force will research inequities related to gender, race, ethnicity, age and sexual orientation and develop strategies to reduce identified inequities. SVS is well-poised for a proactive approach to identifying and working to improve environmental conditions that foster inequities within our specialty. 

Most smokers know cigarettes can damage their lungs, but all too often, they have no idea that smoking is also bad for their blood vessels.

Most of the millions of people with varicose veins don’t consider them a medical issue, unless they happen to be painful, achy or inflamed.

Dr. Michel Makaroun could not be more delighted with the “Vascular Spectacular” gala, an addition to the 2019 Vascular Annual Meeting which is sure to be repeated for years to come.

At least one military veteran discovered he had an abdominal aortic aneurysm large enough to be of concern during a large-scale screening in late July in which the SVS Foundation participated, along with several SVS members.

SVS members: Are you getting all the reimbursement money to which you are entitled? Are you leaving that money on the table, instead of in your practice?

“Correct coding is key in vascular surgery,” said Teri Romano, MBP, CPC, CMDP, one of the faculty leaders of the upcoming SVS 2019 Coding & Reimbursement Workshop. “If you code correctly, you will increase revenue.”