- View Printable Newsletter Version
- President’s Message
- Hot Topics
- In Memoriam
- Pat on the Back
- Historical Committee Update
- Treasurer’s Report
- Ethics Corner
- Nominating Committee Update
- Corporate Relations Committee Update
- Long Range Planning Committee Update
- IMAST Committee Update
- Research Grants Committee Update
- Development Committee Update
- Global Outreach Committee Update
- Coding Corner: Modifier 59
- Morbidity & Mortality Committee Update
- Save the Dates for SRS 2016 Meetings
President's Message
Greetings to all of our members around the world.
We have just completed an outstanding IMAST meeting in Washington, D.C. Congratulations to Ronald Lehman, Jr., MD and Henry Halm, MD and the IMAST committee for all of their work in making it a success.
Hot Topics Articles
- In Memoriam – Klaus Zielke, MD, A Spine Pioneer
- Development Committee Report – $360,000 Raised for SRS 50th Anniversary
- M&M Committee Report – Attention to All Members to Send in M&M Data
In Memoriam
Klaus Zielke, MD
1931-2016
It is with great sadness that I have to announce the death of Dr. Klaus Zielke, to the SRS membership, who passed away on May 17, 2016.
Historical Committee Update
George H. Thompson, MD
SRS Historian
The committee will be conducting videotaped interviews with numerous individuals at the 51st Annual Meeting & Course in Prague, Czech Republic. This is in an effort to bring our video archives up to date and to add to our collection of interviews with significant influencers in the field of spine deformity.
Treasurer’s Report
J. Abbott Byrd, III, MD
Treasurer
SRS remains in sound financial condition. The data in this report is as of May 31, 2016, and will change by the end of the SRS fiscal year on December 31, 2016, but the information provided yields a glimpse at our financial status almost halfway through the fiscal year.
Ethics Corner
Kamal Ibrahim, MD, FRCS(C), MA
Ethics and Professionalism Committee Chair
Is this an ethical issue? The committee publishes in each issue of the newsletter a case for a possible ethical conflict and invites members to send their comments. John Lubicky,MD, wrote the ethical question for this issue. Please send your comments to [email protected]. The committee will collect all responses, summarize and publish them in the next newsletter.
Nominating Committee Update
John P. Dormans, MD, FACS
Nominating Committee Chair
The nomination period was from December 1, 2015, to March 1, 2016. All SRS members were invited to nominate members for the following positions: Vice-President, three Directors At-Large for the Board of Directors, and a Fellowship Committee member. We received an outstanding number of nominations for these positions and the Committee has subsequently reviewed and considered the large list of qualified candidates.
Corporate Relations Committee Update
John P. Dormans, MD, FACS
Corporate Relations Committee Chair
The committee remains quite active by communicating and meeting regularly with our corporate supporters. Dr. Dormans along with Todd Albert, MD and David Polly, Jr., MD, met with Globus Medical in mid-February to discuss plans to move to Double Diamond Level.
Long Range Planning Committee Update
John P. Dormans, MD, FACS
Long Range Planning Committee Chair
Montreal, Canada was approved as the location for the Annual Meeting & Course in 2019 and contract negotiations are nearly completed. Amsterdam, Netherlands was approved in July as the location for IMAST 2019 and contract negotiations are underway.
IMAST Committee Update
Ronald A. Lehman, Jr., MD
IMAST Committee Chair
We have just concluded our highly successful 23rd International Meeting on Advanced Spine Techniques (IMAST) held in Washington, D.C. July 13-16, 2016. We had over 870 registrants and 570 delegates attend the meeting, and we have already begun to focus on our 24th IMAST meeting to be held in Cape Town, South Africa from July 12-15, 2017.
Research Grant Committee Update
Michael K. Rosner, MD
Research Grant Committee Chair
Research and Education remains the principle lifeline of our society.
The Research Grant Committee received 20 grant applications in the spring cycle (April 1, 2016) that were reviewed and considered for funding. The research committee consists of 26 members who each reviewed approximately 6-7 grants for a designated team.
Development Committee Update
Serena S. Hu, MD
Development Committee Chair
The Scoliosis Research Society has long been aware of the strong roots that spine deformity fellowships have provided for spine surgeons worldwide. Many have gone to found spine fellowships, multiplying the impact that these training program have had. The Development Committee is working to memorialize the “Genealogy” of our members.
Global Outreach Committee Update
Ferran Pellisé, MD, PhD
Global Outreach Committee Chair
During 2016, the Global Outreach Committee has worked hard to accomplish the committee charges and develop its main priorities: a GOP Road Map, a new online GOP database and a GOP paper describing one year’s activity at various SRS GOP sites.
Coding Corner: Modifier 59
Matthew D. Hepler, MD
Coding Committee Chair
Introduction
There has been a significant increase in the number, breadth and depth of spine procedures performed in the United States in the last two decades and, concomitant with these trends, an increasingly complex coding system for documentation and billing. This complexity combined with enhanced payor scrutiny has resulted in more audit activity, more claim reviews and denials, and more administrative burden.
Morbidity & Mortality Committee Update
Jose A. Herrera-Soto, MD
Morbidity and Mortality Chair
The Morbidity & Mortality Committee has worked this year to improve the ease of use, utility and relevance of the SRS M&M database. The database is central to the goal of determining the rate of complications associated with the surgical treatment of spinal deformity, and the committee owes a debt of gratitude to the Fellows of SRS, whose enthusiastic participation in submission of their case data has made the database the success that it is.
Save the Dates for 2016 SRS Meetings!
To view future SRS meetings and other spine associations and societies' meeting, visit http://www.srs.org/professionals/conferences-and-meetings/calendar
Mark your calendars for the following future meetings: