Applauding CMS Move to Real Meaningful Use
Deborah L. Benzil, MD, FACS, FAANS, AANS (right) Chair, AANS/CNS Communications and Public Relations Committee Mount Kismo Medical Group Columbia University Medical Center Mt Kisco, New York and Rachel Groman, Vice President, Clinical Affairs and Quality Improvement (left) Hart Health Strategies “We have to get the hearts and minds of physicians back…I think we’ve lost […]
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 […]
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 Provide Feedback to CMS on New Medicare Physician Payment System
On Nov. 17, 2015, the AANS and CNS submitted feedback to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in response to the agency’s Request for Information (RFI) seeking input from stakeholders on the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA). Developed by the AANS/CNS Neurosurgery Quality Council (NQC), the letter discussed numerous issues pertaining […]
Does this Really Help?
Guest Post from Deborah L. Benzil, MD, FACS, FAANS Vice President, AANS Chair, AANS/CNS Communications and Public Relations Committee MKMG Columbia University Medical Center Mt Kisco, New York Thick, innocuous appearing mailings from insurance companies often arrive in a physician’s inbox. Most physicians probably toss these directly into the nearest trash receptacle. Who has time […]
Tackling the Gordian Knot of Quality Measurement
Guest post from Katie O. Orrico, JD Director, Washington Office American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) From time to time on Neurosurgery Blog you will see us cross-posting or linking to pieces from other places when we believe they involve issues that merit highlighting to our readers. Today’s post originally […]
Neurosurgeons Move Patient Quality Ahead
Guest post from Anthony L. Asher, MD Co-Medical Director, Carolinas Healthcare System Neuroscience Institute Director, National Neurosurgery Quality and Outcomes Database Vice President, AANS/CNS NeuroPoint Alliance Charlotte, NC Patients want the best outcomes; physicians want to provide optimal care. This may seem obvious; thus the assumption that it should be easy to accomplish. Over the […]
PQRS and Neurosurgery: The Need to Know
Guest post from Anand Veeravagu, MD (left) Chief Neurosurgery Resident Department of Neurosurgery Stanford University Medical Center Former White House Fellow Stanford, CA and John Ratliff, MD, FAANS, FACS (right) Co-Director, Division of Spine and Peripheral Nerve Surgery Department of Neurosurgery Stanford University Medical Center Stanford, CA It is changing, yet again. The 2015 Medicare […]
Ambulatory Surgery Centers Provide Excellent Setting for Spine Surgery
Guest Post from Richard N.W. Wohns, MD Associate Clinical Professor of Neurological Surgery University of Washington Founder and President, Neospine Seattle, WA It is well known that ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) provide surgical services at costs lower than hospitals — due in large part because ASCs typically limit their procedures to simpler, lower-risk, ambulatory procedures. […]
Welcome to the World of Meaningless Abuse
From time-to-time on Neurosurgery Blog, you will see us cross-posting or linking to pieces from other health blogs when we believe they hit the mark on an issue. Today’s post originally appeared on the KevinMD.com, and it details the Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program and how CMS has established a multitude of measures and […]