• College Supports Patient Charter for Physician
  Performance Measurement
• New ABN of Noncoverage Available from CMS
• OSHA Encourages Use of Blunt-Tip Suture Needles

College Supports Patient Charter for Physician
Performance Measurement
Earlier this month, the American College of Surgeons expressed support for the Consumer Purchaser Disclosure Project’s efforts to develop a patient charter for physician performance measurement. The charter promotes fairness and transparency in health care quality measurement and reporting programs.
 Details online

New ABN of Noncoverage Available from CMS
The new Advanced Beneficiary Notice (ABN) of Noncoverage, which the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized last month, is now available for use. Surgeons have until September 1 to switch to the new form, which differs from the previous version in several ways.
 Learn more about it

OSHA Encourages Use of Blunt-Tip Suture Needles
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the National Institute on Occupational Safety and Health recently issued a safety and health information bulletin, which advises surgical personnel to use blunt-tip suture needles to reduce the risk of percutaneous injuries.
 More information online