[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"1314","field_deltas":{},"link_text":null,"attributes":{"height":480,"width":439,"style":"width: 175px; height: 191px; border-width: 2px; border-style: solid; margin: 2px; float: left;","class":"media-image media-element file-media-large","data-delta":"1"},"fields":{}}]]New benefit offerings from SVS can provide members with life insurance plans that help with personal estate planning and retirement, and members in a group practice with high-value life insurance for all partners.

The Vascular Quality Initiative has created a new password-protected "Members Only" section for the VQI website. This area will enable members to share best practices, plus materials such as case studies, videos and presentations, more effectively with each other and between representatives of regional groups.

[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"1313","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","style":"width: 175px; height: 271px; float: right; border-width: 2px; border-style: solid; margin: 2px;","typeof":"foaf:Image"}}]]Preparing for a Rewarding Retirement Starts Now

If SVS councils had theme songs, "You’ve Got a Friend" might be the musical signature of the Clinical Practice Council. As Council Chair Dr. Frank Pomposelli explained it, the body exists for the good of every member who provides vascular care in any type of clinical setting.

"We’re here to serve member needs on anything relating to clinical practice. From how to obtain financing to how to market themselves, from how to refine their surgical techniques to how to translate outcomes research, we want to help," he said.

[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"1312","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","style":"width: 250px; height: 188px; float: right; border-width: 2px; border-style: solid; margin: 2px;","typeof":"foaf:Image"}}]]Though collecting data on post-operative services is to begin July 1, the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) believes the deadline should be delayed until several questions can be answered and education provided by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

CHICAGO, Ill., June 15, 2017 – New leaders were elected at the annual business meeting June 3 of the Society for Vascular Surgery during the organization’s annual meeting in San Diego, Calif.

They are:

“Incidence of Venous Leg Ulcer Healing and Recurrence After Treatment with Endovenous Laser Ablation.” Journal of Vascular Surgery – Venous and Lymphatic Disorders, July, 2017.

CHICAGO, Illinois, July, 2017 – New evidence suggests that minimally invasive methods to ablate superficial venous reflux in patients with end-stage venous insufficiency are as effective as traditional open venous stripping.

[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"1323","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","style":"width: 460px; height: 296px; float: right; margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;","typeof":"foaf:Image"}}]]June 19, 2017 (UPDATED) - The 2017 Vascular Annual Meeting in San Diego, Calif., held May 31-June 3, broke all previous attendance records with a final, professional registration total of more than 1,807, the Society for Vascular Surgery has announced.

Final counts for 2017 found that:

The Society for Vascular Surgery has learned that Medicare will begin paying for supervised exercise therapy. Here is the CMS announcement:

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has determined that the evidence is sufficient to cover supervised exercise therapy (SET) for beneficiaries with intermittent claudication (IC) for the treatment of symptomatic peripheral artery disease (PAD). Up to 36 sessions over a 12 week period are covered if all of the following components of a SET program are met:

"Predictors of surgical site infection after open lower extremity revascularization.” Journal of Vascular Surgery, June, 2017.

CHICAGO, Illinois, June, 2017 – During lower extremity revascularization, high-risk surgical patients experience significant rates of wound infection, prolonged hospital stay and readmission, as well as graft failure and limb loss.