SVM Newsletter
October 2008
In this issue...
SVM 20th Annual Scientific Sessions
5th Annual Board Review Course
 May 13-17, 2009
Sheraton Denver Hotel
Denver, Colorado USA
Jointly Sponsored by Boston University School of Medicine and the Society for Vascular Medicine
Call for Poster Abstracts and Case Studies
Online submission for poster abstracts and case studies is now available through the SVM Web site. The deadline for submissions is Jan. 7, 2009.
Poster Abstracts
SVM invites investigators to submit abstracts to be considered for poster presentation during the Scientific Sessions in Denver. Abstracts should describe clinical research in vascular medicine or basic research in vascular biology.
Jay D. Coffman Young Investigators Award
Poster abstract submissions may also be eligible for the Jay D. Coffman Young Investigators Award. In honor of Jay D. Coffman (1928-2006), distinguished internist and researcher of vascular medicine and clinical cardiology, SVM sponsors an annual award in vascular medicine and biology. Six finalists receive financial support to attend the meeting to make an oral presentation and award winners receive a cash prize.
Cases Over Cocktails
Members are also encouraged to submit challenging case studies for discussion during Cases Over Cocktails at the 2009 Annual Meeting. If your case is selected, you will be asked to make a brief presentation of the case to the audience. An esteemed panel will then lead the audience in a rousing discussion that promises to be a highlight of the Scientific Sessions.
The 2009 SVM Annual Meeting includes Scientific Sessions, Hands-On Workshops and the Board Review Course, creating the premier multidisciplinary educational event in vascular medicine. SVM has invited the Society for Clinical Vascular Surgery, the Society for Interventional Radiology and the Society for Vascular Ultrasound to participate in joint sessions at the meeting to provide helpful insight and enhance presentations.
Advocacy Update: SVM Efforts to Effectively Broaden Coverage of Carotid Stenting
Carotid stenting was approved by the FDA in 2005 for most patients; however, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has repeatedly refused to cover stenting for patients considered outside the high-risk population.
Last December, in partnership with several other societies, SVM submitted a request to the CMS for expansion of coverage for carotid stenting. In late July, CMS announced a preliminary decision to rule against expanded coverage, citing lack of published, peer-reviewed supportive data, with a final decision to be made in late October.
In August, SVM leadership met with CMS to discuss the decision. We learned that, while we provided new data from four studies, none of these data have yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, which is part of the criteria CMS requires. If the coverage decision in October is not in favor of expansion, CMS may reopen the request as soon as these data are published. In this case, the request would be given priority review.
SVM will continue to advocate for expansion of coverage of carotid stenting. On August 29, SVM along with a number of other organizations sent a follow-up letter to CMS. We are strongly in support of the procedure for a broader number of patients, as are patient groups including the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association. Because significant data exist to support efficacy and safety of carotid stenting in a wider population than the currently recommended, high-risk patient group, we are confident that these continued efforts will be successful.
As members, we urge you to contact your local congressman in the coming weeks to affect change prior to CMS' decision in late October. In addition, as appropriate we encourage you to share with your patients that some FDA approved treatment options are not available to them because of CMS' restrictions and direct them to local representatives to voice their concerns.
SVM will keep you apprised of ongoing communications with CMS on this important issue and welcomes any feedback you have.
Don't Let Your Membership Lapse!
If you haven't already done so, it's time to renew your membership for 2009. Log on to the members' only section of the SVM Web site to be sure you're up to date with your dues.
Your continued membership and participation provide a twofold return: SVM membership benefits each of us with an array of scientific, professional and career resources, and the advantages of a multidisciplinary platform for the vascular medicine field. Equally important, SVM membership benefits all of us through SVM advocacy and public education activities on issues of vascular health and practice.
Renew your membership online today.
SVM Joins Online Forum for Endovascular Specialists
The Society for Vascular Medicine is now part of the Endovascular Forum, an online community for the endovascular specialist, which brings the next generation of multispecialty, multidiscipline collaboration worldwide. SVM members are urged to take advantage of this powerful new resource and register for access to this ground-breaking, no-cost tool at www.endovascular.org. (Click on Register in the screen's upper right hand corner.)
The Forum uses the latest Web-based tools to enable the global exchange of information among endovascular specialists. The Forum has more than 4,000 users from more than 50 countries.
This partnership with the Endovascular Forum underscores SVM's commitment to employ the best technology to enhance our peer-to-peer communications, boost our access to the latest developments and techniques, and ultimately improve our treatment decisions and practices. The Forum provides another dimension in the quest to most effectively leverage our collective wisdom.
SVM Leaders, Members Honored by Vascular Disease Foundation
Three SVM leaders and members were among six people honored by The Vascular Disease Foundation (VDF) at its 10th Anniversary Gala Celebration, Sunday, Sept. 14, 2008, in Washington, DC.
- SVM Past President Alan T. Hirsch, MD
- 2008 Board Review Course faculty member Peter Gloviczki, MD
- SVM Member and former trustee Alan T. Drooz, MD
The Vascular Disease Foundation (VDF) was founded in 1987 by Dennis Newman, a pioneer in ultrasound technology. Newman built a successful company producing Doppler devices for detecting, among other medical issues, vascular disease. He knew that the public and most medical professionals were unaware of many diagnostic and treatment options for vascular disease.
Connect with Your Colleagues
SVM members now have access to an exciting new tool to connect with their colleagues in vascular medicine. Discuss cases, get insights from colleagues, and make connections with the SVM Member Discussion Forum.
To access the discussion forum:
1. Go to www.vascularmed.org.
2. Login to the members section (login button at top of home page).
3. Click on "SVM Groups" in the left panel.
4. Under "Available Lists" you will see a link to the "SVM Members" discussion forum.
5. Click on the discussion forum name to view existing posts or create a new one.
Note: Messages posted to the General discussion are available through the members-only area of the SVM Web site only. There are no e-mail or digest subscription options for this forum.
 Vascular Medicine and Endovascular Board Review Course — Now On CD
Order your copy of the Vascular Medicine and Endovascular Board Review Course. This excellent resource features:
- Comprehensive coverage of vascular medicine and endovascular interventions
- User-friendly online lecture format with synchronized slides and accompanying audio
- Printable PDFs of slide presentations
- Thought-provoking practice questions and answers
The University of Colorado School of Medicine designates this educational activity for a maximum of 17.5 AMA PRA Category I Credits™. If you did not attend the 2007 SVM Board Review Course in person, you may obtain CMEs using this CD.
Order your copy today.
Vascular Medicine Journal News
 All SVM members, as part of their membership, have access to Vascular Medicine which publishes the latest research in vascular biology integrated with the practice of vascular medicine and vascular surgery.
Visit http://www.vascularmed.org/members/scriptcontent/journal.cfm and login with your member username and password to access all journal content online.
Volume 13; Issue 3 articles include:
- A biomarker panel for peripheral arterial disease
- Patient with both Wilkie syndrome and nutcracker syndrome
- Venous thromboembolism in women
- Endovascular therapy for critical limb ischemia
Free Online Access to all SAGE journals until October 31, 2008
Vascular Medicine is part of the SAGE global free trial in order to allow users worldwide to access the journal's peer reviewed research for free. They can now register for free online access to more than 500 SAGE journals with content available from 1999 until October 31, 2008!
If you have colleagues who would be interested in accessing Vascular Medicine articles and don't already have free access, they can visit http://vmj.sagepub.com/ and click on the Free Trial banner to register.
Journal E-mail Alerts -- latest research sent directly to your inbox
Stay informed of the latest vascular medicine research by registering to receive the table of contents by e-mail for each new issue of Vascular Medicine as soon as it publishes online.
Register at: http://vmj.sagepub.com/cgi/alerts/etoc
Submit Your Articles to Vascular Medicine
Your paper can now be submitted to Vascular Medicine online, 24 hours a day from anywhere in the world. You will benefit from faster decision-making and even faster publication.
- Vascular Medicine is fully indexed and ranked in the Peripheral Vascular Disease category of the Thomson Reuters (formerly ISI) Journal Citation Reports®
- Publication on our award-winning online platform: Sage Journals Online (SJO), hosted by HighWire, has recently won 2007 PSP Award for Excellence for Best Platform. All content benefits from state-of-the-art functionality, search and discoverability technology, as well as being hosted alongside almost half of the world's most highly-cited journals, including JAMA, NEJM and the BMJ.
- Visibility: Benefit from Vascular Medicine's extraordinarily high visibility, both on SAGE Journals Online, and in print, to a multi-professional audience including many of your peers.
To find more information about submitting an article to Vascular Medicine please simply visit http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/vascular-medicine to access manuscript and submission guidelines.
A Special Offer from the JVS for SVM Members
The Journal of Vascular Surgery now offers two special collections of articles, JVS Interventional Collection and JVS Venous Collection, online series of interventional and venous articles that have been published in JVS during the last two years. Now you will save the time it takes to sort through entire journal issues to find articles that interest you. This collection is available online and offers convenient access to the most recent research important to your practice.
The Journal of Vascular Surgery is a highly respected publication that provides vascular, cardiothoracic, and general surgeons with the most recent information in vascular surgery. Original, peer-reviewed articles cover clinical and experimental studies, noninvasive diagnostic techniques, processes and vascular substitutes, microvascular surgical techniques, angiography, and endovascular management. Journal of Vascular Surgery consistently ranks among the top percent of most frequently cited scientific journals.
The annual subscription fee for each JVS Collection is $96. To subscribe contact Josh Spieler, Executive Publisher, at j.spieler@elsevier.com or +1-212-633-3879.
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