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Ann Thorac Surg 1995;60:235
© 1995 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons
President, The Society of Thoracic Surgeons
The halfway point of my privilege to represent The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) has come, and I take this opportunity to update our members, and other interested readers, about selected happenings of general interest.
The STS is concerned about maintaining and continually improving the high quality of thoracic surgical practice in the United States during ongoing rapid change in our national health care policy as it affects thoracic surgery. The Society has been actively working toward this goal through studies of our specialty, and by ongoing interaction with the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), the Food and Drug Administration, the American College of Surgeons, and the American Medical Association.
The STS database on coronary artery surgery continues to provide the most and best information about this aspect of the work of our membership. It is the only voluntary nationwide source of such information. The data help surgeons to monitor themselves. The data assist The Society in representing its membership adequately, while the data collection methods protect the privacy of patients and their surgeons. Within recent months, steps have been taken to assure that each surgeon and each group can use the computer software program of its choice for data collection and retrieval. I have asked our Database Committee to broaden its activities through an additional focus on lung cancer outcome data. In addition, I have appointed an Ad Hoc Committee to examine the indications and outcome of lung reduction procedures.
Many of our patients are dependent on devices such as heart valves and pacemakers and other prosthetics. Therefore, The Society has been interacting with the Food and Drug Administration to ensure an optimum balance between reliance on devices and materials that have already stood the test of time and new devices that promise to be of greater benefit for our patients. In cooperation with the Food and Drug Administration, The Society will sponsor a workshop to discuss these issues later this year.
The Society has been concerned about workloads and workforce in thoracic surgery. In January, the Council was pleased to receive an informative report that is soon to be published about this issue. In addition, the Council approved publication of an STS study that has begun to relate the outcome of operations for coronary artery disease to the frequency with which surgeons do such procedures.
Last February, I participated in a meeting sponsored by the American College of Surgeons during which the Associate Director of HCFA outlined HCFA's plans to study practice expenses. The intent is to allow HCFA to determine the level at which it will reimburse surgeons for such expenses. In April 1995, HCFA announced that it had awarded to Abt Associates Inc a contract to study such expenses. The sequence of events that is expected to culminate in implementation of new practice expense allowances in January 1998 was outlined. Abt Associates, the winner of the competition for the HCFA contract, was previously commissioned by STS to study our own specialty. Using the methodology designed by Abt, but without Abt's further participation, STS intends to proceed with the study of our own practice expenses. We will also participate in an American College of Surgeons study that will provide a common denominator among surgical specialties.
Queries and suggestions from the STS membership, and important contributions from the STS/AATS Committee on Government Relations, prompted the STS decision to proceed with a series of strategic planning meetings. The intent is to determine what actions should be taken to maintain high quality in thoracic surgery. In July, a work group will meet to define the specific questions to be addressed, under the following headings:
In closing, I would like to share some thoughts about our annual meetings with you. Orlando in January 1996 will provide spectacular facilities, and we expect a superb program. I have asked the Program Committee to take steps toward making the program as interactive as possible. In particular, I have suggested that there be renewed emphasis on the exhibits in a format that would allow organized discussion groups led by moderators and initiated by the exhibitors themselves. Accordingly, I encourage you to submit some of your best work for presentation in the form of an exhibit. We have enjoyed a growing relationship with the European Association for Cardiothoracic Surgery, and we plan to welcome our European and other international colleagues in Orlando. We are in the process of planning the first joint meeting of the STS/European Association for Cardiothoracic Surgery in Europe, and I invite each reader's thoughts and suggestions.
The first 6 months of my presidency have passed quickly. The best part has been working with such incredibly talented and dedicated persons as exist in the STS membership.
Footnotes
Address reprint requests to Dr Benfield, Department of Surgery, UC Davis Medical Center, 4301 X St, #2250, Sacramento, CA 95817.
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