Putting Patients First: Repeal the Medical Device Tax
Scott Whitaker President and CEO of AdvaMed (the Advanced Medical Technology Association) Creating life-changing innovations is central to the role the medical technology industry plays in improving patient care. For people with neurological conditions — like spina bifida, epilepsy, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis and many others — advances in medical technology are not only improving, but […]
The ACA’s Seven Year Itch: Repeal, Replace or Repair?
Guest Post from Deborah L. Benzil, MD, FACS, FAANS (left) Vice President, AANS Chair, AANS/CNS Communications and Public Relations Committee Mount Kismo Medical Group Columbia University Medical Center Mt Kisco, New York Clemens M. Schirmer, MD, PhD, FAANS, FAHA (right) Vice-Chair, AANS/CNS Communications and Public Relations Committee Geisinger Health System Wilkes Barre, PA On March […]
Neurosurgery and 600 Other Groups Urge Congress to Repeal IPAB
Today’s post originally appeared on the Protect My Doctor and Me website. It addresses a key element of the Affordable Care Act — the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) — which is a board of 15 unelected and largely unaccountable government bureaucrats whose primary purpose is to cut Medicare spending. Such cuts threaten America’s seniors […]
A Tenuous Balance: Technology, Innovation, and Health Care Costs
Stephen Reintjes, MD Neurosurgical Resident, University of South Florida Tampa, FL While wandering around the Congress of Neurological Surgeons’ (CNS) 2016 Annual Meeting and 84th AANS Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, I was fascinated by the displays on the exhibition floor. Towering booths demonstrated everything from spine implants to imaging […]
Neurosurgical Focus Highlights Efforts to Define, Measure, and Predict Quality in Neurosurgery
John Ratliff, MD, FAANS, FACS (left) Co-Director, Division of Spine and Peripheral Nerve Surgery Department of Neurosurgery Stanford University Medical Center Chair, AANS/CNS National Quality Council Stanford, CA Anthony L. Asher, MD, FAANS, FACS (right) Co-Medical Director, Carolinas Healthcare System Neuroscience Institute Director, National Neurosurgery Quality and Outcomes Database Vice President, NeuroPoint Alliance Charlotte, NC […]
Neurosurgeons Urge Congress to Adopt Changes to Improve Health Reform Law
By now it is old news that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Obama Administration in the King v. Burwell case. At issue was the lawfulness of federal tax subsidies for individuals enrolled in federal, rather than state, health insurance exchanges. The 6-3 decision was authored by Chief Justice John Roberts. Justices […]
83rd AANS Annual Scientific Meeting Spotlight: Health Reform Update – James C. Capretta
Guest post from Kimon Bekelis, MD Neurosurgical Resident, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center The passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has led to sweeping changes in the United States healthcare system, yet many questions about its implementation remain. Fortunately for neurosurgeons, during the 83rd AANS Annual Scientific Meeting held in May 2015, James C. Capretta, a […]
Neurosurgery and 500 Other Groups Urge Congress to Repeal IPAB
Today’s post originally appeared on HLC’s Prognosis Blog. It addresses a key element of the Affordable Care Act — the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) — which is a board of 15 unelected and largely unaccountable government bureaucrats whose primary purpose is to cut Medicare spending. Given the charge of this board, repealing the IPAB is […]
Senate Finance Health Subcommittee Holds Critical Hearing on Medical Device Tax
Guest Post from Robert E. Harbaugh, MD, FAANS (left) AANS President Hershey, PA and Nathan R. Selden, MD, PhD (right) CNS President Portland, Oregon Today, the Health Subcommittee of the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance held a hearing on the impact of the medical device tax on jobs, innovation and patients. All of organized neurosurgery commends the committee […]
New Survey Shows Significant “Burnout” Among U.S. Neurosurgeons
Guest post from Frederick A. Boop, MD Professor and J. T. Robertson Chairman Department of Neurosurgery University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis St Jude Children’s Research Hospital Memphis, TN Although the practice of medicine can be incredibly meaningful and personally fulfilling, it is also demanding and stressful. To this end, a new survey published […]