Congress Gets to Work Following Historical Swearing-In Day for the 116th Congress
With the U.S. House of Representatives switching to Democratic control for the first time since 2010, and the Republicans gaining seats in the Senate, the voters in the 2018 midterm elections pulled the lever for divided government. While on election day it was more purple rain, than a blue wave, as more races were called, […]
Neurosurgery and 140 Other Groups Urge Congress to Repeal the Medical Device Excise Tax
According to a new study released by the Pacific Research Institute, “The medical device tax is bad tax policy that has increased patient costs, reduced access to life-saving technology, and reduced profits and jobs,” said Dr. Wayne Winegarden, author of the Benefits from Repealing the Medical Device Tax. The study points out that repealing the […]
How Repealing the Medical Device Tax Can Lessen the Pain
Scott Whitaker President and CEO of AdvaMed (the Advanced Medical Technology Association) Nearly 50 million adults have significant chronic pain or severe pain, according to a 2015 study by the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. That is why the medical technology industry is continually advancing and developing new innovations […]
Global Pain Initiative: Changing the Way People with Pain are Treated
Christopher J. Winfree, MD, FAANS Department of Neurological Surgery, Columbia University New York, NY Pain management in American is currently undergoing a renovation. In the early 2000s, it became apparent that undertreated chronic pain was a huge health care problem. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) commissioned a detailed investigation into the status of pain health […]
A History of #HealthReform
Kurt A. Yaeger, MD (left) Neurosurgical Resident, Mt. Sinai Hospital New York, NY Clemens M. Schirmer, MD, PhD, FAANS, FAHA (right) Vice-Chair, AANS/CNS Communications and Public Relations Committee Geisinger Health System Wilkes Barre, PA In March and April, Neurosurgery Blog considered various aspects of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Clearly, the signs are pointing towards […]
Medicare Expenditures Variation after Implementation of the Affordable Care Act
Kimon Bekelis, MD Department of Neurosurgery, Thomas Jefferson University Instructor, the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice A major goal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was to curb the rising cost of health care and rationalize Medicare spending across different areas of the US.1 For this to be achieved, the law integrated […]
Open Payments: What Neurosurgeons Need to Know and How Accurate is the Data?
Ann M. Parr, MD, PhD, FAANS, FRCSC (left) Assistant Professor, Neurosurgery, and Director, Spinal Neurosurgery University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN Catherine Miller (right) Neurosurgical Resident, University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN The Open Payments system also known as the Sunshine Act, is a federal program required by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that collects information about […]
Narrow Networks and Neurosurgical Care
Guest Post from Deborah L. Benzil, MD, FACS, FAANS (left) Chair, AANS/CNS Communications and Public Relations Committee Mount Kismo Medical Group Columbia University Medical Center Mt Kisco, New York Guest Post from Clemens M. Schirmer, MD, PhD, FAANS, FAHA (right) Vice-Chair, AANS/CNS Communications and Public Relations Committee Geisinger Health System Wilkes Barre, PA We are […]
Health Care Complexity: Surprise Medical Bills Explained
Ezriel Edward Kornel, MD, FAANS Assistant clinical professor of neurosurgery, Weill-Cornell Medical College White Plains, NY It’s no secret that health care is an unbelievable complex subject. One of the most complex issues facing the health care system is that of surprise medical bills. Surprise medical bills happen when: Patients receive emergency care by an […]
Pediatric Neurosurgery, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act
Sandi Lam, MD, MBA (left) Associate Professor Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery/Department of Neurosurgery Texas Children’s Hospital/Baylor College of Medicine Baylor Center for Ethics and Health Policy Carrie R. Muh, MD, MS (right) Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery and Pediatrics Duke University Medical Center Duke Institute for Brain Sciences Pediatric Neurosurgery and the Health of Children Once […]