ORGANIZATION NEWS—AAPM&R

PM&R Reaches USA TodayReaders

Due to the overwhelming popularity oflast year’sUSA Today insert, the Academyis repeating this public relations activity.Look for the Academy’s advertising insertin the September 21, 2001, issue ofUSAToday.

A brand new 4-page, 4-color insert hasbeen developed for the sole purpose ofinforming the public about the specialty ofPM&R. This year, the insert will appearon a Friday—USA Today’s largest circula-tion day of the week.

USA Today has a paid circulation of 2.2million and a daily readership of over 4.3million. In addition, it is distributed as acomplimentary newspaper by many air-lines, hotels, and retail outlets. These areamong the reasons that the Academy iden-tified this newspaper as an excellent me-dium through which to reach a large num-ber of consumers and other key targetaudiences. Funding for this project comesprincipally from the PM&R AwarenessInitiative. Some advertising revenue wasgenerated to help offset production costs.

Articles in the insert have been writtenin the same general “tone” as stories thatappear inUSA Today. They are concisestories written in a positive voice that canbe easily scanned by readers. Colorfulgraphics accompany the content. Storytopics are balanced between physical med-icine and rehabilitation topics. Some of thearticles scheduled to appear include:

● The “whole patient” approach ofPM&R

● Treating low back pain duringpregnancy

● How PM&R helps amputees● PM&R physicians involved as sports

team physiciansThe broad exposure from this insert

should stimulate interest in the specialtyjust as it did last year. The Academy hasmaintained a telephone hotline forUSAToday readers to request more informa-tion about PM&R and to get a list ofAAPM&R members in their area who ac-cept referrals. Readers are also referred to“Find a PM&R Physician” on the Acad-emy website to obtain their own lists ofPM&R physicians and research the spe-cialty for themselves. Last year, there wasan 88% increase in website traffic on theAcademy’s website shortly after the insertappeared.

As with last year’s insert, a limitednumber of extra copies will be available sothat members may purchase them for usein their own marketing and referral efforts.Members attending the Annual Assemblyin New Orleans will preview the insert atthe Member Resource Center and canplace orders immediately.

Academy Honors PresentedDuring 2001 AnnualAssembly

AAPM&R presents its highest honorsduring the 63rd Annual Assembly Septem-

ber 13–16, 2001, in New Orleans. Eightawards and 2 honorary lectureships recog-nize individuals who have made importantcontributions to both the specialty and theAcademy.

Award recipients were selected by theAAPM&R Awards Committee for ap-proval by the Academy Board of Gover-nors. All were nominated by Academymembers. Please join the Academy in rec-ognizing these award recipients for theiroutstanding contributions.

2001 AAPM&R Award Winners

The Frank H. Krusen AwardJohn L. Melvin, MDThe Distinguished Member AwardJoel A. DeLisa, MD, MSThirty-Fourth Walter J. Zeiter Lec-

tureBruce M. Gans, MDRecognition Awards for Distin-

guished CliniciansSusan J. Garrison, MDAnn H. Schutt, MDJay V. Subbarao, MD, MSDistinguished Public Service AwardSenator Orrin G. Hatch (R–UT)John Hockenberry (NBC News Corre-

spondent)Ernest W. Johnson, MDThe Richard and Hinda Rosenthal

Foundation LectureStuart M. Weinstein, MD

Letter From AAPM&R to President Bush and Congress on the IOM Report Crossing theQuality Chasm

A recent report published by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), entitled Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21stCentury, addresses concerns about the quality of health care in the United States. The following letter from the American Academy ofPhysical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R) to President Bush and Congress is a response to this report and the recommendationscontained therein. An Executive Summary of the Quality Chasmreport can be found on the National Academy Press website at:http://books.nap.edu/books/0309072808/html/1.html#pagetop.

July 12, 2001

The Honorable George W. BushPresident

The White House1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear President Bush:

On behalf of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R), the national medical society representingapproximately 7,000 physiatrists, I am writing to encourage your support for the implementation of the recommendations contained in

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the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) report “Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century.” AAPM&R firmlybelieves that the groundbreaking recommendations contained in this report will markedly enhance the quality of health care in America,especially for people with chronic illnesses and disabilities. The National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, within theUnited States Department of Education, estimates that there are 52 million Americans with disabilities, or approximately 1 of every 6citizens. Thus, a significant portion of the population could be positively affected by these reforms.

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, also known as physiatry, is one of 24 medical specialties certified by the American Board ofMedicine Specialties (ABMS). Board-certified PM&R physicians have graduated from medical school, completed four additional yearsof residency training, and passed the specialty examinations of the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. PM&Rphysicians specialize inmanaging care for persons with disabilities in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Our focus as a specialtyis to restore optimal function to our patients, whether physical, mental or emotional, using treatment plans that meet specific andmeasurable goals. Physiatrists care for patients across the life span as well as at transition stages of life. Patients may have experiencedcatastrophic events resulting in spinal cord injury, amputation, or traumatic brain injury. Physiatrists also treat persons withrheumatologic conditions, musculoskeletal injuries, or neurological disorders such as stroke, multiple sclerosis, polio, or amyotrophiclateral sclerosis. Persons with developmental disabilities are also our patients. We are uniquely suited to address many of the issuesraised in the report.

PM&R physicians are, by training, oriented to working with a wide range of health care practitioners to achieve a desired functionaloutcome for patients with complex medical needs. The teamwork within physiatric practice serves as a model for quality in effectivepatient-centered care. Patient-centered care is one of the tenets of the IOM report, along with team practice across integrated deliverysystems. One of the unique strengths of a PM&R physician is care and treatment of patients through an interdisciplinary approach. ThePM&R physician’s specialized training crosses disciplinary lines, including extensive education in musculoskeletal, neurologic,pulmonary, and cardiovascular systems. PM&R physicians guide the rehabilitation team working routinely with surgeons, other medicalspecialists, nurses, occupational, physical and speech therapists, social workers and neuropsychologists, to help patients regain optimalfunction.

This IOM report marks one of the first times a significant statement has been made acknowledging that a central component of qualityhealth care in America is improving an individual’s level of function, as well as their medical health. This signifies explicitunderstanding that the degree to which our health care system meets the needs of Americans with disabilities is a litmus test for howeffectively our health care system is functioning overall.

In another important step, the IOM report recommends that the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) identify at leastfifteen priority chronic health conditions and establish goals, develop strategies and action plans for achieving substantial improvementsin quality for each of these conditions within the next five years. This recommendation represents a major step forward in focusingquality improvement efforts on those who are often impacted the most by poor quality care.

The AAPM&R applauds the Congress and the Administration for their current efforts to authorize and fund the Department of Healthand Human Services and other agencies. We firmly endorse increased overall funding for the National Institutes of Health includingthe National Institute for Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research(NCMRR), and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and for the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. We believethat increased funding will foster the development of scientific knowledge and evidence-based medicine necessary to enhance the health,productivity, functional independence, and quality of life for persons with disabilities and chronic illnesses. This would help decreasethe existing unconscionable chasm between the delivery of quality health care services and people with disabilities.

“Crossing the Quality Chasm” also recommends that private and public purchasers should examine their current payment methodsto remove barriers that currently impede quality improvement. In many cases, the current payment system is not aligned to promotequality improvement. Changes in payment systems can create incentives to foster high quality care that improves patient outcomes.Likewise, the report stresses the importance of “shared knowledge and the free flow of information” and we strongly support revisionsto existing regulations and procedures that will allow this to occur.

Finally, the AAPM&R strongly urges the enactment of appropriate legislative proposals and the promulgation of effective regulatorypolicies, along with private sector efforts to implement these recommendations. We encourage you and your Administration to workwith Congress to implement this far-reaching report. If we can be of any assistance in this process, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Sincerely,Gail L. Gamble, MD

President, American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

cc: The Honorable Tom Daschle, Senate Majority LeaderThe Honorable Trent Lott, Senate Minority Leader

The Honorable J. Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the House of RepresentativesThe Honorable Richard A. Gephardt, House Democratic Leader

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