News from ACOI

Each May, we pause to honor the extraordinary physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals who dedicate their lives to the field of critical care.

Nominations Open through May 31 The deadline is quickly approaching to nominate a colleague or apply to become an ACOI Fellow. This is a wonderful opportunity to renew your commitment to the osteopathic internal medicine profession, while taking your ACOI membership to a new level and stepping into a role as a leader.

Last fall, ACOI introduced two memorial awards, both geared toward recognizing osteopathic internal medicine residents. The David Susser Memorial Award, notably, was given to two honorees. One of those recipients, Lucia Schroeder, DO, MPH, is a resident with an impressive resumé, including a broad range of engagement through volunteer service and education in addition to her work at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton, California.

April 22, 2025, marks the 55th year of Earth Day, a movement that started as a protest against pollution and has grown into a monumental global demand to fight climate change and environmental decline.  

Almost fifteen years ago, the first reports of an unusual form of chronic kidney disease (CKD) emerged from the lowlands of Central America.(1,2) A tiny band of astute internists practicing in rural clinics in Nicaragua and El Salvador noticed over a period of years an epidemic-scale increase in the prevalence of CKD among the agricultural workers in their communities. The condition was both irreversible and progressive in a region poorly able to support the needs of the growing numbers of people with End-Stage Kidney Disease (ESKD).

The 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) Final Rule released a new complexity add-on HCPCS code. Although this code has similarities to the G2211 complexity add on code, it has significant restrictions on who can submit claims for its use. The new code, G0545, is a code that is for use by “a physician with specialized training in infectious diseases.”

Read the latest from ACOI members who have received awards, promotions, and other recognitions.

Friday, March 21, 2025, marked the biggest-ever Match Day in the National Resident Matching Program’s® (NRMP) history. Osteopathic medical students were a major part of that: According to AACOM, the residency match rate for graduating seniors at osteopathic medical schools reached its own all-time high of 92.6% – with a record 8,392 DO seniors in the US participating, a 4.5% increase from 2024. NRMP also reported that there were 1,882 DO matches in internal medicine. This was a marked increase from 2024, which saw 1,783 DO internal medicine matches.

Sometimes, it takes a breadth of knowledge to find focused, specific direction. That's been the experience Seger Morris, DO, MBA, FACOI, has had in his career, and something he’s sought to pass along to others. The Director of Health Policy Programs and Regional Assistant Dean at William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine is a third generation DO, and the 15th DO in his family. Yet his professional life has been defined by versatility from the very beginning: Dr. Morris actually started out with a degree in investment finance and spent the first years of his career in business consulting and management.

ACOI Asks Administration to Rescind NIH Policy; Congress Passes CR without Physician Pay Cut Relief; MIPS Data Submission Deadline Extended and New Hardship Exception; Telehealth Flexibilities Extended

Student Doctor Daidone was nominated because she is an altruistic, motivated, and authentic self-starter. She has always put her best foot forward to assist people, both inside and outside the hospital.

It’s almost time for the 2025 Spring Meetings, and ACOI is making these virtual sessions an even better deal for members with the Spring Meetings Bundle.