AOA Latest News                                                                                

What has the AOA done for you lately?

The AOA prides itself on being the professional family for DOs and osteopathic medical students by offering numerous services and benefits exclusively for its members. If you are an AOA member, we hope that you have taken full advantage of the many services and benefits available to you. We also hope that you have turned to us for assistance when you faced a dilemma during your career, whether discrimination because of your DO credentials, inaccurate portrayals of DOs in the media or coding and reimbursement issues. If the AOA has helped you deal with a challenging issue, let us know by filling out this member testimonial form. updated March 11

DO helps shed light on the dangers of inhalant abuse

On March 11, the AOA joined the National Inhalant Prevention Coalition and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration at a press conference to raise awareness about the dangers children face by sniffing inhalants to get high. Guest speakers included Jennifer N. Caudle, DO, an AOA board-certified family physician and director of the family medicine section of the Department of Internal Medicine at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore. Dr. Caudle was quoted as a media expert in articles published on ABCnews.com, FOXnews.com and CNN Health. The press conference kicks off National Inhalants and Poisons Awareness Week, which begins Sunday, March 14. updated March 11

Florida DO featured in media coverage of pending Medicare payment cuts

On March 3, AOA Trustee Joseph Giaimo, DO, was featured in a news broadcast on Florida NBC affiliate WPTV. During the broadcast, Dr. Giaimo discussed how Medicare physician payment cuts will affect physicians and their patients. As the AOA's representative to the Practicing Physicians Advisory Council, Dr. Giaimo regularly travels to Washington, D.C., to consult with Medicare and Medicaid officials about ensuring patient care by providing fair reimbursement for physicians. Watch the video. updated March 11

Congress extends 2009 Medicare pay rates for additional 30 days

The U.S. Senate has approved H.R. 4691, legislation that extends the current Medicare physician payment policy until March 31, 2010. The bill, which passed in the Senate by a vote of 78-19, was approved by the House of Representatives on February 26. The Senate vote ensures that the 21.2% cut in Medicare physician payments scheduled to take effect March 1 will be averted for 30 additional days. The AOA urges all physicians to take action by asking members of Congress to permanently repeal the SGR formula. Contact your lawmakers. updated March 11

AOA provides members with one-stop shop for HIT information

To reap the rewards of more than $19 billion in financial incentives for health information technology (HIT) adoption provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, physicians must make "meaningful use" of HIT and use qualified or certified electronic health record systems. The AOA has created a one-stop shop for all AOA members interested in learning more about how to become a meaningful user and what they need to do to collect federal HIT incentive payments, which will become available starting in 2011. Learn more. updated Feb. 19

Osteopathic family unites in response to New York Times article

Members of the osteopathic family have united to educate the public in response to an article titled "Expecting a Surge in U.S. Medical Schools" that was published on the front page of The New York Times on Feb. 15, 2010. Noting an influx in the number of medical schools opening across the country, the article failed to acknowledge the five osteopathic medical schools that have opened during the last four years. AOA President Larry A. Wickless and several other members of the osteopathic medical profession have written letters to the editor describing rapid growth in the number of osteopathic medical students and the contributions of DOs who treat patients in medically underserved regions. Read The New York Times article. Read letters to the editor from members of the osteopathic family. updated Feb. 18

Archived News>>