American College of Surgeons

[Team Sergeant]

This is going to leave a mark on the current socialist movement.......


Statement from the American College of Surgeons Regarding Recent Comments from President Obama

CHICAGO--The American College of Surgeons is deeply disturbed over the uninformed public comments President Obama continues to make about the high-quality care provided by surgeons in the United States. When the President makes statements that are incorrect or not based in fact, we think he does a disservice to the American people at a time when they want clear, understandable facts about health care reform. We want to set the record straight.

• Yesterday during a town hall meeting, President Obama got his facts completely wrong. He stated that a surgeon gets paid $50,000 for a leg amputation when, in fact, Medicare pays a surgeon between $740 and $1,140 for a leg amputation. This payment also includes the evaluation of the patient on the day of the operation plus patient follow-up care that is provided for 90 days after the operation. Private insurers pay some variation of the Medicare reimbursement for this service.

• Three weeks ago, the President suggested that a surgeon's decision to remove a child's tonsils is based on the desire to make a lot of money. That remark was ill-informed and dangerous, and we were dismayed by this characterization of the work surgeons do. Surgeons make decisions about recommending operations based on what's right for the patient.

We agree with the President that the best thing for patients with diabetes is to manage the disease proactively to avoid the bad consequences that can occur, including blindness, stroke, and amputation. But as is the case for a person who has been treated for cancer and still needs to have a tumor removed, or a person who is in a terrible car crash and needs access to a trauma surgeon, there are times when even a perfectly managed diabetic patient needs a surgeon. The President's remarks are truly alarming and run the risk of damaging the all-important trust between surgeons and their patients.

We assume that the President made these mistakes unintentionally, but we would urge him to have his facts correct before making another inflammatory and incorrect statement about surgeons and surgical care.

About the American College of Surgeons

The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational organization of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and to improve the care of the surgical patient. The College is dedicated to the ethical and competent practice of surgery. Its achievements have significantly influenced the course of scientific surgery in America and have established it as an important advocate for all surgical patients. The College has more than 76,000 members and is the largest organization of surgeons in the world.

Sincerely,

L.D. Britt, M.D., FACS, Chair of the ACS Board of Regents
John Cameron, M.D., FACS, President of the American College of Surgeons
Andrew Warshaw, M.D., FACS, Chair of the ACS Health Policy and Advocacy Group
Christian Shalgian, ACS Director, Division of Advocacy and Health Policy

Obama is a brilliant orator but seems intellectually lazy. When answering questions after a speech, he sometimes cannot recall what he just said. It's as if it is the first time he has been exposed to the material. Things he says in public frequently don't meet a simple test of reasonableness. What confounds me is the lack of much public criticism on this except by those specifically being attacked.

[Red Flag 1]

Great to see the ACS take the stand it has, despite the AMA stand; perhaps the AMA will wake up and follow suit. AARP could learn some as it looks at the ACS position statement. Mr Obama continues to overreach his ability!

Obama continues to demonstrate an across the board insight of a freshman something. If so much were not at stake, it would be very funny. IMHO, there is simply no depth here. If he has czars and advisors with insight and guidance, he is not showing fruits of their input. Obama is the same as he was two years ago. There is no growth, no maturity in office, no statesmanship, and no demonstrated ability to articulate an understanding of the needs of our nation.

ACS....good on ya!!!

My $.02.



RF 1

[Red Flag 1]

Originally Posted by HowardCohodas

Obama is a brilliant orator but seems intellectually lazy. When answering questions after a speech, he sometimes cannot recall what he just said. It's as if it is the first time he has been exposed to the material. Things he says in public frequently don't meet a simple test of reasonableness. What confounds me is the lack of much public criticism on this except by those specifically being attacked.

IMHO, I fail to see any demonstrated brilliance in anything this man has said or done.

RF 1

[JJ_BPK]

Originally Posted by HowardCohodas

Obama is a brilliant orator but seems intellectually lazy. When answering questions after a speech, he sometimes cannot recall what he just said. It's as if it is the first time he has been exposed to the material. Things he says in public frequently don't meet a simple test of reasonableness. What confounds me is the lack of much public criticism on this except by those specifically being attacked.

If you change the word "orator" to "actor", I think you will have your answer..

An orator develops a style based on the content of the speech that they personally wrote.

An actor develops a style based on the words in the script written by someone else...

Zero's inability to do ad-lib speeches, with he anally intense usage of HIS teleprompter(SS), also leads me to believe he has very little ownership to the words he espouses..

Case in point,, calling a cop stupid on national television,, anyone with half a brain would know that is asking for a big lump of very bad Ju-Ju..

[The Reaper]

Why has he not mentioned the role lawsuits have in the increasing cost of medical care?

Where is tort reform in the 1,000+ page House Bill?

Why is the legal community the only one not being called out for their mistakes and being asked to take their haircut along with everyone else?

TR

Originally Posted by JJ_BPK

If you change the word "orator" to "actor", I think you will have your answer..

An orator develops a style based on the content of the speech that they personally wrote.

An actor develops a style based on the words in the script written by someone else...

You're exactly right.

[Roguish Lawyer]

Originally Posted by The Reaper

Why is the legal community the only one not being called out for their mistakes and being asked to take their haircut along with everyone else?

Is that a rhetorical question, my Samoan counselor?

[Sigaba]

Yes, they can.

There is no more damning indication of the wide-spread dissatisfaction with the 43rd president that so many Americans imagined that the man they elected as the 44th president would be an improvement over any of his predecessors.

Originally Posted by JJ_BPK

An actor develops a style based on the words in the script written by someone else.

They'd love you at WGA WEST. At the DGA, SAG, and AMPTP, maybe not so much.




______________________________________________
* 2008 presidential election results available here.

[FCWood]

Originally Posted by The Reaper

Why has he not mentioned the role lawsuits have in the increasing cost of medical care?

Where is tort reform in the 1,000+ page House Bill?

Why is the legal community the only one not being called out for their mistakes and being asked to take their haircut along with everyone else?

TR

Agreed.

During first year medical student orientation today, EVERYONE in our 18 person module agreed that we need tort reform.

FCW

[Team Sergeant]

Originally Posted by FCWood

Agreed.

During first year medical student orientation today, EVERYONE in our 18 person module agreed that we need tort reform.

FCW

Kind of like term limits, it just ain't going to happen.

[Red Flag 1]

Originally Posted by FCWood

Agreed.

During first year medical student orientation today, EVERYONE in our 18 person module agreed that we need tort reform.

FCW

Even Bill Clinton, not the SOS as Hilary pointed out, agreed with this a decade or so ago. It was also a subject of discussion when I finished my anesthesia training in 1977. Given the history of this subject... TS is right! Besides, the lawyers will never let this happen.

My $.02.

RF 1

[FCWood]

Too bad...

[doctom54]

It is good to see a physician organization that actually represents its constituents.
(All though it could be argued that the AMA, to which only about 15-19% of the physicians belong to, could be representing its constituents which are pharma and others.)