Reflecting On a Successful 2022

Greetings from all of us here at the UHMS!

First, I want to give a massive shout-out to all those contributing to the care and comfort of those suffering in Turkey due to the earthquake last week. Many of our hyperbaric medicine colleagues are working tirelessly to care for the injured, including some very young children with crush injuries. Teşekkür ederim ve Tanrı korusun!

Operationally, the UHMS is busy carrying out its mission points. We continue to focus on patient and caregiver safety in the hyperbaric medicine environment by publishing position statements and guidelines and enhancing our Hyperbaric Facility Accreditation process; providing relevant, inexpensive, and plentiful educational experiences; improving value for our members and the specialty as a whole; engaging regulators, payors, and authorities having jurisdiction about the safe and efficacious practice of hyperbaric medicine; and finally, publishing the highest quality research in our UHM journal.

Many of our current efforts are focused on preparing for the UHMS Annual Scientific Meeting in San Diego in June. This meeting will be one for the books, and we look forward to seeing you in person.

If you’re planning on bringing your family, please watch for our e-blasts on key attractions and things to do. San Diego has a lot to offer, including fabulous diving, the Padres (baseball), and many other fantastic experiences.

UHMS Finances
The UHMS completed 2022 in good form. The organization experienced a surplus net of $41K, which was $11K over budget.

Additionally, our balance sheet continues to be solid, with operating, savings, and investment accounts exceeding $1.1 million and equity and liabilities at near all-time highs and over $1.2 million.

Certification Matters
We continue to receive questions about technician and nursing certification. The UHMS’s position is unchanged in that we believe that all team members involved in providing care to patients in hyperbaric medicine should be certified, and our position statement – The Importance & Recognition of Hyperbaric Certification for Technicians & Nurses can be found at
https://www.uhms.org/images/Position-Statements/position_statement_-_uhms_associates_hyperbaric_certification_recognition_v.10.05.2019_v6_1.pdf

Associate Scholarship for ICHM
Each quarterly winner of the Associate Scholarship Award will have the opportunity to attend a UHMSapproved Introductory Course in Hyperbaric Medicine at no cost, which will prepare him or her for the Certified Hyperbaric Specialist examination. Apply at: https://www.uhms.org/associates-educational-scholarshipapplication.html

Member Benefits
As a reminder, UHMS members receive three free CE/ CME credits upon joining or renewing. This benefit represents an immediate $40 savings for Associate members and $60 for Regular members annually.

Associate Member Town Hall
Members are invited to attend the UHMS Associate Council town hall meeting on the second Thursday of every quarter, where invited speakers present on relevant topics that apply to our specialty.

Corporate Partners
If you are a UHMS Corporate Partner, don’t miss out on our monthly Corporate Partner Town Hall meeting series. Meetings are held on the first Wednesday of every month at 12 noon ET and are intended to be an open forum for discussing the challenges and successes your businesses and practices are experiencing and to create momentum and collaboration where appropriate.

If your organization wants the opportunity to educate the UHMS membership about the care provided or the goods and services offered, consider joining our Corporate Partnership Program. https://www.uhms.org/corporate-memberships.html.

MEDFAQs
The UHMS offers its version of “ask the experts.” Called MEDFAQs, it’s a valuable tool for our membership. If you are familiar with MEDFAQs, check back, as new Q&As are posted regularly. Find MEDFAQs at: https://www.uhms.org/resources/medfaqs-frequently-asked-questions-faq.html

Research
The Multicenter Registry for Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy at Dartmouth (MRHBO2) continues seeking funds to keep hospital membership free. The MRHBO2 is funded entirely via grants, not by the registry’s participating hospitals. Please consider supporting this critical need to help keep the barrier to joining low: https://www.uhms.org/donate-to-the-multicenterregistry-for-hyperbaric-oxygen-therapy.html

Remember that donations made to the UHMS Funds for Research and Policy Advancement are tax-deductible. For more information, check out the UHMS website: https://www.uhms.org/funding.html

QUARC
To better understand the field’s challenges, log in and visit the QUARC page. Here you will find impending legislation, LCD, and other relevant policies on the provision and limitations of HBO2 coverage and the UHMS’s responses and guidance. https://www.uhms.org/resources/quarc.html

The chairs of QUARC are requesting that any unusual denials or challenges with physicians gaining access to insurance panels for HBO2 services, let us know as soon as possible, please. Email jpeters@uhms.org.

UHM
If you are a UHMS member, we are happy to announce a new search feature for previous issues and articles from UHM/UBR. Currently, the feature works with keywords.
https://www.uhms.org/publications/uhm-journal/download-uhm-journal-pdfs.html

If you have a suggestion or comment on how we can serve you better, please email me directly or call me at +561-776-6110 extension 100.

It is my pleasure to serve you, our membership, and I continue to look forward to hearing from you.