Legacy of Excellence Digital Flipbook

LEGACY OF EXCELLENCE

and develop longer lasting payment reform for a new Medicare payment system to incentivize the delivery of high-quality, efficient healthcare.” Dr. Waguespack brought an elite knowledge of the socioeconomics of healthcare and the practice of medicine to his presidency that allowed him to be an effective advocate for the day-to-day practice of otolaryngology, particularly those in private practice. Of all the positions and responsibilities that Dr. Waguespack has had during his professional career, being AAO-HNS/F President was his highest achievement. “For me, personally, I would say that it is probably the high watermark in my professional career. It is certainly something that was the highest honor I could serve on behalf of our specialties. I did everything possible to make sure that I enjoyed it and recognize the position for what it was—an opportunity to represent the organization.” He credits the AAO-HNS/F for doing good work in health policy and advocacy, especially as challenges will always be present in those areas related to reimbursement and innovative patient care. “There are game changers out there and I think we need, as a specialty as many other specialties do, to find a mechanism for defining the evidence and present [it] to those who will make decisions about payment, so that we can continue to move the specialty forward as its technology moves forward.” Expounding on this time of transition he reflected, “During my term, the constant guidance [and] steady hand of David Nielsen was there, and I know that transition went very, very nicely. He was the steady hand who knew everything about the Academy… how it related internally with membership and with other societies that, indeed, couldn’t have done it without him.” Finally, the AAO-HNS/F was preparing for the transition from David R. Nielsen, MD, as EVP/CEO to James C. Denneny III, MD, in 2014. As President, Dr. Waguespack along with his predecessor, James L. Netterville, MD, Co-chaired the Search Committee that selected Dr. Denneny as the new EVP/CEO. He also shared that he was especially honored to have served between two outstanding presidents, Dr. Netterville and Gayle E. Woodson, MD.

There are game changers out there and I think we

need, as a specialty as many other specialties do, to find a mechanism

for defining the evidence and present [it] to those who will

editorial board of the Laryngoscope journal. He was also named to the AMA CPT Editorial Panel—the body that creates and maintains CPT codes—from 2004 to 2008 and rotated off the CPT Assistant Editorial Board in May 2021. Some issues facing the specialty that Dr. Waguespack focused on during his time in office included the transition from ICD-9 to ICD-10 coding, grappling with the Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) payment reduction for physicians, and the creation of a data registry for otolaryngology, which would eventually become the Reg-ent SM registry. In his May 2014 Bulletin column he wrote, “There has never been another time in my professional career when so much change has occurred in the field of healthcare in such a short time. I know AAO-HNS members, who are working diligently on behalf of their patients, feel this—whether you’re in a small, rural community practice or in an urban academic setting. “Meaningful Use, Quality reporting within the Medicare program, ICD-10, and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) have created resource intensive, overlapping regulatory changes that are affecting, and will for years, the way physicians do business. Positive outcomes depend on physicians’ readiness and willingness to adapt to these changes. More changes are likely as the AAO-HNS membership and staff continue to work with other specialty societies and Hill leaders to permanently repeal the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula make decisions about payment, so that we can continue to move the specialty forward as its technology moves forward.”

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