Make Room on Your Shelves

As orthopedic surgeons, we’ve made a commitment to lifelong learning. I can’t think of a single surgery that I perform the same way I did when I was in training. With rapidly evolving technology, continuously advancing procedures, and ever-increasing documentation requirements, it’s hard to stay on top of it all. We know your time is precious and that you have less of it than ever before. What little time you have that is not dedicated to work is reserved for your family or your hobbies. There’s no time to read every orthopedic journal, many filled with articles that have no practical value to your practice. That’s why we’ve created the new AJO. Our goal, as an editorial staff, is to provide a journal where every article, column, and feature contains information that directly benefits your practice, your patients, or your bottom line, and keeps you informed of the latest techniques, procedures, and products. We will help surgeons “work smarter, not harder,” implement new technologies into their practices, and find creative revenue streams that are both legal and compliant.

We’ve assembled a team of talented editors to accomplish this task, and will introduce them throughout the coming year. In this issue, you will meet our Deputy Editors-in-Chief and some of our new Associate Editors who’ve collaborated to bring you the “new AJO”.

At this year’s Academy, the AJO launched an extensive rebranding. We have a new look, a new logo, and a new creative directive. The journal will now feature new columns, invited articles, and innovative surgical techniques. We will publish 5 issues for the remainder of 2016. Our March/April issue is a special edition dedicated to baseball. In time for Spring Training/Opening Day, this issue includes articles from Major League Baseball’s physicians and trainers, a “Codes to Know” segment, “Tips of the Trade,” and a “Tools of the Trade” feature. “The Baseball Issue” will set the tone for what readers can expect from the “new AJO”.

Our first feature article, written by Jed Kuhn, takes a philosophical look at the evolution of the throwing shoulder, and invites the reader to help unlock some of the great shoulder anatomy mysteries by viewing them from a time when throwing was an activity of daily living. In ancient times, if you couldn’t throw, you couldn’t eat. We know that children who play baseball remodel their shoulder to allow for increased external rotation. Read Dr. Kuhn’s article and imagine when a shoulder optimized for throwing was a competitive advantage for survival.

Our second feature article is written by Stan Conte, a legend of the game and longtime trainer for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Dr. Conte studied injury trends in baseball over the past 18 seasons and provides an analysis of the staggering cost of placing players on the disabled list.

A baseball issue could not be complete without an article on Tommy John surgery. In this issue, AJO shares a revolutionary new technique for treating players with MUCL tears by author Jeffrey Dugas. Named the “Internal Brace”, Dr. Dugas shares his technique for augmenting the injured MUCL and we are proud to bring it to you first.

A recurring feature in the new AJO will be a section we refer to as “Codes to Know.” In partnership with Karen Zupko, AJO will present little-known coding secrets and proper coding techniques to help you get reimbursed appropriately for your work. This month, in the first article of a 3-part series, Alan Hirahara teaches us how to properly code for a diagnostic ultrasound examination of the shoulder. The article includes templates available for download to assist you with proper documentation. Parts 2 and 3 will provide a tutorial on the proper technique for examinations and injections.

While shoulder and elbow injuries get more attention, Major League Baseball’s Injury Panel has produced a look at the staggering amount of knee injuries over the 2011-2014 seasons, inspiring us to feature the knee in our 2 “Trade” Columns.

The “Tips of the Trade” column will continue, featuring this month a guide to identifying and treating meniscal root tears. A new segment, referred to as “Tools of the Trade,” reviews the latest products for all-inside meniscal repair. Our “Tools” section will feature announcements and reviews of the hottest new products, with a buying guide and surgical pearls from the surgeons who know them best.

While we are discussing the lower extremity, we should point out that we plan to do the “leg work” for you. Each AJO issue will have handouts that can be downloaded from our website and utilized in your practice. Read Robin West’s article entitled “Interval Throwing and Hitting Programs in Baseball: Biomechanics and Rehabilitation,” and download Return to Throwing and Hitting programs your patients and therapists can use.

Finally, I’d like to thank our previous Editor-in-Chief Dr. Peter McCann for his stewardship the last 10 years and recognize him for his dedication to the journal.

Thank you for reading AJO and for continuing to do so in the future. I know that collectively, we can turn AJO into a product worthy of its title. We know our past reputation. We are no longer that journal. Spend some time to get to know the “new AJO”, and make some room on your shelves, because the information between the covers will provide a template to implement new technologies and revenue streams into your practice and help fulfill your commitment to learning.

As orthopedic surgeons, we’ve made a commitment to lifelong learning. I can’t think of a single surgery that I perform the same way I did when I was in training. With rapidly evolving technology, continuously advancing procedures, and ever-increasing documentation requirements, it’s hard to stay on top of it all. We know your time is precious and that you have less of it than ever before. What little time you have that is not dedicated to work is reserved for your family or your hobbies. There’s no time to read every orthopedic journal, many filled with articles that have no practical value to your practice. That’s why we’ve created the new AJO. Our goal, as an editorial staff, is to provide a journal where every article, column, and feature contains information that directly benefits your practice, your patients, or your bottom line, and keeps you informed of the latest techniques, procedures, and products. We will help surgeons “work smarter, not harder,” implement new technologies into their practices, and find creative revenue streams that are both legal and compliant.

We’ve assembled a team of talented editors to accomplish this task, and will introduce them throughout the coming year. In this issue, you will meet our Deputy Editors-in-Chief and some of our new Associate Editors who’ve collaborated to bring you the “new AJO”.

At this year’s Academy, the AJO launched an extensive rebranding. We have a new look, a new logo, and a new creative directive. The journal will now feature new columns, invited articles, and innovative surgical techniques. We will publish 5 issues for the remainder of 2016. Our March/April issue is a special edition dedicated to baseball. In time for Spring Training/Opening Day, this issue includes articles from Major League Baseball’s physicians and trainers, a “Codes to Know” segment, “Tips of the Trade,” and a “Tools of the Trade” feature. “The Baseball Issue” will set the tone for what readers can expect from the “new AJO”.

Our first feature article, written by Jed Kuhn, takes a philosophical look at the evolution of the throwing shoulder, and invites the reader to help unlock some of the great shoulder anatomy mysteries by viewing them from a time when throwing was an activity of daily living. In ancient times, if you couldn’t throw, you couldn’t eat. We know that children who play baseball remodel their shoulder to allow for increased external rotation. Read Dr. Kuhn’s article and imagine when a shoulder optimized for throwing was a competitive advantage for survival.

Our second feature article is written by Stan Conte, a legend of the game and longtime trainer for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Dr. Conte studied injury trends in baseball over the past 18 seasons and provides an analysis of the staggering cost of placing players on the disabled list.

A baseball issue could not be complete without an article on Tommy John surgery. In this issue, AJO shares a revolutionary new technique for treating players with MUCL tears by author Jeffrey Dugas. Named the “Internal Brace”, Dr. Dugas shares his technique for augmenting the injured MUCL and we are proud to bring it to you first.

A recurring feature in the new AJO will be a section we refer to as “Codes to Know.” In partnership with Karen Zupko, AJO will present little-known coding secrets and proper coding techniques to help you get reimbursed appropriately for your work. This month, in the first article of a 3-part series, Alan Hirahara teaches us how to properly code for a diagnostic ultrasound examination of the shoulder. The article includes templates available for download to assist you with proper documentation. Parts 2 and 3 will provide a tutorial on the proper technique for examinations and injections.

While shoulder and elbow injuries get more attention, Major League Baseball’s Injury Panel has produced a look at the staggering amount of knee injuries over the 2011-2014 seasons, inspiring us to feature the knee in our 2 “Trade” Columns.

The “Tips of the Trade” column will continue, featuring this month a guide to identifying and treating meniscal root tears. A new segment, referred to as “Tools of the Trade,” reviews the latest products for all-inside meniscal repair. Our “Tools” section will feature announcements and reviews of the hottest new products, with a buying guide and surgical pearls from the surgeons who know them best.

While we are discussing the lower extremity, we should point out that we plan to do the “leg work” for you. Each AJO issue will have handouts that can be downloaded from our website and utilized in your practice. Read Robin West’s article entitled “Interval Throwing and Hitting Programs in Baseball: Biomechanics and Rehabilitation,” and download Return to Throwing and Hitting programs your patients and therapists can use.

Finally, I’d like to thank our previous Editor-in-Chief Dr. Peter McCann for his stewardship the last 10 years and recognize him for his dedication to the journal.

Thank you for reading AJO and for continuing to do so in the future. I know that collectively, we can turn AJO into a product worthy of its title. We know our past reputation. We are no longer that journal. Spend some time to get to know the “new AJO”, and make some room on your shelves, because the information between the covers will provide a template to implement new technologies and revenue streams into your practice and help fulfill your commitment to learning.

As orthopedic surgeons, we’ve made a commitment to lifelong learning. I can’t think of a single surgery that I perform the same way I did when I was in training. With rapidly evolving technology, continuously advancing procedures, and ever-increasing documentation requirements, it’s hard to stay on top of it all. We know your time is precious and that you have less of it than ever before. What little time you have that is not dedicated to work is reserved for your family or your hobbies. There’s no time to read every orthopedic journal, many filled with articles that have no practical value to your practice. That’s why we’ve created the new AJO. Our goal, as an editorial staff, is to provide a journal where every article, column, and feature contains information that directly benefits your practice, your patients, or your bottom line, and keeps you informed of the latest techniques, procedures, and products. We will help surgeons “work smarter, not harder,” implement new technologies into their practices, and find creative revenue streams that are both legal and compliant.

We’ve assembled a team of talented editors to accomplish this task, and will introduce them throughout the coming year. In this issue, you will meet our Deputy Editors-in-Chief and some of our new Associate Editors who’ve collaborated to bring you the “new AJO”.

At this year’s Academy, the AJO launched an extensive rebranding. We have a new look, a new logo, and a new creative directive. The journal will now feature new columns, invited articles, and innovative surgical techniques. We will publish 5 issues for the remainder of 2016. Our March/April issue is a special edition dedicated to baseball. In time for Spring Training/Opening Day, this issue includes articles from Major League Baseball’s physicians and trainers, a “Codes to Know” segment, “Tips of the Trade,” and a “Tools of the Trade” feature. “The Baseball Issue” will set the tone for what readers can expect from the “new AJO”.

Our first feature article, written by Jed Kuhn, takes a philosophical look at the evolution of the throwing shoulder, and invites the reader to help unlock some of the great shoulder anatomy mysteries by viewing them from a time when throwing was an activity of daily living. In ancient times, if you couldn’t throw, you couldn’t eat. We know that children who play baseball remodel their shoulder to allow for increased external rotation. Read Dr. Kuhn’s article and imagine when a shoulder optimized for throwing was a competitive advantage for survival.

Our second feature article is written by Stan Conte, a legend of the game and longtime trainer for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Dr. Conte studied injury trends in baseball over the past 18 seasons and provides an analysis of the staggering cost of placing players on the disabled list.

A baseball issue could not be complete without an article on Tommy John surgery. In this issue, AJO shares a revolutionary new technique for treating players with MUCL tears by author Jeffrey Dugas. Named the “Internal Brace”, Dr. Dugas shares his technique for augmenting the injured MUCL and we are proud to bring it to you first.

A recurring feature in the new AJO will be a section we refer to as “Codes to Know.” In partnership with Karen Zupko, AJO will present little-known coding secrets and proper coding techniques to help you get reimbursed appropriately for your work. This month, in the first article of a 3-part series, Alan Hirahara teaches us how to properly code for a diagnostic ultrasound examination of the shoulder. The article includes templates available for download to assist you with proper documentation. Parts 2 and 3 will provide a tutorial on the proper technique for examinations and injections.

While shoulder and elbow injuries get more attention, Major League Baseball’s Injury Panel has produced a look at the staggering amount of knee injuries over the 2011-2014 seasons, inspiring us to feature the knee in our 2 “Trade” Columns.

The “Tips of the Trade” column will continue, featuring this month a guide to identifying and treating meniscal root tears. A new segment, referred to as “Tools of the Trade,” reviews the latest products for all-inside meniscal repair. Our “Tools” section will feature announcements and reviews of the hottest new products, with a buying guide and surgical pearls from the surgeons who know them best.

While we are discussing the lower extremity, we should point out that we plan to do the “leg work” for you. Each AJO issue will have handouts that can be downloaded from our website and utilized in your practice. Read Robin West’s article entitled “Interval Throwing and Hitting Programs in Baseball: Biomechanics and Rehabilitation,” and download Return to Throwing and Hitting programs your patients and therapists can use.

Finally, I’d like to thank our previous Editor-in-Chief Dr. Peter McCann for his stewardship the last 10 years and recognize him for his dedication to the journal.

Thank you for reading AJO and for continuing to do so in the future. I know that collectively, we can turn AJO into a product worthy of its title. We know our past reputation. We are no longer that journal. Spend some time to get to know the “new AJO”, and make some room on your shelves, because the information between the covers will provide a template to implement new technologies and revenue streams into your practice and help fulfill your commitment to learning.