This Week @ ACFAS

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January 25, 2023

The Countdown is On!

ACFAS 2023 is just around the corner! Nearly 2,000 foot and ankle surgeons from across the globe will come together February 9-12 in Los Angeles for inspiration, networking and world-class education.

Be sure to check out the ACFAS HUB to learn and share your thoughts on exciting topics you won’t find anywhere else.

Female Involvement Within the College - A Round Table Discussion

Thanh Dinh, DPM, FACFAS, Brandi Johnson, DPM, FACFAS, Marie Keplinger, DPM, FACFAS, Lisa Levick DPM, FACFAS; Laura Sansosti, DPM, FACFAS

Inter-Relationship of Life and Work: Balancing Personal Demands in Different Types of Podiatry Practices

Emily Quinn, DPM, FACFAS; Amanda Quisno, DPM, FACFAS

The Intersection of Social Media and Healthcare
Alan MacGill DPM, FACFAS

Residency Directors Panel Discussion

Karla De La Mata, DPM; Tommy Saing, DPM; Tyson Green, DPM, FACFAS; Kimberlee Hobizal, DPM, FACFAS; Christy King, DPM, FACFAS

Haven’t registered yet? It’s not too late! Learn more and secure your spot at acfas.org/LosAngeles.

ACFAS Signs onto Congressional Letter Urging Medicare Payment Reforms

The American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons (ACFAS), along with over 100 other national medical societies, recently sent a letter to all members of the 118th Congress. Specifically, the letter emphasizes the need for comprehensive Medicare payment reforms, urges Congressional hearings, and suggests they work with stakeholders to explore long-term payment solutions.

Scheduled cuts to Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) conversion factor (CF) that were to be put into effect in 2023, were addressed in the final omnibus funding bill negotiated by Congress. The bill offset more than half of the cuts the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) planned to enact on January 1, but still resulted in a 2% cut to the CF in 2023. There will also be a 1.25% increase to the CF in 2024. While this was good news, clinicians continue to seek a long-term solution to the continuing issues facing Medicare payment. This letter is the first step in those efforts.

ACFAS Research Grant Awards Announced

Congratulations to the recipients of the 2022 ACFAS Clinical & Scientific Research Grants!

Thanks to support from PICA and the ACFAS Regions, the College awarded over $97,000 in 2022. 15 grant applications following a revised NIH R21 format were received and scored by an independent panel of content experts who selected the recipients:

Established Researcher (eligible for up to $75,000)

Lawrence A. Lavery, DPM, MPH, FACFAS
“Dual-RNA sequencing approach to explore the host-microbe metatranscriptome associated with Diabetes Related Foot Infections (DFIs)”

New Researcher (eligible for up to $25,000)

Rachel H. Allbright, DPM, MPH, AACFAS

“Preoperative Patient Expectations for Hallux Valgus Surgery”

The application process for the 2023 Clinical and Scientific Research Grant Program will open July 15. Letters of Intent are due September 15 and final applications are due October 15. For more information, visit acfas.org/ResearchGrant.

USBJI’s Young Investigator Initiative Grant Mentoring and Career Development Program

The United States Bone and Joint Initiative (USBJI) will be hosting the Spring Young Investigators Initiative Workshop April 14-16, 2023 in Rosemont, IL. The Young Investigator Initiative is a grant mentoring program providing early-career investigators an opportunity to work with experienced researchers in our field to assist them in securing funding and other survival skills required for pursuing an academic career.

This grant mentoring and career development program is open to promising junior faculty, senior fellows or post-doctoral researchers nominated by their department or division chairs seeking to pursue a career in clinical or basic research. It is also open to senior fellows or residents that are doing research and have a faculty appointment in place or confirmed. Basic and clinical investigators, without or with training awards, are invited to apply. The unique aspect of this program is the opportunity for attendees to maintain a relationship with a mentor until their application is funded.

The Spring 2023 workshop is scheduled to take place April 14-16, 2023, in Rosemont, IL (near Chicago’s O’Hare Airport). The deadline to apply is Friday, February 24, 2023.

Visit www.usbji.org/programs/yii for more about the program and detailed application instructions or apply online at https://forms.gle/LnHs9DQE5TWFK596A.

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