Deadlines near for Society, Foundation awards

Applications are due early in 2021 for a number of Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) and SVS Foundation awards, honors and grants. Information on all awards and scholarships is available at vsweb.org January: Applications are due Jan. 13 for the…
Outpatient evaluation and management codes extensively revised

For the first time since 1992, office/outpatient evaluation and management (E/M) Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes have been extensively revised. As of Jan. 1, the lowest level new patient visit code 99201 will be deleted, and the remaining new patient…
A healing touch

Since March 2020, my life has literally spiraled out of control both personally and professionally. The COVID-19 pandemic shattered my life, and I am still left picking up the pieces, wondering if it will ever be put back together again.…
Inaugural leadership program overcomes pandemic difficulties

The inaugural cohort of the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) Leadership Development Program had to show some resilience early. Not long after the initiative’s maiden run, COVID-19 struck, and a program meant to take place in person went digital. For…
Vascular surgery COVID-19 registry participants probe state of practice amid winter surge

The question of the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on vascular practice continues to occupy members of the specialty. Contributors to a global vascular surgery registry collecting data on its impact on scheduled operations and virus-related thrombotic complications detailed a series of…
Total endovascular aortic arch treatment shows promise in dissections, but secondary interventions remain ‘Achilles’ heel’

Speaking at the Virtual Aortic Surgery How to Do It Highlights conference (Dec. 17–18), Stéphan Haulon, MD, a vascular surgeon at Hôpital Marie Lannelongue, Paris, France, discussed total endovascular treatment of the aortic arch in chronic dissections. Detailing global experience…
Pre-emptive embolization of aneurysm sac side branches prevents post-EVAR type II endoleak, study finds

According to Daniela Branzan, MD, a senior vascular surgeon at University Hospital Leipzig, in Leipzig, Germany, and colleagues, pre-emptive embolization of aneurysm sac side branches for patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is “safe and effective” in preventing type II…
VAM dates shifted to mid-August

The Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) has shifted the 2021 iteration of its flagship conference, the Vascular Annual Meeting (VAM), to August in a bid to increase the likelihood of an in-person event. The meeting was originally scheduled to take…
Congress delays steep Medicare payment cuts

Both the House of Representatives and Senate have approved legislation to delay steep cuts to Medicare that were set to take effect Jan. 1, 2021. It is anticipated President Donald Trump will eventually sign the bill; however, if it is…
Quality initiative: New pocket guides now available

New pocket guides of the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) clinical practice guidelines and reporting standards are now available, with printed guides sent to all members. SVS guidelines and reporting standards are extensively researched and written by leading vascular experts.…

