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February 2001
Volume 65 |
Number 2
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ASA NEWS
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2001 ASA Scientific
Papers: Call for Abstracts
The submission procedure for the 2001 ASA
Annual Meeting scientific papers will be very similar to that
used in 2000. For 2001, ASA has once again partnered with Marathon
Multimedia, which specializes in online submission of scientific
abstracts. The abstract submission program is accessible through
ASA's Web site http://www.ASAhq.org/ AnnMtg/ by clicking on the
Scientific Abstract Submission Guidelines link. All accepted abstracts
will be published in their entirety in electronic format, and
the summary of the abstract will be printed in the 2001 Annual
Meeting program book. Submission instructions are available on
the ASA Web site and will not be mailed to authors. It will not
be necessary to request a packet of abstract submission material.
The following outlines the 2001 Scientific
Papers submission process:
- The submission Web site is currently
available. The deadline for submitting all abstracts is Sunday,
April 1, 2001, at 11:59 p.m. Central Standard Time.
- Abstract submission will require a computer,
an Internet connection and a Web browser (version 4.0 or higher).
If you do not have access to these items, you may find out about
alternate submission methods from the ASA Executive Office.
- All submission instructions will be
available on the ASA Web site and accessible at any point during
the submission process. No separate submission packet will be
mailed.
- Authors may input and revise their
submissions until the deadline or until the abstract is officially
submitted by clicking the Submit button. Entries will be checked
automatically for completeness once officially submitted. After
the closing deadline, entries that are not in compliance with
all of the submission requirements will be assumed to be in
draft format and will not be considered by the graders.
- Abstract length will be calculated
by the computer and the maximum length limit will be strictly
enforced.
- A brief summary of the study must be
included with the submission and, for abstracts that are accepted,
will be published in the 2001 Annual Meeting Program book. The
summary will not be considered when the abstracts are being
graded. The September supplement to Anesthesiology will consist
of a CD-ROM containing the full text and graphics of all accepted
abstracts.
- A maximum of two figures and/or tables
will be permitted in each abstract. Tables will be constructed
from within the submission program. Figures will be submitted
on paper for scanning by Marathon Multimedia to ensure high-quality
reproduction. Authors will indicate figure size and placement
during submission so that space calculations will be accurate.
- The use of scientific characters and
common style elements such as bold, italic and underline will
be permitted. Font specification, with some limitations, will
be available.
The ASA Web site contains more complete
information regarding the process for submitting abstracts.
2001 RVG and CROSS-
WALK™ Available in Print and on Disk
The 2001 ASA Relative Value Guide (RVG)
has been published and is available from the ASA Executive Office
for $15 per copy.
In addition to the booklet format, the
RVG can be obtained on disk (for both Windows- and Macintosh-based
systems). It is in ASCII format, ready for use with any software
program that imports ASCII files. The cost for the electronic
version is $100 for members and $125 for nonmembers, which includes
a copy of the printed version. Check with your data processing
professional to ensure compatibility with your software.
Included in the 2001 RVG are changes in
terminology and Current Procedural Terminology™ Fourth Edition
(CPT-4) codes approved through ASA's process for code development.
Additionally, the RVG contains changes in code numbers and descriptors
approved by the American Medical Association CPT-4 Editorial Panel.
The Radiological Procedures section of
the guide has been extensively revised. The revisions have been
submitted to CPT for approval, but for the year 2001, the ASA
RVG and the CPT Manual are vastly different regarding coding for
radiologic procedures. A new code for transesophageal echocardiography
(TEE) has been added. The descriptor for this code was crafted
to better describe common usage of TEE in the intraoperative setting.
Finally, a new code has been added to the Intrathoracic section
of the guide relating to anesthesia incorporating one-lung ventilation.
The code is numbered 00541 in the 2001 RVG. It does not appear
in the 2001 edition of CPT.
The 2001 CROSSWALK™ document, which relates
current procedural terminology between surgical and anesthesia
codes, will soon be available from the ASA Executive Office. The
CROSSWALK document may be purchased at the price of $75 for a
hard copy or on a computer diskette for $150 ($250 for nonmembers),
which includes a hard copy.
Those purchasing the 2001 edition of CROSSWALK
should keep in mind that it is not an official document of ASA
and represents only the collective best judgment of the ASA Committee
on Economics. Furthermore, it should be noted that these judgments
may not necessarily be accepted by Medicare or other payers.
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2 Open Forums Set to Revisit PA
Catheterization Guidelines and Discuss Recovery Room
Discharge Criteria
Two upcoming open forums will allow ASA members the
opportunity to comment on the subjects of pulmonary
artery catheterization and recovery room discharge
criteria.
An Open Forum of the Task Force on Pulmonary Artery
Catheterization will be held during the 75th Clinical
and Scientific Congress of the International Anesthesia
Research Society in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, from
March 16-20. The Open Forum will be held on Monday,
March 19, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Members of the Task Force on Pulmonary Artery Catheterization
are: Michael F. Roizen, M.D., Chair; David L. Berger,
M.D.; Ronald A. Gabel, M.D.; John Gerson, M.D.; Jonathan
B. Mark, M.D.; Robert I. Parks, Jr., M.D.; David A.
Paulus, M.D.; John S. Smith M.D.; and Steven H. Woolf,
M.D., MPH. The task force is in the process of updating
the practice guidelines that were first published
in the journal Anesthesiology in February 1993. The
guidelines will include recommendations on the use
of pulmonary artery catheterization and its rationale,
based on scientific evidence and expert opinion. For
more information on the revisions to the Practice
Guidelines for Pulmonary Artery Catheterization, contact
Frank Connell by e-mail at: f.connell@ASAhq.org.
The second Open Forum, Practice Guidelines for Recovery
Care, will come during the Society for Ambulatory
Anesthesia Annual Meeting in Palm Springs, California.
On Saturday, May 5, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., members
of the Task Force on Recovery Care will be on hand
to conduct an Open Forum to hear comments and suggestions
about the creation of Practice Guidelines for Recovery
Care. The Open Forum will be held at the Renaissance
Esmeralda Resort in Indian Wells (Palm Springs). The
program is scheduled to be held in Crystal E.
The results of these discussions will be presented
to the ASA House of Delegates during the 2001 ASA
Annual Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Members of the practice parameter task force include:
Jeffrey H. Silverstein, M.D., Chair; Jeffrey L. Apfelbaum,
M.D.; Jared C. Barlow, M.D.; Frances F. Chung, M.D.;
Ralph B. Fillmore, M.D.; Sean E. Hunt, M.D.; Thomas
A. Joas, M.D.; and Mark S. Schreiner, M.D. The methodologists
for the group are Richard T. Connis, Ph.D., and David
G. Nickinovich, Ph.D.
According to Dr. Silverstein, the practice parameter
process is highly dependent upon input from the anesthesia
community. The Open Forum provides an opportunity
for practitioners to meet with task force members
and offer suggestions that will have a direct impact
on the final product.
For more information on the development of practice
parameters for recovery care, contact Dr. Silverstein
by e-mail at jeff.silverstein@mssm.edu
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Nicholas G. DePiero, M.D.,
1915 - 2000
The world of anesthesia lost an innovator last November.
After years of unparalleled service to medicine, Nicholas
G. DePiero, M.D., died on November 14, 2000. He was
84.
An ASA member since 1944, Dr. DePiero served as Treasurer
from 1960-66 and was President in 1967.
| He was born in New Castle, Pennsylvania, in
1915. He graduated from New Castle High School
in 1933 and earned a B.S. degree from Geneva College,
Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. In 1942, he received
his M.D. from Hahnemann University School of Medicine,
Philadelphia, and interned at Huron Road Hospital
in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1942-43. |
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After a year of anesthesia training there, he joined
the 10th Armored Division and served through three
campaigns in the European Theater during World War
II, receiving two Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart.
In 1947 he returned to Huron Road Hospital as a member
of the active staff. He then completed postgraduate
work at Temple University, the University of Pennsylvania
and New York University. In 1950 he became a Diplomate
of the American Board of Anesthesiology and a Fellow
of the American College of Anesthesiologists. That
year also saw him move from Huron Road Hospital to
Marymount Hospital in Cleveland, where he served as
Director of the Anesthesiology Residency Training
program from his arrival until 1974. He was Director
of the Department of Medical Education from 1962-83
and was elected President of the Marymount Hospital
Medical Staff in 1976. In 1994 he became that hospital's
Medical Director of Quality Management.
Dr. DePiero's persistent interest in quality assurance
for medical care led him to be certified by the American
Board of Quality Assurance and Utilization Review
Physicians in 1983. The following year, he became
a Fellow in the American College of Medical Quality.
Dr. DePiero was a pivotal figure in anesthesiology
in Ohio. From 1948-52, he served as Secretary-Treasurer
of the Cleveland Society of Anesthesiologists and
was its President in 1952-53. From 1952-64, he was
Secretary-Treasurer of the Ohio Society of Anesthesiologists
(OSA), was its President in 1964-65 and returned to
his Secretary-Treasurer post from 1968-88, for a total
of 32 years in that capacity. His dedication and commitments
were not bound by geography, however. In addition
to serving ASA as Treasurer from 1960-66 and as President
in 1967, he also served as a Trustee and President
(1980-88) of the Anesthesia Foundation.
For younger members of OSA, Dr. DePiero was the embodiment
of what that society stood for, the pillar by which
they judged their own growth and commitment to the
field. For the world of medicine, his record of innovation
and his presidencies in four major organizations are
a testament to the respect and trust given to him
by his peers. In recognition of unyielding service
to OSA and the specialty as a whole, OSA in 1988 created
the Nicholas G. DePiero Lectureship through which
an outstanding speaker would be represented at its
annual meeting.
Dr. DePiero is survived by his wife, Marion, three
grown children and four grandchildren.
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