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Posted on 08/15/2009 7:32:56 PM PDT by kingattax
President Obama has alienated the very profession whose services he will soon need to surgically remove the foot which is starting to chronically be stuck in his mouth. Orthopedic surgeons have defended their honor in response to an outrageous and ignorant attack from the POTUS.
Statement from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Regarding Comments from President Obama
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) is profoundly disappointed with President Obama's recent comments regarding the value of surgery and blurring the realities of physician reimbursements. The AAOS represents over 17,000 US board-certified orthopaedic surgeons who provide essential services to patients every day. As President Obama has said, "Where we do disagree, let's disagree over things that are real, not these wild misrepresentations that bear no resemblance to anything that's actually been proposed." In that spirit, we would like to bring some clarity to his comments and underscore the value that orthopaedic surgeons bring to Americans every day of every year.
First, surgeons are neither reimbursed by Medicare, nor any provider for that matter, for foot amputations at rates anywhere close to $50,000, $40,000 or even $30,000. Medicare reimbursements to physicians for foot amputations range from approximately $700 to $1200 which includes the follow up care the surgeon provides to the patient up to 90 days after the operation. Moreover, orthopaedic surgeons are actively involved in the preventive care he mentions. We are a specialty that focuses on limb preservation whenever possible and when it is in the best interests of the patient. Our approach to amputation follows the same careful, thoughtful approach, always with the patients best interest as the primary focus.
It is also a mischaracterization to suggest that physicians are reimbursed "immediately." The AAOS itself, along with numerous other organizations, has testified in Congressional hearings investigating the delays in reimbursement by Medicare and other payers that create additional administrative burdens making it more difficult to provide access to care for patients.
As President Obama continues to pursue the health care reform agenda, we implore him to disengage from hyperbole and acknowledge that health care delivery can only be improved by recognizing that health care is a system in which orthopaedic surgeons play a crucial role. With $849 billion of our national economy impacted by musculoskeletal conditions, orthopaedic surgeons provide care that improves lives and puts people back to work. Pediatric orthopaedic surgeons provide life-altering care to our nation's children and play an invaluable role in ensuring Medicaid patients have access to needed services. Military and civilian orthopaedic surgeons provide care to our service women and men which preserves limbs and has improved survival rates over past conflicts. Orthopaedic trauma surgeons perform limb- and life-saving procedures and help to ensure that our communities have the medical services that we all deserve. Total hip and knee replacement surgeries are now two of the most successful operations in medicine through a predictable reduction in pain, restoration of function, and return of patients to both work and activities of daily living. And we are working every day to ensure that medicine provides Americans with disabilities the quality of life to which they are entitled.
The AAOS is committed to improving the American health care delivery system and increasing health care coverage. The most expedient way to accomplish health care reform is to ensure that the debate is based in fact and reflects the value of the services that all physicians, including orthopaedic surgeons, provide.
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I have great respect for orthopedic surgeons.
I have no respect for Zer0.
First the Orthopedic Surgeon teamed with the Oral Surgeon have to wait for the Urology Surgeon to remove his head, mouth and foot from his BUM.
Lamh Foistenach Abu!
First he alienates the American College of Surgeons, now the American Academy of Orthopedists. Hope none of the Obamas need surgery anytime soon. He really should take the time to learn something about health care before he runs his mouth.
And we are working every day to ensure that medicine provides Americans with disabilities the quality of life to which they are entitled.
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Very well stated! The word “ENTITLED”, says it all...
Ping!
"But, if that same diabetic ends up getting their foot amputated, that's $30,000, $40-50,000 immediately the surgeon is reimbursed."
"But why not make sure that we're also reimbursing the care that prevents the amputation, right? That'll save us money ?"
His wife was a very highly paid hospital administrator. Couldn’t she help him out a bit? He appears clueless about medical issues. Reminds me of when HRC said she and Bill had just become aware that nutrition played a part in health back in ‘93, while trying to hijack the whole system.
They should forget about his lies re: the reimbursement figures and comment on his calling them butchers who chop limbs off for greed. THAT is a disgusting charge.
It’s obvious that these physicians are all racists.
Lamh Foistenach Abu!
If we wait too much longer, someone will have to plunge scissors into the skull of the bill to suck out thousands of pages of concepts and ideas.
There is no compromise with Marxism. We need to counsel SanFranNan and Dingy Harry that the 'end of life' is near for this dung heap.
Actually, I think he would need a proctologist for that....but Zero is SUCH a wanker, the Urologist would probably come in handy, too. :-)
Was the comment with or without the teleprompter?
Inquiring minds want to know if just the president, or the president and his speechwriters, are idiots.
michelle's hospital "job" was a political gratuity. my neighbor's parakeet knows more about medical issues than either one of these phonies
What does Obummer even hope to gain by insulting doctors and surgeons by calling them heartless greedy evil scumbags? This man is the POTUS but to hear him talk you’d think he was a combination of Hitler, Stalin and Mussolini.
I was thinking the same thing - you made me laugh tonight - thanks, I needed that!
What does Obummer even hope to gain by insulting doctors and surgeons by calling them heartless greedy evil scumbags? This man is the POTUS but to hear him talk you’d think he was a combination of Hitler, Stalin and Mussolini.
Not to worry - he can always go to Mombasa or Djakarta for the national health care he’ll need.
I have almost full use of my right hand due to my surgeon’s skill and care.
Obama should apologize immediately.
Maybe he should keep Gates’ table out in the garden for another beer fest.
Exactly! That was the main point that he was calling them butchers, they should be outraged and marching on Washington.
If Obummer gets sick while in the WH, I wonder what the surgeon would think while he was on the table in light of the things Obummer has said about doctors and surgeons.
His wife’s job was to ensure that beds were available for their rich patients thus the hospital under her position did patient dumping. She only got the job paying $350,000 because he did an earmark to the hospital for millions.
0be keeps bringing up this lame example of having to amputate the foot of a diabetic. I think it has something to do with his Islamic upbringing.
Lamh Foistenach Abu!
Islamists just aren’t happy unless they are cutting off limbs and heads of people. You’d think they would have ways to make better use of their time. Oh, wait. They have. It’s called suicide bombs.
Typical "community organizer" mentality. Demonize any and everything to convince your audience that you are the only one to be trusted. Similar to a con man, only not as honorable.
All I can add is --- GO GET HIM, DOCS!!!!
Obama is a racist & socialist, who thinks he knows better than the little people! You watch, he’ll have a few Doctors over to the White House for beers and a photo op. There all fixed!
He and his party comrads can go to H*LL and burn.
That is a joke right?
All M had was an empty title. This hospital made it their practice to turn away the poorer people in the neighborhood and send them to a more distant hospital.
The Messiah said, “Doctors are acting stupidly.”
And we are are working every day to ensure that medicine provides Americans with disabilities the optimal quality of life that each patient's circumstances will allow. That reduces it to the physician working one to one with the individual patient, rather than government dictating "entitlements," i.e., it places primary emphasis on the Hippocratic model as vastly superior to the ObamaCare model.
The “$50,000 per foot” comment is one of the more outrageous lies that Obama has been getting away with out there. It’s those kind of comments that just fuel the anger at these town hall meetings.
I would not want to be in any Congress Critter’s shoes who is out there trying to sell this BS. The Dhimmies raved for eight years about what a poor communicator GWB was...but Bush’s gaffes never came close to this, and it has to be infuriating for some of the Democrats to be forced to go out and attempt to defend this kind of crap.
It sells to the urban legend culture for which it is intended.
BTTT!
The problem is that he probably honestly believes that. And his wife probably believes that as well. They are Marxists. To them all profit is theft, therefore rich neurosurgeons or heart specialists are greedy profiteers stealing more than they should. I really don't believe he can help saying what he believes. It is the core of his life, and so far it has carried him to the White House.
The Messiah is an embarrassment to our country.
“His wife was a very highly paid hospital administrator. Couldn’t she help him out a bit?”
I think she was in Inhuman Relations; she probably doesn’t know any more than he does.
Just what the world needs, another political leader from the "Beer Garden"
But, apparently he still has the support of the American Medical Association. Further, he has the continuing support of the American Trial Lawyers Association, as there is nothing in the health bill that I've heard of concerning tort reform.
spot on Clock K.... Obama is a Marxist.. he wants to be Supreme commander of all us comrades, and dole out goodies to the Unions and crumbs to the rest of us...
he believes that property is theft.. he believes that making a good living is theft... he knows that sometimes life isn’t fair, but he thinks, being Jesus, that he can change that.
what an effing creep this guy is ... honestly.
As a child I required a lenghtly and highly sophisticated hip surgery, as well as an amputation, in order to use an artificial leg. The orthopedic surgeon who performed my surgeries, the late, profoundly gifted Dr. Charles V. Heck of Chicago, later became the president of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. To my knowledge there is no higher position bestowed upon an orthopedist in this country.
Why do I mention all this? Because following my
procedures, Dr. Heck flatly refused to do so much as issue a bill for my work, nor would he accept payment of any kind. Though he knew we had the means available to pay him, he also knew my father had died a few years prior. He was of the opinion that I would need the money more than he did. So as was often true of dear Dr. Heck, no meant no. He never collected a dime for the brilliant work he’d performed for me.
So much for supposed money-grubbing, faux surgery-pushing orthopedists, eh? You might say, ‘Well, maybe those surgeons hadn’t been invented yet,’ but you’d be wrong. I have yet to meet one.
Would someone please be so kind as to tell obama (lower case intentional) that I went on to enjoy college, normal family life, motherhood, and careers in both real estate and publishing. I am also a taxpayer and a natural born American citizen. Oh, dear. He won’t be able to understand any of that, now will he? Well perhaps rahm will be able to explain to him. Or not....
Yes, I agree with your statement...& it makes quite a bit of sense. My interpretation of entitled, in this instance is that it is a God given right that all people be allowed to live to their fullest capacity with any treatments available to them. This country is the most advanced in medicine, and they should be allowed access to the treatment. Their doctors should be allowed to work with them individually, in whatever capacity can be afforded.
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