Current News

The Call for Nominations for the 2009 AACE elections for Officers and Board of Directors positions was e-mailed (faxed to those without Internet) to the membership October 1, 2008. For details, click here.

ALERT-2009 ICD-9-CM CODES
It's time to review your charge tickets and encounter forms to see if the 2009 revisions and/or additions affect your practice. These diagnosis codes take effect on October 1, 2008, and CMS does not allow a grace period: Claims with invalid codes will be rejected. Be sure to verify all ICD-9-CM codes with your new 2009 ICD-9-CM manual.

Check the following list of new, revised, and invalid endocrine specific codes to verify which ones may impact your practice click here

Low Thyroid Function Linked to Heart Failure Risk
The results of an observational study in the Sept. 30 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology have been getting significant attention in the press this week.

The story can be found in its entirety here.

As patients may see this story and ask you or your practice questions, AACE has developed a few quick talking points to help you discuss the meaning of these results.

• This was an observational study that does not demonstrate benefit of treatment but suggests it might.
• The study only found an increased incidence of congestive heart failure in those with TSH levels over 10, not below.
• This is consistent with existing AACE policy, as first stated by Dr. Hossein Gharib in this Subclinical Thyroid Consensus Statement in 2005.

“Treatment of a subclinically hypothyroid patient with a TSH below 10 remains a judgment call,” says Daniel Duick, MD, FACP, FACE, and President of AACE.   “This report does not call for any change in treatment guidelines.”

To see the AACE Clinical Practice Guidelines on hypothyroidism, click here.

AACE Call for Abstracts
The AACE Call for Abstracts online abstract submission program is now open through December 15, 2008. Please visit www.aace.com/poster/2009 for more information.

A study presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Rome Italy and concurrently published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) showed that after six months of using Continuous Glucose Monitoring devices, adults above the age of 24 with type 1 diabetes had significantly better blood sugar control, as reflected by a drop in A1c levels of approximately 0.5%--without an increase in the incidence of hypoglycemia.

• Read the full story here.
• For additional commentary, visit the AACE Patient Safety Exchange Web site

Additional Thoughts on ACCORD and ADVANCE Trials...Click here to read the new editorial on AACE's Patient Safety Exchange

Should we change the rules for new drug approval to include cardiovascular outcomes in diabetes medications?...Click here to read the new editorial on AACE's Patient Safety Exchange

Editorial on AACE Patient Safety Exchange: Depression and Diabetes and Patient Safety....Read More

Ask The Experts: Steven M. Petak, MD, JD, FACE, FCLM, responds to inquiry on low testosterone & iron levels Post your comments using the Talk Back Form! Read more at the AACE Patient Safety Exchange.

A new report in JAMA shows four additional deaths related to Byetta. At this time, it is unclear if the deaths were related to pancreatitis. In the previous FDA report on exenatide in 2007, none of the cases of pancreatitis led to death, although there were serious complications in several cases. What we do not know is what the true incidence is of pancreatitis in patients who are placed on exenatide. Is pancreatitis on exenatide a rare phenomenon, or is it far more common than presently reported? AACE Immediate Past President, Richard Hellman, MD, FACP, FACE, addresses these questions, and the important issue of how to best manage your patients' safety, at the AACE website dedicated to patient safety issues: http://www.aacepatientsafetyexchange.com. Click here to view the editorial and to participate in the discussion.

Diabetes Experts Recommend One–Two Punch for Treating Patients with Pre–Diabetes — Read the full story here

Ask The Experts: Irl Hirsch, MD, Responds to Inquiry on CSII in Hospital Settings in the Discussion Forum ... Post your comments using the TalkBack form! ... Read More at the AACE Patient Safety Exchange

An update and clarification on Medicare claims processing as a result of the enactment of H.R. 6331, "Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008," is available here

Congress Overrides Presidential Veto of Medicare Legislation - On July 15th, the House of Representatives voted to override the President’s veto of H.R. 6331, “Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008,” by a vote of 383-41. The Senate followed later in the day and also voted to override the veto by a vote of 70-26… read more

Opportunity for Midwest Regional AACE Members to Participate in Career Development and Networking Workshop
The AACE Minority Health Affairs Committee invites AACE members that live or work in the Midwest to participate in the Network of Minority Research Investigators (NMRI) Midwest Regional Workshop, scheduled to take place on November 13-14, 2008, at the Hyatt Regency Chicago in Chicago, Illinois. The objective of NMRI and this workshop, designed for underrepresented minority investigators who are engaged in National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) relevant research, is to facilitate communication, participation, and mentorship of biomedical research in the fields of diabetes, endocrinology, metabolism, digestive diseases, nutrition, kidney, urologic, and hematologic diseases.  For more information, view the invitation and brochure.

AACE Representative Testifies at FDA Advisory Panel Vote for the Approval of Diabetes Drugs - Click here to read the full story.

Diabetes Experts Respond to Report Showing One in Twelve Americans have Diabetes
The CDC today reported that the number of Americans with diabetes has grown to more than 24 million. AACE has issued a press release about the efforts of this association and its members to help stop the epidemic of diabetes through prevention, early detection, and management of the disease. Click here to read the full release.

AACE Encourages Diabetes Patients to Prepare for Disasters with New Checklist
AACE has developed a checklist to help prevent the interruption of treatment to diabetes patients in a time of disaster. This checklist is a great way for patients to prepare themselves before disaster strikes. These recommendations are not limited to hurricanes. The content is applicable for a variety of disasters including tornadoes, earthquakes, wildfires and man-made disasters. We encourage you to take a moment to share them with your patients.

To view the Diabetes Disaster Plan press release, download a PDF of the checklist or order more for your office, just click here. Eli Lilly has provided funding and other support for the AACE Diabetes Disaster Plan.

AACE Partners with Celebrity Chef to provide Healthy Menu Makeovers to Spanish speaking diabetes patients...More

NOW AVAILABLE: 2008 Version of ACE Self Assessment Program (ASAP)
What is ASAP?

• The American College of Endocrinology Self-Assessment Program (ASAP) provides a core curriculum with updated information on the evaluation, diagnosis, treatment, and management of endocrine disease.
• ASAP fulfills the cognitive needs of the endocrinologist to be effective and competent in delivering optimal endocrine care and assists endocrinologists in preparation and maintenance of their subspecialty certification.
• ASAP also provides an opportunity for endocrinologists to meet in part, state licensure requirements for CME.

How much will ASAP cost?
AACE Member - $220.00
AACE Member - Fellow-in-Training - $120
Non-Member - $300.00

To participate in the 2008 version of ASAP, please click on the following link: http://asap.aace.com

Legislation to Reverse Medicare DXA Cuts Introduced in Senate (S. 2702) - Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO) and Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) introduced the Medicare Fracture Prevention and Osteoporosis Testing Act (S. 2702) on March 4th. AACE members should call their two U.S. Senators to request co-sponsorship of S. 2702...More

Endotext, a comprehensive, authoritative, and easily accessible source of information on all aspects of clinical endocrinology is accessible to AACE domestic and international members...More