Voice of the SAOA President

May 2023

Busy Surgeon's summary

National Ballot result
Global Fee Discussion with Discovery
Medical aid engements with Bestmed and Gems
Competition Commission update
SAPPF - Procedural coding reference group (PCRG)
SAOA 2023 Congress and beyond
Compliance - Ethical Medtech
Fellowships and ABC Fellowship
South African Institute of Medicalegal Experts - SAIME
Upcoming Events

I have recently spent a weekend on the Fynbos Trail in Walker Bay. This reminded me of the importance of taking breaks away from it all and connecting with nature. Our career is often time consuming and very stressful, getting away from it all (including away from technology) allows us to clear our brains and maintain some sanity.

This has been a very busy few weeks for the SAOA executive with meetings with 3 medical aids, the South African Private Practice Forum, the SAOA presidential line and the SAOA Executive. After 10 hours of meetings, it is very easy to get ‘meetinged out’. These meetings however are of vital importance as much is learned and achieved.

National Ballot - Sanesh Miseer

Congratulations to Sanesh Miseer who was voted by Membership as the new National Ballot representative on Exco.

Thank you to Catherine Troisi and Falethu Sukati for accepting the nominations and making yourselves available for this position.

Reminder | Nominations are open for the Second Vice President. Click here for the nomination notification.

Global Fee discussion with Discovery

Below is a letter send to Discovery after our meeting with them on 30th March 2023. We expressed our dissatisfaction with their continual depreciation of the global fees. They have increased all surgeries by 5.8% this year but have singled out the DHAN for an increase of only 3%. This is following a trend of steady decline after initial increases of around 100% of CPIX in 2017,2018 and 2019. Since 2020 the increase has been approximately a 1/3 of CPIX.

We repeatedly expressed our dissatisfaction but our concerns were dismissed with the statement ‘Discover is paying orthopaedic surgeons more (11,7% annually) and the surgeons have more money in their bank accounts’. This is true and this, together with the ease of administration and the lack of having copayments, is very attractive. However, if this depreciation continues, it does not bode well for lower arthroplasty in the future.

We will continue to engage Discovery.

Click here to read Discovery Letter

Bestmed and GEMS

We met with Bestmed and GEMS separately and these meetings were very congenial.

We discussed a number of coding issues with them and the consensus from both of them was that they would like to collaborate with us regarding coding so that we are on the same page as regarding what is acceptable and what is not. We will also assist them when they have a case where they feel the coding may be excessive. This would be a two-way system with us assisting each other.

I would like to commend Refiloe Mbentse, our business manager, who has given valuable input and advice regarding the discussions in these meetings. She sees this from a different perspective than us doctors which is vital and enlightening.

Competition Commission

The South African Orthopaedic Association has applied to the competition commission for exemption so that we may be able to discuss matters with the medical aids. There have been objections by some role players and the SAOA has been invited to address these objections.

SAPPF | Procedural Coding Reference Group (PCRG)

A meeting with The South African private practice forum regarding an initiative that they have embarked on to sort out the coding conundrum. Previous attempts to rectify the issue and sort out a system have not been successful. The South African private practice forum together with SAMA have canvassed the different parties such as the council for medical schemes, the National Department of health and medical aid societies. The specialist associations are included in the process and the SAOA will give their input. This process is in its infancy and has been named the PCRG. We have invited the South African Private Practice Forum to present this at the September conference and members will be invited to pose questions regarding it.

SAOA 2023

Time is marching on and the 2023 Congress is just over three months away. Planning is reaching the busy and business part of the organization.

We have received 123 abstract which are in the process of being reviewed.

There will be extensive input from international speakers as all the presidents of our sister organizations will be contributing.

In addition, there are 5 invited speakers.

We look forward to welcoming you all at the conference in September. Click here to view the provisional programme and congress page.

SAOA 2024

The congresses have been held in Cape Town for the past few years and this was because of Covid disrupting the conferences in 2020 and 2021. The plan was that the congresses will start rotating back to different centres in 2024. Natal was to be the venue for the 2024 congress and 2 suitable venues where identified. The Drakensberg Conference Centre and the ICC in Durban. The preference was for the Drakensberg Conference Centre but this venue was turned down by Ethical Medtech. We challenged this decision as other medical conferences (SAGES August 2022) had been held there last year with their approval. They have a new person in charge and have ruled this location out. Concerns regarding the ICC in Durban was that the conference hotel has not opened since its closure during the Covid pandemic. There were also concerns voiced about the safety of the area in which the conference centre is situated. Exploring other venues in Natal revealed that there is no venue that is able to host the required number of delegates.

A decision had to be made as venues were becoming booked up. It was decided to hold the congress at the CCCC again. As it will be held at the same venue as 2023, substantial discounts were negotiated. The congress will be run by a committee from Natal. The dates had to be altered because of availability of the venue.

Thus, the SAOA congress in 2024 will be held from 26^th to 29^th August.

Compliance - ETHICAL MEDTECH

The SAOA is concerned and frustrated that the regulations regarding compliance of congress venues being applied to South Africa is dictated to by Europe (Ethical Medtech) and do not take into account the different circumstances in our country as compared to Europe and the USA.

The SAOA has canvassed FOSAS (Federation of South African Surgical Societies) who have agreed that the different societies in South Africa should write a joint letter of appeal to Ethical Medtech. This is to stress the specific circumstances that pertain in our country as regarding venues. There are a limited number of venues able to accommodate the number of delegates and the fact that most of our eligible conference centers are in places that are deemed to be tourist destinations and therefore not compliant. The SAOA asked why the AAOS conference in March 2023 could be held in Las Vegas where there was a casino 50m from the entrance to the conference center in the same hotel complex. The SAOA was advised that an exemption was applied because there are only a few venues in the USA that can accommodate such a large conference. This is the same situation that pertains our country and we are concerned that exemptions are being allowed in other countries but the rules are stringently being applied to us.

Fellowships

Dr. Falethu Sukati and Dr. Mzwakhe Khumalo are presently being hosted in Germany on a fellowship representing the SAOA.

They are excellent ambassadors for our country.

This is a reciprocal fellowship and we will host German fellows in 2024.

ABC Fellowship

You would have received an advert advertising this and anyone who fulfil the criteria are encouraged to apply.

The interviews will be held just prior to the Congress at the venue and the successful person announce at the congress.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE AND APPLY

Reminder that Award applications close 30 June 2023CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

South African Institute of Medicolegal Experts | SAIME

A member of the SAOA applied to do a course with this Institute and this course was to be held in October 2022. He received a notification just prior to that day informing him that the course had been postponed to 2023. At that time the member had already paid for the course and for his flights which were non-refundable.

He attempted to contact SAIME with no response and the SAOA also sent two emails and had no reply. Attempts to contact them on their phone line resulted in what appeared to be a disconnected lined.

We advise our members to be cautious when applying to do courses with establishment without verifying them.

Basil Vrettos

SAOA President 2023

www.saoa.org.za

direct email president@saoa.org.za

assistant: Mrs Leana Fourie

051 430 3280 info@saoa.org.za

UPCOMING EVENTS

12 June - Monthly Online Gauteng South Case presentations

20 July - Eastern Cape Branch meeting and Presidential Roadshow

20 July - KZN Branch Meeting and Presidentail Roadhow

24 July - Western Cape Branch Meeting and Presidential Roadshow

27 July - Northern Gauteng Branch Meeting and Presidential Roadshow

28 July - Exco

3 Sept - Exco

4-7 September 2023 - SAOA 2023

5-7 October - ISHA 2023

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