All too often patients say they are "blindsided" by unexpected outcomes of surgery. SVS member Dr. Margaret "Gretchen" Schwarze has won a prestigious PCORI grant to study ways to help patients understand what major surgery will mean to them.

A three-year study, which gives patients a better way to talk to their surgeon, has earned a $2.1 million grant from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Initiative (PCORI).

A recent pilot study funded by a grant from the Society for Vascular Surgery Foundation has found that patients succeed in quitting smoking before surgery if they are offered the right kind of assistance.

The Society for Vascular Surgery, the American Podiatric Medical Association and the Society for Vascular Medicine collaboratively have published their first-ever set of clinical practice guidelines for treating the diabetic foot, based on a meta-analysis of the available literature. The guidelines, “The Management of the Diabetic Foot,” were developed after three years of study and were published online in late January and in print in the February 2016 edition of Journal for Vascular Surgery.

Vascular disease is among the leading causes of death in the United States, yet is generally asymptomatic until a catastrophic event occurs, such as a stroke or aneurysm rupture. Although preventive screening is available, millions of Americans at risk for stroke or death from vascular disorders remain unaware of their risk.

Background

The broken medical liability system remains one of the most difficult issues for physicians. It places a communications barrier between physicians and their patients. It forces physicians to practice defensive medicine. Lawsuits put physicians at emotional, reputational and financial risk and they drain resources out of an already financially strapped national health care system, which could be used for medical research or expanded access to care for patients.The numbers are staggering:

A New Medicare Physician Payment System: Principles for Replacement of the SGR Formula for Surgeons 

1. Early intervention from specialists will create cost-effectiveness by decreasing unnecessary diagnostic testing, allowing preventive measures to thwart disease progression and allowing early intervention to prevent end-stage conditions.

Many aspects of health care in the United States are the best in the world; however, escalating expense, lack of access and variable quality must be addressed. Continuation of the current system or creation of a reformed system that will cost trillions of dollars, likely bankrupting the United States, is not acceptable.

Below are the principles of health care reform that Society for Vascular Surgery® (SVS) supports:

Background

As of January 1, 2011, co-insurance for the abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening benefit in Medicare (G0389) was waived for beneficiaries who qualify for this one-time screening as part of the Welcome to Medicare Physical Exam, which is available during the first twelve months of Medicare eligibility. These beneficiaries include men who have ever smoked and men and women with a family history of AAA.