CME credits are also provided by the
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine."

About MedPage Today
MedPage Today(TM) (http://www., Patients are the number one
priority for orthopaedic surgeons. In order to protect patient care, AAOS asks
legislators to oppose H.

professions examination

PT, MA.

Today's action by CMS would create a Physician Voluntary Reporting Program
beginning in January 2006, allowing physicians to voluntarily report
information to the agency on the quality of care they provide to Medicare
beneficiaries . LITTLE FALLS, N.

previously physician

"

APTA is actively engaged in several initiatives to expand the use of health
information technology and outcome measures to improve the quality of
physical therapy services and assist in creating an effective value-based
purchasing system.

The physician assistant is prepared , both academically and clinically, to provide health care services with the direction and responsible supervision of a Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Osteopathy (DO).

PA functions include performing diagnostic , therapeutic, preventive, and health maintenance services.

performed aka

, MedPage Today announces that
more than 166,000 continuing medical education (CME/CE) certificates were
issued to its professional audience in 2005.

preventive clinically

McClellan regarding a voluntary
program for physicians to report evidence-based quality measures.

More Than 166 000 CME/CE Certificates Issued on MedPage Today(TM) in 2005 Reaching 10% Industry Penetration in First Year

By reading MedPage
Today news each day, physicians stay one step ahead of their patients and are
better prepared to understand breaking medical news and address questions from
their patients.
Physicians under the direction of the University of Pennsylvania School of
Medicine, Office of Continuing Medical Education review and approve all
Teaching Brief(TM) clinical content.

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comparable settings

PRESS RELEASE APTA Responds to CMS Voluntary Quality Reporting Program

MedPage Today's unique and crucial differentiating
factor is that, unlike other sources of online CME, MedPage Today provides
physicians with daily engagement through its real-time "News + CME" service.com each month,
making it one of the leading physician-oriented websites.C. Without congressional action, physicians
face a payment cut of five percent each year from 2006 through 2012.

allowed academically

Orthopaedic Surgeons Care about Patient Care

allowed supervision

MedPage Today has grown rapidly since its launch in early 2005. physicians use MedPage Today, and more than 170,000 CME/CE certificates
have been issued for online educational activities. At MedPage Today, we're
"PUTTING BREAKING NEWS INTO PRACTICE(TM). Due to the
rising medical malpractice insurance premiums and the fact that
medical liability awards and settlements are increasing, patient
access to medical care is in jeopardy.

professions preventive

The Association has developed a specialized
point-of-care patient record system (CONNECT) and a patient self-report
instrument, the Outpatient Physical Therapy Improvement in Movement and
Assessment Log (OPTIMAL ). Weinstein, MD,
president of the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Allowing direct access to physical therapists under
Medicare (The Medicare Patient Access to Physical Therapists Act: H.
AAOS supports replacing the flawed SGR formula with a system that
adequately accounts for the true costs of delivering healthcare
services.

academically allowed

The transition to a payment system that assures high quality,
effective health care services is vitally important to the beneficiaries
that physical therapists serve under the Medicare program.
"It is the orthopaedic surgeon 's responsibility to make sure his/her
patients receive the best possible care," said Stuart L.

-- Fixing the flawed Medicare formula -- The current Sustainable Growth
Rate (SGR ) formula for determining the annual Medicare payment to
physicians has significant flaws , causing steep reductions in
physician reimbursement.

acrobat documented

documented examination

The American Physical Therapy Association is a national professional
organization representing 67,000 members. That is why leaders of the
American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) -- meeting at the National
Orthopaedic Leadership Conference (NOLC) -- will speak with legislators on
Capitol Hill today under the theme 'We Care about Patient Care' to advocate
about healthcare issues that can ultimately improve orthopaedic patient care.
The American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons, founded by the American
Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Board of Directors in 1997, engages in health
policy and advocacy activities on behalf of musculoskeletal patients and the
profession of orthopaedic surgery.

supervising settings

"We look forward
to working with CMS to expand this new voluntary program to include
physical therapists and other non-physician groups to establish clinically
meaningful, evidence-based quality measures that will have a significant
impact on the quality of care available to patients in all practice
settings .

-- Keeping the physician in the diagnosis and protecting patient care --
Often patients present themselves with one symptom like a simple
muscular ache or joint pain, but this may be symptomatic of a more
serious condition, such as a tumor or renal failure. 647 ) eliminates crucial physician assessment of the patient in
the treatment process. AAOS urges Congress to pass a
meaningful federal medical liability reform legislation, which
includes allowing unlimited economic damages, placing a cap on non-
economic damages for $250,000 and limiting frivolous lawsuits.

legally preventive

com) is a leading provider of
real-time, in-depth medical news for physicians and other medical
professionals."
Issues that orthopaedic surgeons will discuss with legislators include:

-- Preserving the role of imaging services in the physician 's office --
In order to provide immediate results and timely diagnoses to
patients , it is important that orthopaedic surgeons continue to
incorporate office-based imaging into their diagnostic and treatment
regimen.

-- Congress must address the medical liability crisis -- Many doctors are
no longer performing complex and high-risk medical procedures and
patient access to emergency and trauma care is at risk.

clinically osteopathy

By delivering to physicians and other healthcare providers real-time
medical news reporting that also offers online CME/CE, MedPage Today has made
"point-of-care" education a reality. MedPage Today offers medical professionals the opportunity to
receive CME or CE credit as part of the news service.R.

settings prepared

MedPage Today offers a very broad portfolio of professional
education, including more than 1,600 CME activities at any given time.

An orthopaedic surgeon is a physician with extensive training in the
diagnosis and non-surgical as well as surgical treatment of the
musculoskeletal system, including bones, joints , ligaments, tendons, muscles
and nerves.

Numerous studies have documented the ability of PAs to provide high-quality health care, comparable to that of a physician, for about 80% of the conditions seen in primary care settings.

require clinically

The American Physical Therapy Association
(APTA) responded to the announcement by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services (CMS) Administrator Mark B.

Approximately 320 ,000
U. Physicians Advocate to Legislators to Improve Healthcare for Patients

WASHINGTON , D. 1333/S.

examination legally

Unlike other leading online CME
providers, MedPage Today reports medical news with CME /CE credit in real time,
providing healthcare professionals with a unique value proposition that is not
available anywhere else. Zalman Agus, MD, Associate Dean for Continuing
Medical Education at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, added,
"Because our editorial focus is on news coverage that is simultaneously
covered by the consumer press, MedPage Today provides an invaluable and unique
resource so that physicians can best understand what their patients are
reading and hearing as headlines reach the Internet, newspapers, television,
and radio.MedPageToday. AAOS urges
Congress to oppose any legislation that would place undue restrictions
on the provision of in-office imaging services. Patient quality and
care is best served by maintaining the Medicare Law, which protects
the patient and ensures that the appropriate treatment is given at the
right time.
1333/S.

supervision legally

Recognizing the need for evidence-based practice ,
APTA also initiated a project referred to as "Hooked on Evidence" which
includes a website dedicated to literature and research evidence on
physical therapy. Its goal is to foster
advancements in physical therapy practice, research, and education.J.
"While it's unique in the industry to write , edit, and CME-certify 10 or
more medical news stories each day, the integration of news and CME , published
in real time, is the key differentiator for MedPage Today and the key driver
of value for our loyal physician audience," said Paul Greenberg, MD,
President, MedPage Today. Medical doctors
are trained to identify these underlying conditions and are in the
best position to determine appropriate treatment.

documented examination

Despite less than a full year in
operation, MedPage Today has achieved an estimated 10% penetration in the
online CME marketplace. This ongoing interaction and engagement with
physicians and other healthcare providers is a key reason why over 50% of
returning visitors to MedPageToday. Orthopaedic surgeons add functional, anatomical and clinical
assessments -- resulting from patient-specific information -- to the
interpretation of an image.R.

examination aka

"APTA strongly believes that the physical therapy profession should engage
in activities to continuously improve the quality of care provided to
patients," said APTA President Ben F Massey, Jr. On
average , more than 850,000 unique users visit MedPageToday. "Working with
legislators to make certain that issues that affect our patients are high on
the legislative agenda will only better their overall medical experiences. They have the advantage of examining
patients and being familiar with the specifics of a patient's case,
outside of what is just seen in a diagnostic image.

assistants physician

Physicians , physician organizations, and other experts have
been involved in developing the 36 evidence-based measures to be reported
in the first phase of the program, but physical therapists and other
non -physician providers are not part of the initial reporting phase.

Physician Assistant
(aka: Physician Associate)
The physician assistant role, legally associated with a supervising physician, has allowed PAs to perform tasks previously only performed by doctors: history taking, physical examination, diagnosis , and patient management.

tasks clinically

settings supervising

com visit the website at least once each
week.S. Ensuring that patients have access to care,
immediate access to diagnostic imaging results and better health outcomes is
extremely important to orthopaedic surgeons. 647).

professions examination

previously physician

The physician assistant is prepared , both academically and clinically, to provide health care services with the direction and responsible supervision of a Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Osteopathy (DO).

PA functions include performing diagnostic , therapeutic, preventive, and health maintenance services.

performed aka

preventive clinically

More Than 166 000 CME/CE Certificates Issued on MedPage Today(TM) in 2005 Reaching 10% Industry Penetration in First Year

pas allowed

comparable settings

PRESS RELEASE APTA Responds to CMS Voluntary Quality Reporting Program

allowed academically

Orthopaedic Surgeons Care about Patient Care

allowed supervision

professions preventive

academically allowed

acrobat documented

documented examination

supervising settings

legally preventive

clinically osteopathy

settings prepared

Numerous studies have documented the ability of PAs to provide high-quality health care, comparable to that of a physician, for about 80% of the conditions seen in primary care settings.

require clinically

examination legally

supervision legally

documented examination

examination aka

assistants physician

Physician Assistant (aka: Physician Associate) The physician assistant role, legally associated with a supervising physician, has allowed PAs to perform tasks previously only performed by doctors: history taking, physical examination, diagnosis , and patient management.

tasks clinically

settings supervising

assistants clinically

Physician Assistant
(aka: Physician Associate)
The physician assistant role, legally associated with a supervising physician, has allowed PAs to perform tasks previously only performed by doctors: history taking, physical examination, diagnosis , and patient management.