EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S REPORT

Greetings from all of us here at UHMS!

It's game time! As we prepare to release this issue of Pressure, we're filled with anticipation as we pack up and head to the vibrant city of New Orleans for the start of the 56th UHMS Annual Scientific Meeting. We can't wait to see you there!

We expect it to be a wonderful learning experience in a quaint and intimate meeting setting. The Astor Crowne is a beautiful and historic hotel property located at the corner of Canal and Bourbon streets.

This year, we have an impressive schedule, including two pre-courses: Thoracic and Pulmonary Issues in Diving and Advances in Wound Management. The general session is June 13-15^th, and the schedule can be found here: ASM24_Schedule_v7.pdf (uhms.org).

This is a reminder that our Annual Awards Banquet will be held on Friday evening, June 14, rather than Saturday. Please join us and help celebrate our peers who are being recognized for their outstanding contributions to UHMS and the field.

Also, during the dinner, we will experience a governance transition, during which Dr. Pete Witucki, UHMS President, will pass the gavel to Dr. Owen O'Neill.

Dr. Witucki has effectively led the UHMS board for the past two years, and his tenure has seen UHMS continue to grow its value initiatives for members and the specialty. His leadership style reminds me of Theodore Roosevelt’s saying, "Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far."

Pete's contributions to UHMS and the field will be remembered long into the future. One of his significant accomplishments was roping Dr. Dick Sadler into a plan to relocate the UHMS Physician Training and Diving Medicine Course from Seattle to San Diego in less than a year. With that move came retooling the course by expanding the content, experiences, and faculty and getting it re-credentialed through DMAC.

Hands down, it is one of the heaviest lifts of all time, and the cherry on top is when Dr. Simon Mitchell said, "UHMS PTDM is the best diving medicine course in the world."

Congratulations, Pete, on a job well done.

Thinking about achievements, the Gulf Coast Chapter town hall in March was a triumph. Equally noteworthy was the virtual town hall on undersea medicine hosted by the Midwest Chapter of the UHMS on May 4. These events were meticulously planned, and the content was of the highest quality, underscoring the value of our initiatives.

Stay tuned for the upcoming Northeast and Pacific Chapter town halls later this year.   

I had the pleasure of attending the ONR-NAVSEA Deep Submergence Biomedical Program Review with many of our peers in mid-April at Avery Point in Groton, CT. Once again, I was thoroughly impressed by the level of basic science happening globally in the undersea biomedical area. 

Great job, Sandra Chapman and Captain Joy Dierks!

Most recently, Dr. Owen O'Neill, Derall Garrett, and I enjoyed attending and supporting the 94^th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Aerospace Medical Association in Chicago, IL. It was a spectacular meeting with over 1750 attendees in a great venue, the Hyatt Regency Downtown.

As you might remember, the UHMS collaborates with AsMA on several fronts, including providing them with UHMS electronic posters and expertise. Hats off to Derall, who managed the electronic posters this year. He did a fantastic job.

Dr. O'Neill and I were invited to attend the AsMA Council meeting, where we witnessed the unanimous vote of their Council to approve a historical agreement between AsMA and the UHMS take place. The agreement memorializes holding joint meetings for the next six years and collaborating in new and innovative ways.

The UHMS board voted to approve the agreement at its April board meeting, making the AsMA Council vote much more significant.

The AsMA planners, including AsMA President Dr. Joe Dervay and Executive Director Jeff Sventek, did an excellent job hosting this year's meeting, and we look forward to joining them in Atlanta at the Hyatt Regency next year.

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I will return to my soapbox momentarily to repeat my message from the Q1 issue of Pressure.

We need your help. The physician, advanced provider, nurse, therapist, and technician should take responsibility for seeking and maintaining certification and completing 12 hours of continuing education annually. Hospitals, management providers, and chamber manufacturers are accountable for supporting and promoting hyperbaric facility accreditation and providing urgent and emergent hyperbaric medicine care for all patients.

This is a call to action for everyone involved in hyperbaric medicine: to get engaged, get educated, get certified, get your facility accredited, and show that you're doing what you claim to do, particularly around delivering optimal outcomes and treating patients of all acuities regardless of payor source.

Please review our position statement on Certification Matters: UHMS POSITION STATEMENT.

The UHMS tent is wide open, so please come in and join us to make our specialty vibrant and viable for generations to come!

UHMS Finances

I am pleased to report that UHMS's Financial position remains strong.

Our balance sheet remains healthy, with operating, savings, and investment accounts continuing to hover at near-all-time highs.

Additionally, we are happy to highlight that UHMS has achieved a 100% score and a Four-Star rating on Charity Navigator -Charity Navigator - Rating for Undersea & Hyperbaric Medical Society for Accountability & Finance.

This means you can give confidently, knowing the UHMS is a disciplined charity.

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, please attend our monthly Corporate Partner Town Hall meeting series. These are held on the 1^st Wednesday of every month at 12 PM 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 to educate the UHMS membership about the care provided or the goods and services offered, consider joining our Corporate Partnership Program. See https://www.uhms.org/corporate-memberships.html.  

MEDFAQs

The UHMS offers its version of "ask the experts." MEDFAQs can be found at the following URL – https://www.uhms.org/resources/medfaqs-frequently-asked-questions-faq.html, and is a valuable tool for our membership.

If you are familiar with MEDFAQs, check back, as new Q&As are posted regularly.

Research

The UHMS Research Committee continues to be very active. We hope to announce some good news in the new year on the IRB front, where members of our community can come to the UHMS for the Institutional Review Board's needs.

We are soliciting donations from our members for two research initiatives. One is the Continuous Glucose Monitor study (https://www.uhms.org/cgm-hyperbaric-oxygen-study), and the Multicenter Registry for Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy at Dartmouth (MRHBO₂) continues seeking funds for free hospital membership. The MRHBO2 is funded entirely via grants, not by the registry's participating hospitals - https://www.uhms.org/donate-to-the-multicenter-registry-for-hyperbaric-oxygen-therapy.html.

Remember that donations 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 – https://www.uhms.org/resources/quarc.html. Here, you will find impending legislation and other relevant policies on the provision and limitations of HBO₂ coverage and the UHMS's responses and guidance.

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 – 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 - https://www.uhms.org/publications/uhm-journal/download-uhm-journal-pdfs.html. Currently, the feature works with keywords.

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

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

John Peters