Four pairs of experts squared off at the Triological Society Combined Sections Meeting in a session of mini-debates over limits on training of residents, treatment of Zenker’s diverticulum, implantable hearing aids and the best approach to oropharyngeal cancer.
The right way to restore a patient’s nose after cancer depends on subtle factors: The shape, the depth, and the precise location of the wound all dictate how to go about the reconstruction, according to experts at the Triological Society Combined Sections Meeting.
Hemangiomas in pediatric patients pose a special challenge because the proper way to proceed might not be clear immediately, according to panelists at the Triological Society Combined Sections Meeting.
More and more options are emerging to help patients improve their hearing, a group of aural rehabilitation panelists said on Jan. 27 at the Triological Society Combined Sections Meeting.
Doctors Rima and Robert DeFatta, married otolaryngologists who work at Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, spend about an hour each day dealing with insurance-related hassles. About 20 percent of their patients are un- or underinsured, so the two physicians spend time dashing off letters to insurance companies, re-jiggering treatment plans and helping patients access available resources. Recently, Rima DeFatta, MD, had to figure out how to diagnose a patient who presented with symptoms that suggested possible neurologic involvement.
The American Board of Otolaryngology is preparing to launch the final component of its maintenance of certification (MOC) program this year. In addition to the goals of lifelong learning and quality improvement, the last of this four-part program should help otolaryngologists comply with performance incentives from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
When patients with allergic rhinitis don’t respond to medical therapy, an otolaryngologist’s arsenal of treatment includes surgical options. Among these is radiofrequency (RF) turbinate reduction, also known as RF turbinate ablation or turbinoplasty, an office procedure that advocates say is cost-effective and minimally invasive, with fewer complications than other surgical remedies. Some otolaryngologists, however, are still hesitant to use this relatively new therapy.
Triological Society members should constantly be assessing their contributions to their profession and working to create meaningful legacies in line with the group’s traditions, said Society President Frank E. Lucente, MD, in his presidential address at the Annual Meeting of the society, part of the Combined Otolaryngology Spring Meetings held here April 28-May 2.
The new health system reform law includes a number of quality provisions that physician organizations say are not ready for primetime and won’t be ready in the time frame established by Congress.
