The Society for Vascular Surgery and the Society for Vascular Nursing have signed an agreement in which the nursing association will be managed from the Chicago-based SVS office.

As Dr. Samson noted in his column (page 2), the words of Nobel Laureate Bob Dylan remind us the times are a-changing.

The January issue of the Journal of Vascular Surgery and Lymphatic Disorders will offer something new for the new year: an article for which Continuing Medical Education credit is offered.

Plus, in another enhancement of educational offerings, the publication expands from four to six annual issues in 2017, to accommodate a larger number of top-notch submissions.

Preliminary available data from the groundbreaking CREST-2 trial indicate the value and positive results of intensive medical therapy, whether patients also received revascularization as well, said Dr. Brajesh K. Lal, principal investigator.

The holiday season – the season of caring and goodwill, for giving -- is upon us. It’s the season where people reach out to help people in need, to help make the world a better place, to impact the future through donations of time, effort and money.  

Annual appeals are underway for two important SVS entities: the SVS Foundation annual campaign and the SVS Political Action Committee.

Since Congress scrapped the formula for Medicare reimbursement in 2015, SVS has worked closely with legislators to shape the replacement rule, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) and ensure our members’ voices are heard on Capitol Hill.

With the release of the Final Rule, SVS is pleased to report that the agency listened to members’ concerns and made many changes to the Proposed Rule. SVS leaders, however, believe work remains to be done to improve the new Medicare reimbursement system, the Quality Replacement Program.  

Participants at the Vascular Annual Meeting (VAM) have lots more to look forward to than sunny skies, beaches and palm trees. A number of new program features are planned to add interest and value to the meeting, said Dr. Ron Dalman.

Dr. Dalman chairs the SVS Program Committee, which develops programming and content for VAM, the premiere meeting for vascular specialists.

The 2017 meeting will be May 31-June 3 in beautiful San Diego, with plenaries and exhibits set for June 1-3.

Changes for 2017 include:

[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"1072","field_deltas":{},"link_text":null,"attributes":{"height":480,"width":270,"style":"width: 270px; height: 480px; float: right; margin: 2px;","class":"media-image media-element file-media-large","data-delta":"1"},"fields":{}}]]Both doctor and patient see the hand of God in a series of coincidences that changed the life of a man from the Dominican Republic.

“I’m a firm believer that things happen for a reason,” said SVS member Dr. Richard Lynn.

AFRICAN AMERICANS WITH DIABETES FACE HIGHER RISK OF PREVENTABLE AMPUTATIONS

CHICAGO, Illinois, Dec. 12, 2016 – African Americans are at higher risk for two diseases – diabetes and peripheral arterial disease (PAD) – that together threaten to cause them more preventable amputations than other populations.

Dear Friends:

Thank you for all your support, past and present, of the SVS and its many different missions. You are part of an amazing organization, and its success is due to you and each member of our Society.