SUPPLEMENT ARTICLE
Foreword ahatma Gandhi stated, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” Change is inevitable, and healthcare delivery and reimbursement are changing quickly. This is primarily due to the huge increase in cost of healthcare with expenditures approaching 20% of Gross Domestic Product by 2016. It is clear that the evolution and change in the American healthcare system over the coming decades will directly impact orthopaedic trauma surgeons and their practice. Trauma is a highly prevalent disease across the United States and the world—a traumatic event can occur to anyone in our society. Orthopaedic trauma surgeons are a key player in any trauma system, and as the rubber meets the road with implementation of the Affordable Care Act, orthopaedic traumatologists must take an active role in directing and implementing policy and practice changes. As shifts in policy influence the American healthcare landscape and the manner in which orthopaedic trauma surgeons provide care, our involvement in national policy debates will be critical. This Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma supplement by Doctors Sethi, Jahangir, and Mir will help all to understand the evolution of healthcare reform as it has evolved from the implementation of Medicare to the Affordable Care Act of 2010. It will also explore the Massachusetts experiment with healthcare reform, a model for the Affordable Care Act of 2010 and its impact on orthopaedic trauma, global systems of healthcare, and trauma in other countries, as well as the US military health system, which has provided a high volume of critical trauma care for the last decade. Guidance on how surgeons can impact policy change for orthopaedic trauma is also explored, and the critical issues of medical liability and the future of orthopaedic trauma education with particular attention to the finances and volume of surgeons to train will be addressed. The goal of this supplement is for orthopaedic trauma surgeons and all orthopaedic surgeons to have a better understanding of the past evolution and the future of health care as it relates to trauma care in the United States. Orthopaedic surgeons are a critical component of the care of the patients in this country with traumatic injuries. They have great ability to impact the direction and future of change in healthcare policy and trauma care. This supplement will help all to understand, direct, and implement inevitable changes in the policies and delivery of trauma in the United States.
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William T. Obremskey, MD, MPH, MMHC Professor and Vice-chair Vanderbilt Department of Orthopedics Chief Division of Trauma Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville, TN.
Accepted for publication July 17, 2014. Supported by a grant from the Department of Defense. W. T. Obremskey is a member of the Board of Directors of the OTA, Southeastern Fracture Consortium. Reprints: William T. Obremskey, MD, MPH, MMHC, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Suite 4200 MCE South Tower, Nashville, TN 37232 (e-mail: [email protected]). Copyright © 2014 by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
J Orthop Trauma Volume 28, Number 10 Supplement, October 2014
www.jorthotrauma.com |
S1
Foreword ahatma Gandhi stated, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” Change is inevitable, and healthcare delivery and reimbursement are changing quickly. This is primarily due to the huge increase in cost of healthcare with expenditures approaching 20% of Gross Domestic Product by 2016. It is clear that the evolution and change in the American healthcare system over the coming decades will directly impact orthopaedic trauma surgeons and their practice. Trauma is a highly prevalent disease across the United States and the world—a traumatic event can occur to anyone in our society. Orthopaedic trauma surgeons are a key player in any trauma system, and as the rubber meets the road with implementation of the Affordable Care Act, orthopaedic traumatologists must take an active role in directing and implementing policy and practice changes. As shifts in policy influence the American healthcare landscape and the manner in which orthopaedic trauma surgeons provide care, our involvement in national policy debates will be critical. This Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma supplement by Doctors Sethi, Jahangir, and Mir will help all to understand the evolution of healthcare reform as it has evolved from the implementation of Medicare to the Affordable Care Act of 2010. It will also explore the Massachusetts experiment with healthcare reform, a model for the Affordable Care Act of 2010 and its impact on orthopaedic trauma, global systems of healthcare, and trauma in other countries, as well as the US military health system, which has provided a high volume of critical trauma care for the last decade. Guidance on how surgeons can impact policy change for orthopaedic trauma is also explored, and the critical issues of medical liability and the future of orthopaedic trauma education with particular attention to the finances and volume of surgeons to train will be addressed. The goal of this supplement is for orthopaedic trauma surgeons and all orthopaedic surgeons to have a better understanding of the past evolution and the future of health care as it relates to trauma care in the United States. Orthopaedic surgeons are a critical component of the care of the patients in this country with traumatic injuries. They have great ability to impact the direction and future of change in healthcare policy and trauma care. This supplement will help all to understand, direct, and implement inevitable changes in the policies and delivery of trauma in the United States.
M
William T. Obremskey, MD, MPH, MMHC Professor and Vice-chair Vanderbilt Department of Orthopedics Chief Division of Trauma Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville, TN.
Accepted for publication July 17, 2014. Supported by a grant from the Department of Defense. W. T. Obremskey is a member of the Board of Directors of the OTA, Southeastern Fracture Consortium. Reprints: William T. Obremskey, MD, MPH, MMHC, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Suite 4200 MCE South Tower, Nashville, TN 37232 (e-mail: [email protected]). Copyright © 2014 by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
J Orthop Trauma Volume 28, Number 10 Supplement, October 2014
www.jorthotrauma.com |
S1
