Legacy of Excellence Digital Flipbook

Chapter 4: 2012 – 2016

was an ongoing priority throughout his work with the Academy. Tools and resources have been put in place to support members in fair and equitable payment. Payment was just one component and stressor to members. Each attempted healthcare reform plan introduced over the years always resulted in the physician getting less and doing more. The cost to maintain a practice has been continually on the rise. “One of my goals continues to be to make recommendations on how to reform the overall health system in a way that assures our members are able to practice high quality medicine in whatever setting they want, whether it’s academic, employed, or private practice, and to make sure there’s still a market for private practice.” In the December 2016/January 2017 Bulletin , Dr. Denneny shared, “An equally critical area for discussion and planning, ‘what will the practice of otolaryngology be in the future?, deserves attention as we progress through the pathway of reform.” He noted that many factors would interact to define the otolaryngology practice of the future and significantly alter the practice and patient care. These included supply of otolaryngologists, scientific advances, scope of practice adjustments, changes in medical education, utilization of allied health providers, population health management, clinical data defining best patient care, and overall payment reform. In response, the Future of Otolaryngology Task Force was created to “continue to work with our specialty societies, the house of surgery, the house of medicine, and, most importantly, our members to proactively prepare for and adapt to future directions in healthcare and the practice of otolaryngology.” This Task Force’s scope expanded even further during the pandemic when, through collaboration with all the specialty societies, produced materials and information for otolaryngologist head and neck surgeons to consider when returning to practice during the COVID-19 pandemic. Another trend playing into the future of otolaryngology practice was the increase in administrative burdens for physicians such as precertification and documentation for insurance companies and the difficulty and required to use electronic health records, “It lessened the time they had with their own patients. More administrative work, more details, more expense to practice, less control, and then we started looking at the corporatization of medicine. Practicing was very much more difficult, both academic centers and private practices particularly. So that was something that that

was high on my list to look at and address some of the problems.” Dr. Denneny addressed these as he did with his other approaches – though collaboration with coalitions and others within the house of medicine. Additionally, the added stress of these administrative burdens also led to the Wellness Task Force to provide resources and an outlet for members to find balance among all the reporting requirements and payment reforms in the midst of their practice and patient care. Other trends that Dr. Denneny noted were essential for the Academy to address included “more pressure from ancillary providers trying to do the same things that physicians typically did without similar training.” Taking the Lead with Innovation to Connect the Global Otolaryngology Community Under Dr. Denneny’s leadership, the AAO-HNS/F stayed on the cutting-edge of technology and innovation in a variety of areas. This was essential to remain relevant to members and provide them with access to the programs and services needed to sustain and thrive in practice and quality patient care. These endeavors led to the work of the Future of Education Task Force in charting the course for the future of the AAO-HNSF Education program. “As technologies advanced, we’ve advanced our education. And we want to keep current with the new ways of doing education…And so we’ve tried to keep our education, including the Annual Meetings fresh and updated. And I think most of the changes we’ve made have been valuable in that way.” This included the courage to sunset a long-standing education product after more than three decades, the Home Study Course. In its place in 2020, the AAO-HNSF launched FLEX, the new flagship education product developed with the involvement of more than 130 Foundation education faculty.

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