The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons honored the South Dakota State Orthopedic Society with the 2015 State Orthopaedic Achievement Award, according to an AAOS Now report.
Here are five things to know about the SDSOS:
1. AAOS honored the organization for their role in "ensuring that patients in the state are able to see their choice of physicians, regardless of the doctor's network status." The SDSOS vice president Peter Looby, MD, spearheaded the passage of Patient Choice Initiative Measure 17 giving physicians the ability to join a closed insurance network if they agree with the insurance company's terms and condition and work within the coverage area.
2. The organization was part of an effort to gain 30,000 signatures that got the measure on a November 2014 general election ballot. They also developed a coalition with other healthcare providers to raise funds and strategize about passing the measure.
3. South Dakota orthopedic surgeons contributed $60,000-plus to the effort, including a $30,000 AAOS grant.
4. Their efforts to fight narrow networks are closely watched, as more communities around the United States are seeing narrow networks evolve in the marketplace.
5. SDSOS members and officers were responsible for 85 percent of the efforts to organize, strategic planning and media related to the measure's passage.