To improve access, efficiency and service to existing and future SVS members, the Society is now reviewing and approving membership applications quarterly, instead of yearly.

The first deadline for 2018 is March 1. Applicants should learn by mid to late April if they are accepted for membership, in time to attend the Vascular Annual Meeting at the discounted member rate. Please note that registration fees are assigned based on the current membership status at registration. An adjustment can be made post-approval.

The Society for Vascular Ultrasound, the Society for Vascular Surgery and Medstreaming-M2S have developed the Vascular Quality Initiative Vascular Ultrasound Registry. It expands the SVS VQI to combine noninvasive (vascular ultrasound) testing data with vascular treatment and outcomes data, making it possible to analyze the relationships between diagnosis and patient care.

The registry will be piloted with eight to 12 hospitals collecting and analyzing data on carotid artery disease and will include actual ultrasound images.

"My group manages eight hospital labs and a physician group-owned outpatient lab that provides services in nine outpatient clinics… We are critically dependent on appropriate reimbursement for vascular ultrasound services to be able to maintain the high-quality service we provide in the community. The restructuring of these imaging APCs, which do not maintain the current level of reimbursement for complete vascular ultrasound procedures, will definitely impede our service and increase reliance on more expensive studies such as CTAs and MRAs."

The clock is ticking to apply for a new SVS Foundation grant program aimed squarely at improving patient health by way of our community practice members.

Applications are due March 1 for the new Community Awareness and Prevention Project Grant, intended to help members in community practice environments conduct projects that address wellness and disease prevention and emphasize patient education, public awareness or risk assessment.

2017 was a great year for SVS public relations efforts. SVS sent out a regular stream of press releases, pitches and media advisories aimed at both patients and professionals and responded to media requests for information.One key measure of success is the number of requests SVS gets from media for interviews with vascular professionals. These efforts are enhanced by expert comments and interviews provided by a Rolodex of on-call media experts from SVS.

The program is taking shape and registration is now open for an important SVS research-oriented event, the Vascular Research Initiatives Conference. It will be held May 9 at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square.

The one-day conference emphasizes emerging vascular science and encourages interactive participation. Four abstract sessions will center on stem cells and wound healing, peripheral arterial disease, vascular thrombosis, and vascular biology.

A revised and more full-featured website / planner will be a vital tool for VAM participants this year, allowing them to personalize their experience before ever heading to Boston. Along with a new mobile app and the On-Demand Library, the trio creates a trifecta of tools attendees will use before, during and after VAM.

SVS members offered their thoughts and recommendations about the Vascular Annual Meeting in several different formats. And those who plan VAM listened, to build on the success of previous years and create a meeting that every member of the vascular team can envision attending.

LONG-TERM MORTALITY BENEFIT OF RENIN-ANGIOTENSIN SYSTEM INHIBITORS IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LIMB-THREATENING ISCHEMIA UNDERGOING VASCULAR INTERVENTION, Journal of Vascular Surgery, March 2018

CHICAGO, Illinois, Feb. 26, 2018 – Physicians should consider prescribing high-dose angiotensin inhibitors for patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI), a recent study from Harvard University suggests.

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