HEAD 2007 Committee

HEAD
2007
Committee
HEAD
Highlights
Deck
O
ne of the key functions of the
Academy is the organization
and management of committees. Committees covering many areas
contribute to the growth of the specialty,
from the creation of educational materials for AcademyUTM and patient information leaflets, to the development of
policy statements. The November 2007
issue of the Bulletin listed the rosters for
66 committees, along with the new steering committee structure. On the following pages are brief summaries of actions
taken by many of the committees over
the past year.
The committee application process is
now open. As you read these reports, if
you see a project or initiative where you
feel you can contribute your expertise,
consider applying to sit on that committee. To apply, visit www.entnet.org/
keyword/committee. The deadline to
apply is February 1, 2008.
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Allergy and Immunology
Chair: Richard C. Haydon, MD
The committee updated the clinical
indicators on allergy testing for allergic rhinitis, re-endorsed the AAO-HNS
policy statements for Remote Practice
of Allergy, and provided the General
Otolaryngology Education Committee
with proposed language for the inclusion of allergy in the 2008 update for the
Primary Care Otolaryngology book.
BOG Big On Goals Committee
Chair: Jay S. Youngerman, MD
The committee enlarged their charge
to include fundraising efforts attached
to specific projects. Bob Olson, AAOHNS Development Director, presented
current fundraising efforts, including
Legacy Circle, Millennium Society, the
Adams Center campaign, and Physicians
Network. BOG Chair, Pablo Stolovitzky,
MD, noted that direct volunteerism
would be the major goal this year.
The newely formed Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking Advisory Group (SPAG)
BOG Legislative Representatives
Committee
Chair: Rick G. Love, MD
During the 2007 legislative session,
the committee has been active in supporting AAO-HNS efforts to advocate
for bills related to the specialty. At the
September 2007 meeting, Charles Della
Santina, MD, and Gavin Setzen, MD,
past president of the Maryland Society
of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck
Surgery, and president of the New York
State Society of Otolaryngology, respectively, spoke about their societies’ successful efforts to defeat inappropriate
scope-of-practice bills. Committee members also heard updates on other state
and federal legislation, the ENT PAC,
and the Academy’s advocacy networks.
BOG Rules and Regulations
Committee
Chair: Jacquelyn A. Going, MD
Committee members reviewed the
numerous delinquent societies, noting
that in several cases, entire states were
lacking representation. A letter has been
sent to all BOG societies, encouraging
participation and offering Academy assistance in becoming more involved. Revised
Practitioner Excellence and Model Society
Awards criteria were adopted. Chair,
Jacquelyn Going, MD, reminded attendees that because the Carrier Relations
Committee was inactive and duplicative
of other Academy committees, it had
been disbanded.
BOG Socioeconomic and Grassroots
Committee
Chair: Gavin Setzen, MD
During the 2007 annual meeting, the
committee heard updates on Physicians
Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) from
AAO-HNS staff member, Jenissa Haidari,
while Dr. Setzen reported on radiological certification, which led to a discussion on scope-of-practice issues on both
federal and state levels. The committee recommended that Academy members follow closely those issues in their
states and take appropriate action on
the federal level. Also discussed was
an overview of the Emergency Medical
Treatment Active Labor Law (EMTALA).
Due to the confusion on the issue, the
committee appointed Dr. Love, as chair
of an EMTALA Task Force, to develop a
tool kit.
Complementary and Integrative
Medicine Committee
Chair: Michael D. Seidman, MD
The committee is kicking off this year
by re-engaging members and reaching out to those active in the field. An
article in the July 2007 Bulletin on curcumin and cancer was well received,
and another article on the role of multidisciplinary management of head and
neck cancer was published in November.
Development is under way for two
miniseminars, one exploring advances
for treatment of conditions like sinusitis,
cold and flu, and tinnitus. The other
looks to secure a well-renowned speaker for complementary and integrative
medicine to present the latest trends.
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CORE Study Section
Chairs: Marion E. Couch, MD, PhD,
and Lawrence R. Lustig, MD
The committee discussed the 2008
CORE grants program and identified the
39 grants that will be made available,
totaling over $700,000. The program
has begun accepting letters of intent as
of late October; all are due by December
15, 2007, and full applications are due
January 15, 2008.
Endocrine Surgery Committee
Chair: Robert E. Sofferman, MD
The committee reviewed the thyroid
clinical indicator, the new thyroid patient
leaflet, thyroid images for the website,
the COOL thyroid module, and is reviewing the National Resident Online Study
Guide’s endocrine section. It gave input to
the American Thyroid Association (ATA)
Thyroid Cancer management guidelines
for the ATA meeting in October 2007,
and will submit miniseminar proposals
for ATA on airway management, nerve
monitoring, and/or management of
invasive disease. Marc D. Coltrera, MD,
demonstrated the new endocrine surgery
database. A work group of Dr. Coltrera,
Gregory M. Randolph, MD, and David J.
Terris, MD, will unveil the final database
in spring 2008. For the 2008 annual
meeting, a miniseminar will be submitted on parathyroid surgery, or on sameday surgery. The American Academy
of Endocrine Surgeons Journal of Surgery
carries a joint letter: “AAES-ORL Time for
a Change,” by Dr. Randolph and Gerald
B. Healy, MD.
Equilibrium Committee
Chair: Michael E. Hoffer, MD
The committee has continued to promote, study, and evaluate the diseases
that produce equilibratory disturbances.
The committee is in the process of updating all vestibular testing CPT codes, vestibular diagnostic codes, and rewriting
the Ménière’s disease criteria. Committee
members are also in the process of writing
a preliminary statement on the endorsement of micro-pressure devices.
Facial Nerve Disorders Committee
Chair: Jeffrey Vrabec, MD
The committee completed its research
and evaluation of facial nerve grading
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scales (FNGS). Recognizing that a perfect
scale is an impossible goal, the committee ultimately voted to revise the existing
FNGS to address some of the common
criticisms. Development of any facial
movement scale is incomplete without
some form of validation. Therefore, a
direct comparison of the grading scales
was performed to provide data on the
inter-observer agreement of the revised
scale. It is currently before the Boards to
be acknowledged as an improved grading tool.
Geriatric Otolaryngology
Committee
Chair: Ara Chalian, MD
Efforts to incorporate geriatrics material, and to present topics such as balance
and hearing within a geriatrics context,
have been the main focus of committee
efforts. Cross-participation with other
committees’ geriatrics-related work, the
creation of geriatrics-specific education
material, placement of geriatrics content
on ABO board exams, and use of committee members as manuscript reviewers
are some of the strategies. Responses
to SRF survey indicate that more geriatrics course content has been noticed
by residents. Other initiatives include
developing a geriatrics miniseminar,
giving greater visibility to PQRI fall
measures, submitting papers to other
specialty societies, disseminating grant
information, continuing the visibility of
Geriatric Care Otolaryngology Online,
and collaborating on the AMA’s “Safety
and the Older Driver” publication.
Head & Neck Surgery and
Oncology
Chair: Daniel Deschler, MD
This year was highlighted by the second annual Head & Neck Cancer and
Oncology Resident Review Course, a
standing-room-only event at the annual
meeting. The committee is in the final
stages of updating the “Neck Dissection
Staging” monograph, due out in 2008.
Participation in Head and Neck Cancer
Awareness Week grew again, and
there are talks with the World Health
Organization (WHO) about endorsing
the campaign in the future.
Hearing Committee
Chair: Barry Hirsch, MD
In addition to reviewing and updating policy statements on hearing aids
and implantable hearing devices during
the past year, the committee has been
active in reviewing patient leaflet information and reviewing the Acute Otitis
Externa/Otitis Media with Effusion performance measures. During the annual
meeting, the committee reviewed and
updated other policy statements, including cochlear implants. The committee is
currently undertaking an update of each
of the auditory system clinical indicators.
History and Archives Committee
Chair: John House, MD
Over the past year, the committee
worked to establish guidelines and
procedures for management of the
Otolaryngology Historical Society. They
successfully instituted a submission and
evaluation process for potential presentations and organized a well-attended
reception, tour of the Adams Center, and
dinner for the September 2007 meeting. They will submit a miniseminar
proposal for the 2008 annual meeting
and will work to obtain previous OHS
presentations for use on the Adams
Center website.
Humanitarian Efforts Committee
Chair: James E. Saunders, MD
The committee resolved to launch an
international scholars program for rising academics from developing countries to study in the U.S. and attend the
annual meeting. Suha N. Ghossaini, MD,
Nazaneen N. Grant, MD, Stephen L.
Goudy, MD, and Selina E. Heman-Ackah,
MD, formed a website task force to upgrade
humanitarian content. The committee
resolved to donate AcademyU subscriptions to Iraq training programs, which
G. Richard Holt, MD, reports are in dire
need. The Medical Alliance for Iraq plans
training missions to Erbil and Basra. Dr.
Grant, William B. Lewis, MD, and Merry
E. Sebelik, MD, will survey training program directors to assess challenges such
as study leave, legal aspects, and reporting cases. Nominations for the 2008
Distinguished Award for Humanitarian
Efforts must be in by February 1, 2008.
To support the IFOS “Hearing for All”
campaign, the committee presented a
FAMS symposium, “Global Strategies for
Hearing Loss Prevention,” and distributed 800 related CDs.
Implantable Hearing Devices
Subcommittee
Chair: Barry Hirsch, MD
In response to an increasing number
of meningitis deaths in children who
had cochlear implants but were not
properly vaccinated, the subcommittee
has been working with the Academy
over the past year to gain approval to
develop a poster and other materials
for public distribution. Discussion during the meeting focused primarily on
developing additional ideas for an educational campaign, and ways to engage
cochlear implant companies in the project. The subcommittee also considered
an updated policy statement on cochlear
implants, which was sent to the Hearing
Committee for review.
International Otolaryngology
Committee
Chair: Peter J. Koltai, MD
The committee resolved to work with
the Humanitarian Efforts Committee
on the international scholars proposal.
Development staff seeks Academy international leaders to contact or “open
doors” to foundations, corporations,
and philanthropic individuals. Dr. Holt
noted the Medical Alliance mission to
Erbil, Iraq, in 2008 and urged Academy
members to speak at the ARABFOS,
Lebanon, and Middle East Update in
Dubai. Professor Jan Grote, MD, IFOS
Secretary-General, reported progress for
the 2009 IFOS World Congress, successes
of the “Hearing for All” initiative, and
WHO’s listing of pneumococcal vaccine
and its inclusion of Hearing Loss in the
Global Program for Aging. WHO urges
integration of ear care into primary
healthcare. Antonio de la Cruz, MD, succeeds president-elect David W. Kennedy,
MD, as IFOS regional coordinator for
North America and the Caribbean. Jaffar
Al-Bareeq, MD, presented a proposal
for member and meeting promotion.
Professor Manuel Pais-Clemente, MD,
proposed to expand the SPAG concept to
regional advisory groups for Europe, the
Pacific Rim, and the Middle East.
Media Relations and Public
Education Committee
Chair: Arlis Hibbard, MD
Dr. Hibbard highlighted the PR program during WAC, naming the three
presenters as outstanding examples of
success in media relations. The committee will enhance the media database, documenting member relationships
with the media that could promote the
Academy, as needed. A Bulletin article
by Anita Jackson, MD, on establishing
relationships with the media will promote the activity. A miniseminar with the
BOG on socio-political relationships in
both patient care and specialty advocacy
will be submitted by Jeffrey Spiegel, MD,
and BOG liaison, Rick Love, MD. Patient
information will continue as a responsibility of the committee. A slide show
developed by Susan Cordes, MD, Cyndi
Go, MD, Christine Franzese, MD, Priya
Krishna, MD, Gordy Siegel, MD, and
Jeffrey Spiegel, MD, to promote otolaryngology will be made available to all.
Medical Devices and Drugs
Committee
Chair: Maurice Roth, MD
The committee completed policy statements on laser surgery (submitted to the
American College of Surgeons) and on
the different types of tonsillectomy procedures. The committee was also asked
by the Board of Directors to develop a
policy statement that deals with the
roles that physicians play in working
with corporations in developing, testing,
and implementing new devices.
Medical Informatics Committee
Chair: Howard S. Kotler, MD
The committee is dedicated to educating otolaryngologists on the uses and
benefits of health information technologies to enhance the effectiveness and
efficiency of our practices. Over the next
year, the committee will be working to
develop an EMR survey of Academy
members, to enhance educational opportunities through health information
technology content on the Academy’s
website, and to develop specialty-specific
EMR criteria to be integrated into the
national Certification Commission for
Health Information Technology (CCHIT)
certification process.
Microvascular Committee
Chair: Brian Burkey, MD
The committee recently updated five
NROSG modules, and has begun working on new content for AcademyU.
Theodor Teknos, MD, is working on a
Microvascular Fellows survey. The committee will submit a miniseminar abstract
for 2008, dealing with osteonacrosis and
reconstruction after bizfosfamates.
Neurolaryngology Committee
Chair: Albert L. Merati, MD
Over the past year, the Neurolaryngology committee pilot tested web-based
patient and physician pod-casts or audio
digests, completed a threat analysis for
neurolaryngology, commented on proposed changes to ICD-9 codes relating
to hearing loss and speech-language
pathology, and published a white journal article on voice and laryngeal dysfunction in stroke. In the coming year,
the committee will submit a number
of miniseminar applications, use the
threat analysis to develop a manuscript
calling for improved quality and reporting standards for laryngeal procedures,
and work with the Speech, Voice, and
Swallowing committee to refocus the
charges of the two committees so that a
clear distinction can be made between
Voice and Laryngology and Swallowing
and Esophagology.
Outcomes Research and EvidenceBased Medicine Committee
Chair: Edward M. Weaver, MD, MPH
This year the committee completed the
adult and pediatric tonsillectomy study–
TO TREAT (a future supplement in the
journal). We are entering the concluding
phases of the SLEEP study analysis, and
the kick-off of SMILE, a post-radiation
dry mouth study on the effectiveness of
evoxac. An exciting advance in the BEST
ENT network is the deployment of other
research study types, broadening beyond
clinical trials. For example, a pilot study
was launched on the AOE/OME guidelines and the group was also accepted as
an NIH PROMIS collaborator.
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Patient Safety and Quality
Improvement
Chair: Michael G. Glenn, MD
Over the past year, the committee
has disseminated awareness within the
Academy of patient safety and quality
improvement issues. During the 2007
annual meeting, Dr. Glenn and others presented a miniseminar entitled,
“Bulletproofing Your Practice for the
Quality Invasion.” Dr. Rahul Shah,
member of the committee, has been writing monthly patient safety and quality
improvement articles for the Bulletin.
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Committee
Chair: Becky McGraw-Wall, MD
The committee reaffirmed a policy
statement on plastic surgery, reviewed
the content of two patient leaflets, and
updated the clinical indicators. They
will develop a miniseminar proposal for
the 2008 annual meeting and seek to
update facial trauma CPT codes.
Physician Resources Committee
Chair: Ira D. Papel, MD
Over the past year, the Physician
Resources committee monitored
and advised workforce issues for the
Academy. Three committee members
were recommended for appointment
to the Council on Graduate Medical
Education (COGME) to represent
the constituency area of National
Physician Organizations. The Academy
signed-on to a letter by the Association
of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)
urging Secretary Spellings to increase
the aggregate combined Stafford loan
limit for health professions students
to $233,793. In the coming year, they
will use the biennial socioeconomic
survey to collect membership data on
workforce issues.
reporting standards for acoustic neuroma treatment outcomes, starting with
primary tumors. The committee also
plans to present a miniseminar at the
2008 annual meeting, on the various
pain syndromes of the head and neck.
Sleep Disorders Committee
Chair: Edward M. Weaver, MD, MPH
Over the past year, the Sleep Disorders
committee assisted in submitting two
Category I CPT applications (radiofrequency tongue reduction and tongue
suspension) that will be reviewed in late
September. If approved, changes would
likely go into effect January 2009. The
committee continued to spread the word
about sleep certification to Academy
members, through email (The News),
the Bulletin, and a miniseminar at this
year’s Annual Meeting. Over the coming
year, the committee will request changes
to several AAO-HNS policy statements
and increase sleep medicine education
opportunities for members.
Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking
Advisory Group (SPAG)
Chair: Roy R. Casiano, MD
SPAG now has status as a committee, taking part in the International
Committee cluster headed by past
president, KJ Lee, MD, Coordinator
for International Affairs. SPAG members advised having more speakers of
Spanish at the Academy booth in the
OTO EXPO and at Academy headquarters. The new website should have a
contact option for Spanish speakers,
and should post instructions in Spanish
for the annual meeting Call for Papers.
As official liaison to the Pan-American
Association, the SPAG works closely to
promote its next Congress, June 4–7,
2008, in Quito, Ecuador.
Skull Base Surgery Committee
Speech, Voice, and Swallowing
Committee
Chair: Douglas D. Backous, MD
The committee, discussing the need
for unified standards for head and neck
surgery, is working on designing a core
curriculum training program for endoscopic skull base surgery, to include
benchmarks and standard nomenclature for both basic and advanced training. They will also begin to develop
Chair: Robert T. Sataloff, MD
Over the past year, the Speech, Voice,
and Swallowing committee remained
active in their support of outreach,
education, and socioeconomic issues.
They provided comment on voluntary
guidelines for laryngeal fellowships,
physician specialty measures on
GERD, and proposed changes to ICD-
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9 codes relating to hearing loss and
speech-language pathology. They
created a new policy statement, “The
Performance and Interpretation of
Strobovideolaryngoscopy,” addressing
patient safety concerns, which was
adopted by the Boards of Directors in
March, 2007, and updated Academy
patient leaflets on hoarseness and sore
throats. Over the coming year, the
committee will submit a number of
miniseminar applications, continue to
support World Voice Day, assist with
a potential CPT application for officebased fiberoptic laryngeal procedures,
and review the Laryngoscopy/
Nasopharyngoscopy Clinical Indicators
(last updated in 2000) show changes
in clinical opinion. In response to
these changes, the Speech, Voice, and
Swallowing Committee will work with
the Neurolaryngology committee
to refocus tasks based on a better
differentiation between Voice and
Laryngology and Swallowing and
Esophagology. B