Orthopaedic Community Applauds Bipartisan Legislation to Raise Awareness of Musculoskeletal Diseases and Conditions

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For Immediate Release
07/15/2008

Orthopaedic Community Applauds Bipartisan Legislation to Raise Awareness of Musculoskeletal Diseases and Conditions
The American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) today announced its support for bipartisan legislation seeking to raise awareness of musculoskeletal diseases and conditions among health care professionals and the public.

Washington, DC

The American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) today announced its support for bipartisan legislation seeking to raise awareness of musculoskeletal diseases and conditions among health care professionals and the public. The Access to America’s Orthopaedic Services Act of 2008 was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Congresswoman Hilda L. Solis (D-CA), a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Health and Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Task Force on Health and the Environment, and Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Health.

“This legislation is indeed a great victory for the orthopaedic profession and our patients,” said David A. Halsey, MD, Chair of the Council on Advocacy for the AAOS. “The burden of musculoskeletal diseases and conditions has a much deeper impact on the nation’s health care system than many realize. In order to fully address this impact and ensure America’s access to orthopaedic services, we must first identify and address gaps in musculoskeletal health services and raise awareness about the importance of educating the public on these debilitating diseases.”

Musculoskeletal diseases and conditions are the leading cause of disability in the United States, account for more than one-half of all chronic conditions in people over 50 years of age in developed countries and require more than 1 in 4 Americans to seek medical attention. Additionally, annual direct and indirect costs for bone and joint health are $849 billion.

The Access to America’s Orthopaedic Services Act of 2008 aims to improve knowledge about the public health effects of musculoskeletal diseases and conditions. The legislation would:

Establish regulations to ensure an accurate accounting of research on musculoskeletal diseases and conditions;
Advise the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to issue recommendations for a standard, cost-effective modality for measuring bone mass and intervals for follow-up screening based on existing measurement tools;
Request the creation of a national joint replacement registry and require an enhanced accreditation process for tissue banks;
Increase government agency reporting requirements to improve the treatment and management of musculoskeletal diseases and conditions and to reduce disease burden and injury among children, teen girls and seniors;
Request the Department of Health and Human Services to conduct studies on the causes of severe trauma to extremities resulting from vehicular crashes;
Require the National Occupational Research Agenda to promote a coordinated effort between agencies in order to collect information about workplace injuries pertaining to musculoskeletal conditions and treatments; and
Urge the Office of Minority Health to consider musculoskeletal diseases and conditions as an additional health priority.

Original cosponsors of the Access to America’s Orthopaedic Services Act of 2008 include: Rep. Robert Andrews (D-NJ), Rep. Joe Baca (D-CA), Rep. Sam Farr (D-CA), Rep. Gene Green (D-TX), Rep. Tom Price (R-GA), Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Rep. Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX), Rep. Randy Kuhl (R-NY), Rep. David Scott (D-GA), Rep. Betty Sutton (D-OH), and Rep. Gene Taylor (D-MS).

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