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 […]
Unnecessary Regulatory Burden: Appropriate Use Criteria for Advanced Diagnostic Imaging
Ann R. Stroink, MD, CPE, FAANS Chair, AANS/CNS Washington Committee System Medical Director, Neurosciences Quality and Educational Program Development Senior Neurosurgeon CINHS Central Illinois Neuro Health Science Bloomington, IL Ordering X-rays or other diagnostic imaging used to be purposeful and easy. Physicians, whether primary care or specialists, would see the patient, take a history and perform a […]
Faces of Neurosurgery: Dr. Ann Stroink, a Tireless Advocate
Guest post from Kristopher T. Kimmell, MD (left) Neurosurgeon at North Kansas City Hospital/Meritas Health North Kansas City, MO Tyler Martin Schmidt, DO (middle) Neurosurgical Resident at University of Rochester Medical Center Rochester, NY Gabrielle Santangelo (right) Medical Student at University of Rochester Medical Center Rochester, NY Patients often face difficult decisions regarding their health, […]
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 […]
Cross Post – National Health Spending In 2015
From time to time on Neurosurgery Blog, you will see us cross-posting or linking to items from other publications. Today’s post originally appeared on the Health Affairs blog and it highlights a new policy brief from Health Affairs on 2015 national health expenditures. Overall, national health spending grew at a rate of 5.8 percent in […]
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 […]
Right on the Money
Guest Post from Deborah L. Benzil, MD, FACS, FAANS Member, AANS Board of Directors Chair, AANS/CNS Communications and Public Relations Committee MKMG Columbia University Medical Center Mt Kisco, New York There is not much about healthcare policy on which everyone agrees; however one irrefutable fact acknowledged by most is that U.S. healthcare costs are rising, […]