What have orthopaedic surgeons to fear the most today?
I don’t see that there is one thing to fear. We are in a health care revolution that is accompanied by a redistribution of resources and that means changes in the way we practice. We must be part of the solution. As an Academy we must follow our Strategic Plan and core values. In some of the more mature managed care markets, do you have a sense that orthopaedic surgeons have adapted to change? Many have adapted. Reimbursements have been ratcheted down to a lower level as determined by managed care organizations in those markets. Many of our members in these areas still have busy practices and have adapted. Some members have found that their access to patients has been restricted and/or their overhead will not allow them to sustain their individual practice and they have relocated or merged. We all need to work toward and support systems that reward physicians for giving cost-effective value-added patient care. I feel strongly that systems that limit access to specialty care and/or that
