Overview of the Open Payment Database: What do I need to know?
The intertwining relationship between industry and medicine has been evident and ever-so apparent in recent decades. While these relationships are vital for innovation, concerns of potential conflict of interest (COI) have called into question the objectivity of scientific research and patient care. To help alleviate these concerns, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) […]
Cross-Post: Medicare for All, Surgery for Some
From time to time on Neurosurgery Blog, you will see us cross-posting or linking to items from other places when we believe they hit the mark on an issue. Today’s post originally appeared in The American Spectator on April 29, 2021. In the op-ed, Richard Menger, MD, MPA, assistant professor of neurosurgery and political science at the […]
2020 — A Year in Review
While 2020 is a year that most people want to forget, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) made significant strides in accomplishing its legislative and regulatory agenda, thus ensuring that neurosurgical patients continue to have timely access to quality care. Following are some highlights of these advocacy […]
Neurosurgeons Launch Campaign to Protect Patient Access to Care
Our health care system is under extraordinary pressure. The COVID-19 pandemic has created an uncertain financial future for health care professionals. And now, coming on the heels of this devastating pandemic, Medicare is poised to implement drastic cuts. These cuts threaten patients’ access to timely surgical care and may impact the quality of life for […]
Misleading the Public: Analyzing Online Rating of Surgeons
Guest post from Linda W. Xu, MD Neurosurgical Resident, Stanford University Hospital and Clinics Palo Alto, CA Online ratings fill the Internet, and it is almost impossible to avoid them. So it is no surprise that for patients facing the difficult decision to have surgery, it is natural to gather information about their surgeon. Until […]
Alternative Payment Models: What Do Neurosurgeons Need to Know?
Guest post written on behalf of The CSNS Neurosurgical Societies ACA Task Force Guest post from Elyne N. Kahn, M.D., M.P.H. Neurosurgery Resident, University of Michigan Health System Alternative payment models (APMs) differ from traditional fee-for-service by focusing on paying for value versus paying for volume. Though such systems have existed in various forms for […]
Neurosurgeons Respond to CMS on Proposed 2014 Medicare Payment Policies
Earlier this month, the AANS and CNS submitted several comment letters to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding a number of issues contained in the proposed 2014 Medicare physician fee schedule and hospital outpatient department rules, which affect neurosurgeons and their patients. Of particular concern to neurosurgeons, are the proposals related to […]
Specialty Physicians Raise Concerns Over Value Based Payment Modifier
Last week, The Alliance of Specialty Medicine (a coalition of 13 physician specialty societies) issued a statement on provisions specific to the Value-Based Payment Modifier (VBPM) as described in the recently released Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) 2013 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule. While the Alliance recognized that implementation of the VBPM is […]