As each New Year is celebrated at the stroke of midnight on December 31st, hopes are high for what the coming year will bring. We are all well aware of the myriad changes that go into effect this month as the Affordable Care Act becomes a way of life for physicians, patients, insurance companies, and essentially every single American, so we felt that it was vital to include articles that speak specifically to the practice of endocrinology.
To that end, this issue contains two feature stories on ACA: one is essentially an overview on how it will affect endocrinologists (“A Change Is Gonna Come”, p. 15), while the other gives us the ins and outs of a new healthcare delivery system, the Accountable Care Organization (“The ABCs of ACA’s ACOs”, p. 20). Both of these articles have been thoroughly researched by one of our ace writers, Eric Seaborg. However, as diligent as he is and as deep as he dug, changes were being made up until press time so some of the information contained may have changed since we went to press. But it’s a great place to start.
Aside from these articles on the implementation of the ACA, we have a nice roundup of smartphone apps that could prove beneficial to you and your patients. “An Appetite for Apps” on page 30 by Glenda Fauntleroy gives us a rundown on the various apps that could make your life just a little easier, since almost anything is more convenient when it’s literally “at your fingertips.”
This issue also sees a change in the Laboratory Notes series of articles. Longtime contributor Melissa Mapes has taken on the task of creating articles that deal solely with the “nuts and bolts” running of an in-house lab, and to start us off she has a short but comprehensive piece on the initial steps you need to take in setting up your lab in “Putting it Together” on page 32.
Along with the new healthcare law and a refocused Laboratory Notes, there’s another big change going on here at the Endocrine Society, as we get a new CEO for the first time in a quarter of a century. Endocrine News is excited to welcome Barbara Byrd Keenan to the Endocrine Society as she takes the reins on January 6. We will have more from Barbara in the February Editor’s Page, but feel free to welcome her at [email protected]. And as always, if you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact me at [email protected].
Mark A. Newman
Managing Editor, Endocrine News
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