The current state of medical liability reform is discussed. The SVS continues to play an active role in the advancement of this legislation to reduce medical lawsuit abuse, eliminate inconsistent state liability laws, and mitigate fear of prosecution in natural disaster relief efforts. 

VAM 2018's theme is "Home of the Vascular Team – Partners in Patient Care." From doctors to PAs to nurses to technologists, VAM has programming for everyone. Consider bringing your team members along to participate in The Society for Vascular Nursing 36th Annual Conference, a specialized PA session, and more. 

With the opening of registration and housing, the 2018 Vascular Annual Meeting officially takes a big step forward. This year's meeting will feature a great mix of activities and initiatives, both familiar and new! 

Pregnancy causes significant hemodynamic changes within the circulatory system.  While these are considered essential for the health of the developing fetus, the changes place considerable stress on the expectant mother’s heart and lower extremity veins. 

JVS: High-dose angiotensin inhibitors benefit long-term mortality in patients with critical limb ischemia, according to a recent study from Harvard University, published in the March Journal of Vascular Surgery. It is free to review as an open-source document for SVS members and non-members from Feb. 22 through April 30 at vsweb.org/JVS-RAS.

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.