Current News
AACE 2009-2010 Committee Appointments
AACE members are encouraged to become involved in the Association’s programs and activities by serving on an AACE committee(s) and/or task force(s) for the 2009-2010 Association year. The following link includes a Committee Request form, a list of AACE committees, and a list of charges for each committee: http://www.aace.com/org/pdf/AACECommitteeRequestForm.pdf.
If you are interested in serving on one or more of the committees and/or task forces and wish to be considered for appointment in the 2009-2010 Association year, download, complete and fax the request form to the attention of Betty Daly, Executive Assistant to the CEO, at 904-353-6755 by December 29, 2008. Members may apply for up to five (5) different AACE committees.
FINAL RULE ISSUED FOR PATIENT SAFETY ORGANIZATIONS
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has issued a final rule for Patient Safety Organizations (PSOs)...Read more at the AACE Patient Safety Exchange.
Physicians with Special Interest in Nerve Conduction Testing Needed for Project
Do you currently use Nerve Conduction testing in your practice? Would you like to see higher reimbursement for services provided to your patients?
The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, (AACE) and several other physician specialty groups invite physicians with practices that provide Nerve Conduction testing to participate in a short Nerve Conduction Testing code survey, December 2nd-12th, 2008.
Data on the work effort, complexity and time involved providing this testing is needed by CMS to establish Nerve Conduction Testing code values. The codes to be surveyed describe Nerve Conduction Testing services. The survey will be administered as part of the American Medical Association (AMA) RUC survey process and is a critical step in establishing code value for this service. This ultimately affects the level of reimbursement for this service.
To provide your willingness to participate in this highly valuable survey, please click on the following http://www.aace.com/advocacy/coding/ntsurvey.php to input your contact information. You will be contacted by a company working with AACE to develop reimbursement guidelines for in-office nerve testing.
AACE Successfully Petitions BCBS of Massachusetts to Recognize Criterion for Diagnostic Imaging Services
In a letter dated September 8, 2008, BCBS of Massachusetts informed AACE they will accept the Consensus Criteria Permitting Endocrinologists to Officially Interpret as well as Perform Diagnostic Head and Neck Ultrasounds and Ultrasound-Guided Fine Needle Aspiration (UGFNA) in the evaluation of thyroid and parathyroid disorders ... Read More
Attention AACE members:
AACE needs your input! On behalf of the AACE Board of Directors and Membership Committee, please complete the following survey:
http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB228HGVTEBHE so we may assess your opinions about possibly including a provision in the Bylaws for an affiliate membership for Allied Health Care Professionals.
Please include any additional comments in the comment section of the survey. The survey will be available for the next 30 days.
FDA Reports Recall of ReliOn Disposable Single-Use Hypodermic Syringes - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is notifying health care professionals and patients that Tyco Healthcare Group LP (Covidien) is recalling one lot of ReliOn sterile, single-use, disposable, hypodermic syringes with permanently affixed hypodermic needles due to possible mislabeling. The use of these syringes may lead to patients receiving an overdose of as much as 2.5 times the intended dose, which may lead to hypoglycemia, serious health consequences, and even death. The FDA urges patients and health care professionals to check their syringe packaging carefully for syringes labeled as 100 units for use with U-100 insulin from Lot Number 813900. Consumers and health care professionals who suspect they have the recalled product may also contact Covidien at 866-780-5436 or www.relion.com/recall for more information. Complete details are available at http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2008/NEW01911.html.
The Obama Victory - How it May Affect Patient Safety Efforts in the US - Read more at the AACE Patient Safety Exchange.
National Launch of Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) Program Delayed....read more
President Bush Proclaims November 2008 as National Diabetes Month...Click Here
AACE Call for Abstracts
The AACE Call for Abstracts online abstract submission program is now open through December 15, 2008. Please visit www.aace.com/poster/2009 for more information.
ALERT-2009 ICD-9-CM CODES
It's time to review your charge tickets and encounter forms to see if the 2009 revisions and/or additions affect your practice. These diagnosis codes take effect on October 1, 2008, and CMS does not allow a grace period: Claims with invalid codes will be rejected. Be sure to verify all ICD-9-CM codes with your new 2009 ICD-9-CM manual.
Check the following list of new, revised, and invalid endocrine specific codes to verify which ones may impact your practice click here
Low Thyroid Function Linked to Heart Failure Risk
The results of an observational study in the Sept. 30 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology have been getting significant attention in the press this week.
The story can be found in its entirety here.
As patients may see this story and ask you or your practice questions, AACE has developed a few quick talking points to help you discuss the meaning of these results.
- This was an observational study that does not demonstrate benefit of treatment but suggests it might.
- The study only found an increased incidence of congestive heart failure in those with TSH levels over 10, not below.
- This is consistent with existing AACE policy, as first stated by Dr. Hossein Gharib in this Subclinical Thyroid Consensus Statement in 2005.
“Treatment of a subclinically hypothyroid patient with a TSH below 10 remains a judgment call,” says Daniel Duick, MD, FACP, FACE, and President of AACE. “This report does not call for any change in treatment guidelines.”
To see the AACE Clinical Practice Guidelines on hypothyroidism, click here.A study presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Rome Italy and concurrently published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) showed that after six months of using Continuous Glucose Monitoring devices, adults above the age of 24 with type 1 diabetes had significantly better blood sugar control, as reflected by a drop in A1c levels of approximately 0.5%--without an increase in the incidence of hypoglycemia.
- Read the full story here.
- For additional commentary, visit the AACE Patient Safety Exchange Web site
A new report in JAMA shows four additional deaths related to Byetta. At this time, it is unclear if the deaths were related to pancreatitis. In the previous FDA report on exenatide in 2007, none of the cases of pancreatitis led to death, although there were serious complications in several cases. What we do not know is what the true incidence is of pancreatitis in patients who are placed on exenatide. Is pancreatitis on exenatide a rare phenomenon, or is it far more common than presently reported? AACE Immediate Past President, Richard Hellman, MD, FACP, FACE, addresses these questions, and the important issue of how to best manage your patients' safety, at the AACE website dedicated to patient safety issues: http://www.aacepatientsafetyexchange.com. Click here to view the editorial and to participate in the discussion.
Diabetes Experts Recommend One–Two Punch for Treating Patients with Pre–Diabetes — Read the full story here
Ask The Experts: Irl Hirsch, MD, Responds to Inquiry on CSII in Hospital Settings in the Discussion Forum ... Post your comments using the TalkBack form! ... Read More at the AACE Patient Safety Exchange
AACE Representative Testifies at FDA Advisory Panel Vote for the Approval of Diabetes Drugs - Click here to read the full story.
AACE Partners with Celebrity Chef to provide Healthy Menu Makeovers to Spanish speaking diabetes patients...More
NOW AVAILABLE: 2008 Version of ACE Self Assessment Program (ASAP)
What is ASAP?
- The American College of Endocrinology Self-Assessment Program (ASAP) provides a core curriculum with updated information on the evaluation, diagnosis, treatment, and management of endocrine disease.
- ASAP fulfills the cognitive needs of the endocrinologist to be effective and competent in delivering optimal endocrine care and assists endocrinologists in preparation and maintenance of their subspecialty certification.
- ASAP also provides an opportunity for endocrinologists to meet in part, state licensure requirements for CME.
AACE Member - $220.00
AACE Member - Fellow-in-Training - $120
Non-Member - $300.00
To participate in the 2008 version of ASAP, please click on the following link: http://asap.aace.com
Endotext, a comprehensive, authoritative, and easily accessible source of information on all aspects of clinical endocrinology is accessible to AACE domestic and international members...More