President's Message

Bradley Butkovich, MD
VOS President

By Bradley Butkovich, MD
President, Virginia Orthopaedic Society

It is an honor and a privilege for me to be elected as President of the Virginia Orthopaedic Society. Firstly, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize the contributions of our outgoing President, Jeff Schulman. It was a pleasure to work alongside Jeff and the rest of the VOS Board of Directors this past year. I feel as though we continue to accomplish many things for our society and orthopaedic surgeons in the state of Virginia. I look forward to the challenges that await us this year and building on past successes. I would also like to thank VOS past presidents; Seth Cheatham, Quanjun “Trey” Cui, T.K. Miller, John Mann and Wilford Gibson. You have all served as role models, mentors and friends during my formative years in VOS.

Secondly, I would like to congratulate the 2019 program co-chairs, Drs. Seth Yarboro and Ryan Miyamoto, as well as the planning committee, on an outstanding annual meeting. The Intercontinental Hotel on the Wharf, in Washington DC, was a gorgeous location overlooking the Potomac River, Jefferson Memorial and the lights of the District and Arlington. Keynote addresses by Dr. Joseph A. Bosco III from New York, and the current President of the AAOS, and Dr. Robert F. Ostrum from North Carolina, were highlights of the meeting. The “Resident Quiz Bowl” continues to captivate with teams from UVA, VCU, Georgetown, Navy and Walter Reed this year. The defending champs from UVA were toppled by the residents from Walter Reed! Very appropriate, as one of the home teams raised the trophy.

Our 73rd Annual Meeting will be held next May at the Hilton Oceanfront in Virginia Beach, Virginia. We will be revisiting the beach for the first time in 11 years. Dr. Blake Moore from Atlantic Orthopaedic Specialists and Dr. Samuel Robinson from the Jordan Young Institute have agreed to act as program co-chairs. They will be assisted by a program committee from throughout Virginia. We promise to put together an educational program that will appeal to a broad spectrum of specialties and general orthopaedic topics that all of us deal with, regardless of specialty. We will continue to offer quality CME credit in a venue that is appealing to the whole family.

As the newly elected President of VOS, I promise to work hard for our members' behalf and interests. We understand that working together as a team is the key to success. As a Board, our continued goal over the next year is to increase membership. By the next annual meeting, we would like to have over 80% of board certified Orthopaedic Surgeons practicing in the state of Virginia also be members of VOS. We will continue to reach out to orthopaedic affiliated physician assistants, nurse practitioners and athletic trainers. To accomplish this goal, we will once again hold several regional dinners and also focus on groups that are currently not members. We may be calling on you to assist in our recruitment efforts. Our hope is that by working with the majority of our orthopaedic surgeons in Virginia, we can be more influential in overcoming the many obstacles that continue to challenge orthopaedists in healthcare.

From a legislative point of view, the VOS Board has actively participated in many activities that are imperative to the process for policy reform. Many thanks to our member and non-member volunteers who participated in White Coats on Call and committee hearings in particular. Special thanks to VOS member, Dr. Wilford Gibson, and Cal Whitehead, our state lobbyist, for their expertise and efforts. For the upcoming General Assembly session, we will again continue to focus our efforts on COPN reform and wading through Medicaid expansion. Furthermore, “balance-billing” and insurance company contracts will continue to be a major topic next year. A key to our success will be continued contribution to the OrthoPAC. We have had 100% contribution by the VOS Board over the past few years, but little help outside of this small group of members. We want to fight for all of the orthopaedic surgeons in the state of Virginia, but we cannot do it without your support. I fully realize we are asked to give money by an endless number of entities, but this is a chance to make a difference at the local level where change truly affects your practice.

I am honored to act on behalf of our profession and membership in my position as President and look forward to continuing the political and educational growth of our Society.