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The Department of Veterans Affairs issued a proposed rule (comment deadline March 25) to amend its medical regulations to implement its authority for covered veterans to receive necessary hospital care, medical services, and extended care services from non-VA entities or providers in the Community. 

SVS submitted a comment letter outlining priorities for VA to consider as they finalize this rule. 

New research highlights the importance of positioning thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) devices within healthy aorta proximally to avoid serious complications.

IMPACT OF PROVIDER CHARACTERISTICS ON USE OF ENDOVENOUS ABLATION PROCEDURES IN MEDICARE BENEFICIARIES. March 2019, Journal of Vascular Surgery: Venous and Lymphatic Disorders.

ROSEMONT, Illinois, March 18, 2019 – A new report suggests that providers who are not traditionally associated with the treatment of venous disease are driving the rapid increase in endovenous therapies.

The SVSConnect mobile app — for cell phones and tablets — brings easy access to collaboration, engagement and communication with your SVS member colleagues and thought leaders.

In response to member requests, the Vascular Quality Initiative now includes 30-day follow-up forms in most of its 12 registries.

The addition of the form — there already is a mandatory Long-term Follow-up Form — permits VQI participants to collect 30-day re-admission data. Surgeons and hospital administrators find this information important as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has focused on readmissions as part of the reimbursement process.

Barry Posner and James M. Kouzes’ “The Truth About Leadership” describes 10 critical “truths.” In this latest column highlighting the evidence-based behaviors and attributes that define great leadership, we focus on “you either lead by example or you don’t lead at all.”

The April Journal of Vascular Surgery takes a look at the “adequate” proximal seal for complicated type B aortic dissections. Failure to achieve any intramural hematoma-free proximal seal zone during such surgeries may be associated with higher degrees of retrograde type A dissection. The article is available open source through May 31 at vsweb.org/JVS-Proximal.

2019 is in full swing, with work continuing on a wide array of SVS objectives, events and priorities.

But before shutting the door completely on 2018, SVS members will be interested to see the lengthy list of achievements for the year.

Executive Director Kenneth M. Slaw, PhD, reviewed 2018 activities and their impact for the coming year for the Strategic Board of Directors at its retreat in early January:

As of this Specialist deadline date in late February, the SVS staff was still settling in, unpacking boxes, creating new work spaces and – a very important task! – locating the coffeemaker.

The Society for Vascular Surgery is open for business in its new headquarters office at 9400 W. Higgins Road in Rosemont, Ill., just minutes from O’Hare International Airport. Its new digs are, in the words of President Dr. Michel S. Makaroun, “a home for vascular surgeons from all over the country and around the world.”