Last Thoughts from an Outgoing President

Upon his election last winter as president of the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Daniel J. Berry, M.D., vowed to take advantage of instantaneous access to orthopedic information to educate both academy members and the public. Before handing over the reigns of leadership to his successor, John R. Tongue, M.D., Berry spoke with Orthopedic Design &Technology about the challenges and victories of his 12-month term.

ODT: Upon your election as president last year, you said you wanted to maintain an emphasis on quality. Did you fulfill that goal?
Daniel J. Berry, M.D.: The AAOS focus on quality has continued this past year, in a very robust manner. We are becoming more knowledgeable and sophisticated about the quality field, and the quality field itself is rapidly moving forward. The Orthopaedic Quality Institute had its inaugural meeting in Washington, DC this past year. This multi- stake holder meeting did a lot to establish the Academy’s commitment to being a leader in quality. The AAOS also held an excellent symposium on Comparative Effectiveness Research in Washington, DC, which will help Orthopaedics move forward in this important area. In meetings with other surgical societies we pushed the idea that emphasis on quality, which improves the value of healthcare and can reduce the cost of healthcare, is a concept that can resonate with lawmakers. Finally and most importantly, improvements in quality have a direct effect on what every orthopaedic surgeon finds most important: improving what we can do for our patients.

ODT: One of your other goals as president was to leverage the revolution occurring in healthcare IT. How did you accomplish this?
Dr. Berry: Everyone can see that the revolution in technology has had a tremendous effect on our daily lives. It is easy to understand that this revolution creates huge opportunities for Orthopaedic Surgery. From the standpoint of clinical practice, it puts information gathering tools for diagnosis and treatment at the fingertips of surgeons with mobile devices and powerful search engines. This will fundamentally change how we learn and gather information as orthopaedic surgeons. For formal orthopaedic education, the opportunities provided by new technology are huge: transmission of first-rate courses around the world, 3-D video for surgical technique teaching, online educational opportunities at our convenience, and surgical simulation. We held two Board of Directors’ workshops this past year, developed an active task force to study the most fruitful technologies in which to invest, and the AAOS is hiring a chief technology officer to coordinate our efforts in this area.

ODT: Please characterize the past year (2011) for the orthopedic industry.
Dr. Berry: I can only characterize the past year from the standpoint of an orthopaedic surgeon. It seems to me the year has been notable for both advances and challenges. Orthopaedic industry continues to provide great innovations that help patients. For example, in my own subspecialty of joint replacement, this past year was notable for several studies validating the remarkable performance of cross-linked polyethylene at up to 10 years, which fundamentally changes how we look at the potential for the long-term durability of joint replacements. At the same time, the year has been notable for high profile concerns about several technologies including metal-on-metal implants in joint replacement and bone morphogenic proteins in spine surgery. A report from the Institute of Medicine was critical of the current device approval processes at the FDA. It is important for our patients and our profession to advocate for the right balance between ensuring patient safety and promoting innovation—both of which are essential to improving patient care.

ODT: What was the most difficult challenge of your presidency?
Dr. Berry: A challenge every AAOS President faces is keeping everyone pulling the oars in the same direction. Unity has been a strength of our profession, and keeping our profession strong and dynamic attracts the most talented individuals—which in the end benefits our patients.

ODT: What advice would you give to your successor, President John R. Tongue?
Dr. Berry: Never underestimate the importance of constant bidirectional communication. If you want more people to pull the oars in the same direction, they need to understand why rowing that direction is important. By the same token, you also need to hear from each constituency what is important to them, because it may change the direction everyone should row the boat. The Academy has the best interests of the whole profession in mind—that is why it exists. The AAOS derives its strength from unbelievably capable and engaged members, great organization, and a great staff. The goal of every AAOS President is to fully harness all that potential—and communication and team work makes that possible.