Dear Midwest AAOE Members,
The staff of Midwest AAOE hopes you will find this e-newsletter and subsequent editions beneficial. The Midwest AAOE strives to inform members of relevant information useful to your everyday practices. Please email us with additions you would like to see in the coming e-newsletters at fcobbe@cobbemanagement.com The Midwest AAOE Staff
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AAOS Launches Public Awareness Campaign
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 The AAOS is launching a new public awareness campaign called "A Nation in Motion: One Patient at a Time." This campaign will tell the stories of patients across the country whose lives have been saved or restored by orthopaedic care.
As you know, our strongest ambassadors are our patients, whose lives are forever changed by our care. With this in mind, we ask that you identify patients who are willing to share their stories of restored independence, productivity and improved quality of life.
Here's how you can help us make this initiative a success:
- Choose patients whose stories embody "A Nation in Motion: One Patient at a Time."
- Talk to them - or ask someone in your office to do so - and invite your patients to submit their stories on our website, www.anationinmotion.org, or alternatively, ask them for permission to use their story. Then you or someone on your staff can then submit the stories on their behalf.
- We would like to have these responses as soon as possible, but before Friday, March 23, 2012.
AAOS staff members will contact some of these patients to hear more and develop more comprehensive profiles. In April, selected stories will be shared on a new "A Nation in Motion" website and the Academy will launch a national media outreach campaign.
Thank you in advance for your leadership and participation. If you have any questions or would like additional information about this campaign, please call or email Sandra R. Gordon, 847-384-4030 or gordon@aaos.org.
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OIG Report Questions Validity of CERT Contractors Error Rate
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The Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued a report in February on CERT contractors. The report criticized CERT contractors for not doing adequate outreach when conducting audits, noting that if the CERT  contractor had conducted additional outreach, the error rate would have been lower. The report is available at http://oig.hhs.gov/oas/reports/region10/11100502.asp
The report provides the results of a pilot project to obtain missing documentation identified in the fiscal year 2010 CERT Program. The report notes the CERT review contractor overturned its claim payment denials for 46 claims because it determined that the additional medical records that OIG obtained were sufficient to show that the services or items billed were medically necessary. The report notes the CERT documentation contractor did not initially obtain all the necessary documentation for these claims because it did not always contact referring providers directly to obtain the documentation to support medical necessity; redirect follow-up documentation requests to compliance or reimbursement personnel; or seek signature attestations when signatures on clinicians' notes were illegible or missing. The report states that additional efforts to obtain missing documentation could more clearly reflect the true status of improper payments in the error rate estimate.
Recommendations to CMS include:
* continue to educate providers regarding documentation required to support medical necessity;
* assess improper payments identified by the CERT review contractor and the overturned denials of claim payments to identify those who would benefit from additional requests for medical records; and
* contact referring providers directly to obtain documentation to support medical necessity.
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Volunteers Needed
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 During the upcoming Spring Meeting the membership for Midwest AAOE will elect new leaders for the organization. This is a request for volunteers who are willing to step into a leadership role.
The organization operates on a Leadership Line basis so we are looking to fill the Secretary/Treasurer position. The current officers will ascend the Leadership Line and continue their service to the organization.
Sample job descriptions are available for the various officer positions on the Board of Directors. Please email fcobbe@cobbemanagement.com to review these job descriptions and consider getting involved!
These are exciting times to be in the leadership of the organization as we continue to pursue expanded benefits and membership. While any leadership position involves a commitment of time and energy, we hope to make it as painless and professionally rewarding as possible.
If you are interested in running for Secretary/Treasurer please send Fraser Cobbe an email expressing your interest.
Please note we will also be appointing a Program Committee for the Fall Meeting. If you are interested in shaping the educational programming for the Fall Meeting, please let me know. We value your input and active participation.
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