CCJR: Its Future With The Hip and The Knee Societies

What is one tried-and-true sign of a quality event? It withstands the test of time.

Such is the case with the much-lauded Current Concepts in Joint Replacement^® (CCJR^®) bi-annual educational forums, events that have gathered so much support over the years that they have essentially become THE place to go for arthroplasty education.

CCJR, attracts over 3,000 delegates from more than 60 countries on an ongoing basis. Late last year, Dr. A. Seth Greenwald, founder of these dynamic meetings, sold CCJR to The Hip Society and The Knee Society.

A Rocky Start

Calling his very first CCJR meeting a “shot in the dark,” Dr. Greenwald told OTW, “A mere 28 people showed up (including faculty).”

But Seth Greenwald had resilience before it was “a thing.”

Indeed, while most would have abandoned such seeming folly, Dr. Greenwald was gifted with grit and singleness of purpose. And it didn’t hurt to have a little Disney magic in the air…

“After the first meeting in Orlando, CCJR really took off,” says Dr. Greenwald.

Passing of the Torch

“Since 1983 we have held 36 meetings in Orlando, 19 in Las Vegas, and one in Cleveland. Our international meetings have occurred because I have been approached by surgeons from different countries to bring CCJR to them.”

“CCJR in China had about 1,000 attendees—we were unprepared for that and actually had to call in security for ‘crowd control.’ Our other international meetings were held in Greece and Brazil, the latter of which included two live surgery transmissions from the Hospital for Special Surgery.”

With an impressive participation history and reputation behind it, CCJR was naturally on the radar of those who want to grow the arena of arthroplasty education.

Douglas E. Padgett, M.D., president of The Hip Society, told OTW, “This new relationship is a natural one as its mission aligns with that of The Hip Society, namely, a focus on education. Much of what we have done to date has been in the form of a ‘specialty day’ at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS).”

“When we undertook a strategic retreat approximately two years ago, we explored ways to expand the reach of the organization as far as education. CCJR readily came to mind.”

Robert L. Barrack, M.D., president of The Knee Society, explained to OTW how CCJR compliments The Knee Society, “I have been involved with CCJR since the early years and have watched it grow into the largest arthroplasty meeting in the world, not just in the number of participants and its quality and impact, but in the number of countries represented.”

“During the most recent Knee Society executive retreat what emerged was a decision that our major priority was to lead the way in arthroplasty education. While that has always been one of our primary goals, the society has matured and now we have a lot of leaders who were actually the founders who are retiring, and we are now into the second and third generation of leaders in the world of arthroplasty. It is important to get these emerging leaders at the forefront of arthroplasty education. So, our education mandate is more important than ever.”

A Natural Transition

Dr. Padgett: “This effort involved a feasibility study, negotiations, and the dedication of those appointed by both organizations to spearhead this project. It was a rather natural transition in that probably two-thirds of the CCJR faculty are members of either the Hip or Knee Societies…or both.”

“It was a gamble. Traditionally, education involves a classroom approach, but things are now going toward digital platform. There remains an appetite for one-to-one contact with peers, however. We have a great opportunity to find new ways of bringing content to attendees.”

“One way to achieve our main goal is to be leaders in arthroplasty education,” says Dr. Barrack. “Another is to do a great job of attracting the next generation of leaders. Unlike prior generations of surgeons, millennials are not automatically joining professional organizations.”

“Twenty years ago, it was understood that one of a young surgeon’s greatest goals was to achieve membership in The Hip Society and thus have the opportunity to interact with the founding members. These were new procedures at the time and such exposure to the ‘giants’ of the field was considered to be an honor.”

“Now you can meet these thought leaders at many meetings and see them online, so there is not quite the attraction. CCJR gives us a tangible platform with which to say, ‘We are leaders in arthroplasty education.’”

Pretesting

Dr. Padgett: “The Hip Society has a smaller meeting named ‘Contemporary Approaches,’ which attracts roughly 40 participants and is led by about six faculty members. In addition, we have an annual joint arthroplasty ‘mountain meeting’ in Park City, Utah. Both are open to all members, and while they are well received, they are difficult to replicate.”

“We have used both of those meetings to trial a couple of case-based learning approaches that are more intimate. The feedback has been very positive and has highlighted the different ways that people learn. As such, we will likely be incorporating more visual and interactive modalities into future CCJR meetings.”

CCJR of the Future

Asked what educational topics should be addressed going forward, Dr. Padgett noted, “There are things that people will always want to know. First, there are the technique-related issues, such as how to do XYZ in primary and revision surgery. That is a visual module, so a well-crafted video or live surgery would work in those situations. A well-conceived and well-narrated video may be even better.”

“Second, physicians want to know how to handle issues from practice management to regulatory requirements to how to survive in today’s healthcare environment (gainsharing, co-management, managing episodes of care, etc.).”

“Third, surgeons want to learn about new technologies that will help ensure a successful joint replacement surgery (devices, remote monitoring of patients, artificial intelligence, etc.).”

And one year from now how will Dr. Barrack know that things are on the right track with CCJR?

“We are fortunate to have a steering committee that is working with Dr. Greenwald for 18 months during this transition. The reality is that attendance at all meetings has dropped off due to social media and the fact that everyone can watch training videos online. That ups the ante and thus we have to offer something unique.”

“One point of growth is that as CCJR has evolved it has attracted an increasingly high percentage of international participants. There is a unique value to being able to interact in person with the names these physicians see in textbooks.”

“We will be examining what content we might include that would attract new sponsors and exhibitors. Additionally, our goal is to be more interactive, with more industry workshops on new techniques and technologies. We plan to have faculty leading surgical demonstrations as there is a lot of new technology coming to the forefront—like robotic surgery—so there are a lot of opportunities for education that are not lecture-based.”

“After July 1, 2020 the societies are formally in charge of the program. Dr. Greenwald will remain on the program committee, with Daniel J. Berry, M.D. leading that group.”

Dr. Greenwald: “I have made mistakes over the years but have learned and refined the learning didactic…and the word has really gotten out. A couple of months ago Dan Berry was at a conference in Russia when the event organizer approached him and said, ‘See? We are the CCJR of Russia.’”

Expanding Learning Opportunities

“As time goes on, I would like to see variations in the program that promote learning for other parties, including nurses, technicians, engineers and scientists. And we could further vary the dynamic by which topics are introduced. The format of the six-minute presentations followed by the discussion is something I took from the debates at Oxford University all those years ago. Other orthopedic meetings have copied that format to good use. I think it was Oscar Wilde who said, ‘Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.’ And it certainly keeps me thinking ahead.”

“Even though I will no longer be at the helm, I want the meeting to live on,” says Dr. Greenwald. “Over the next several years I am looking forward to encountering several young surgeons who will come work with me and learn the nuances of what it takes to make things come out flawlessly. The goal should always be to project excellence so that the only thing participants need to do is sit in their seats and learn.”

While the helmsman may have changed, the ship of state for CCJR is not only as strong as ever, it is even more prepared to carry tomorrow’s orthopedic surgeons into arthroplasty’s evolving and exciting future.