Series Shines a Light on Game-Changing Developments in Otolaryngology
The 2022 EVP/CEO Spotlight Series aims to enhance the value of the meeting for membership and the specialty as a whole.
While most of the AAO-HNSF 2022 Annual Meeting & OTO Experience program is focused on the science, there are several developments happening in other areas of the specialty that you need to be aware of. It was with that in mind that James C. Denneny III, MD, AAO-HNS/F EVP/CEO, chose five sessions that will highlight—and in some cases change the game for—several arenas.
“There are a lot of things that happen day-to-day, legislatively, regulatorily, and otherwise that affect our members’ ability to practice medicine and give the best care that don’t really fit into the scientific categories of the rest of the meeting,” Dr. Denneny said. “Many of these are late-breaking topics that would otherwise not be on the program. I look at these presentations as delivering added value to the overall program.”
The first of these sessions, which takes place on Sunday, September 11, from 10:15 - 10:45 am (ET) is “How Reg-entSM Can Create Advocacy Tools.”
This presentation demonstrates how Reg-ent, our clinical data registry, can identify, quantify, and validate real-world evidence that can be used to advocate for fair valuation and reasonable administrative responsibility,” Dr. Denneny said. “Reg-ent has the potential to be a game changer as a tool as we advocate for the best patient care.”
Jean Brereton, MBA, Senior Director of Research and Quality, will present a Reg-ent update followed by Vikas Mehta, MD, MPH, AAO-HNSF Coordinator for Research and Quality, presenting data on the evolving transition to office-based surgical care, and Dr. Denneny presenting otolaryngology data on 10- and 90-day global surgical packages.
“Post-op global surgical packages have been a bone of contention for a number of years with Medicare,” Dr. Denneny said. In recent years, there has been a unilateral devaluation of postoperative visits and a continuation of the push from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to move away from post-op global surgical packages to more of an a la carte method of reimbursement. Dr. Denneny said moving to such a system could decrease surgical results because people will stop coming to get post-op care due to the increased out-of-pocket expense for patients and their families.
“There’s been some controversy as to whether some of the post-op care is actually being given,” he said. “The data that we have is hopefully going to accurately describe the global post-op model and show its value. This could be an immediate game changer since CMS is seeking alternative ways to accurately value these services.”
Also on Sunday, September 11, from 1:00 - 2:00 pm (ET) is an extremely valuable presentation, titled “Independent Private Practice Paradigms That Continue to Thrive in the Current Healthcare Environment.” Dr. Denneny said that the Academy’s recently renewed focus on private practice and the formation of the Private Practice Study Group helped spawn this session that will be important to the everyday practice of medicine.
“There are a lot of challenges in navigating the payment landscape with both government and private payers,” he said. “The presenters have practices that have been extremely successful, and they will be sharing some of the ways they’ve been able to overcome regulatory hurdles and burdens. It is a ‘how I do it’ from some of the premier practices in the United States.”
On Monday, September 12, from 3:45 - 4:45 pm (ET), “What I Know Now That I Wish I Understood Then!” will feature presentations from giants in the field of otolaryngology—Robert A. Glazer, MPA, and Daniel R. Gold, MD—offering the wisdom they have gained from running their own successful practices.
“This is coming from people who’ve had tremendous experience and are now extremely successful,” Dr. Denneny said. “They’ll share what they’ve learned over the years and hopefully some of those new to practice can learn from it. It’s kind of like listening to hall of fame ball players talk about the things they did that worked and didn’t work.”
A new addition to the EVP/CEO Spotlight Series is “The Otolaryngology Workforce,” happening Tuesday, September 13, from 9:15 - 10:15 am (ET). Dr. Denneny said this session will provide an overview of a new workforce study currently underway from the AAO-HNS Workforce and Socioeconomic Task Force. This is the first time such a study is being done in 10 years.
“It will be a longitudinal study that covers the breadth of the specialty as well as some socioeconomic data,” Dr. Denneny said. “It will be done every year so we can see what fields residents are going into, whether we are overspecializing, and whether we are over or undersupplied. As equitable access becomes a primary focus in healthcare delivery, it will be critical as a specialty to maximize high quality access to our care broadly. The information delivered from this project will help make this possible,” he said.
Another area that has made headlines recently involves the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) recent release of regulations for the sale of over-the-counter hearing aids. On Tuesday, September 13, from 2:15 - 3:15 pm (ET), those attending “Maintaining a Viable and Effective Dispensing Program in the OTC Hearing Aid Era” will get the latest from Dr. Denneny.
Dr. Denneny will review the key areas of the FDA’s regulations that become effective October 17, 2022. Joining the discussion are AAO-HNS/F President-elect Douglas Backous, MD, and Dan Quall, AuD, CCC-A, who will detail how they will affect existing physician dispensing programs.
“When this starts in October, the market’s going to be in a bit of disarray because you don’t need a hearing test or medical evaluation to purchase these devices,” Dr. Denneny said. “There will likely be an influx of new patients into the system, many of whom will realize that the best result comes from professional hearing healthcare services. We will need to be ready to provide the care and advice they need within an evolving system to restore their hearing to the best level possible.”
