No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
Guest Post from Alan Scarrow, MD, FAANS President of Mercy Clinic Springfield, MO On May 22, 2014, former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Kathleen Sebelius, issued a decision that settlements arrived under so-called “apology and disclosure laws” were reportable to the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB). Laws are written […]
Neurosurgery Comments on the 2015 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule
Earlier this month, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) submitted comments concerning several aspects of the 2015 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Our comment letters addressed the following topics: Reimbursement-related Provisions The AANS and CNS strongly oppose […]
The Importance of Quality Neurosurgery Data
Guest Post from J. Todd Barnes, MBA, CMPE Administrator Dept.’s of Neurology and Neurosurgery University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Given the quantum changes that are happening to the healthcare system in the United States, there has never been more of a need for quality data in almost every facet of neurological surgery. Public and […]
AANS Spotlight: Neurosurgery Around the World
AANS Neurosurgeon is the official socioeconomic publication of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), and features information and analysis for contemporary neurosurgical practice. It focuses on topics related to legislation, workforce issues and practice management as they affect the specialty of neurosurgery. The September 2014 edition of the AANS Neurosurgeon takes a look at […]
Closed Intensive Care Units: Are Neurosurgical Patients Better Off?
Guest Blog from: J. Adair Prall, MD; South Denver Neurosurgery, Littleton, CO (top left) Jason Hauptman, MD; Department of Neurosurgery, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA (top right) Shelly D. Timmons, MD, PhD; Department of Neurosurgery, Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, PA (lower left) Deborah L. Benzil, MD; Mount Kisco Medical Group, Mount Kisco, NY (lower right) In […]
My Dog Park Encounter
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 I was recently exercising my dog in one of New York City’s lovely dog parks when a woman stopped me and asked if I was […]
Neurosurgery Meets with Congress during Alliance of Specialty Medicine’s Legislative Conference
Guest Post from Alliance of Specialty Medicine spokesperson, Alex B. Valadka, MD Chief Executive Officer, Seton Brain and Spine Institute Austin, Texas Dr. Valadka (left) visiting Rep. Roger Williams (R-Texas). This week, I attended the Alliance of Specialty Medicine’s annual Capitol Hill Advocacy Conference. More than 100 participants from 13 medical societies – including the […]
Consumer Reports for Surgical Care: Buyer Beware!
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 In 1936, the Consumer Union Reports (now published as Consumer Reports) issued their first ratings on milk, breakfast cereals, soap and stockings. Since then, their […]
HHS Office of Inspector General Issues Opinion Regarding On-Call Payments to Physicians
In recent years, issues have arisen as to whether hospitals could make payments to physicians for providing on-call coverage for the hospital’s emergency department as such payments might violate the anti-kickback statute. Well, it seems the ambiguity surrounding this idea has recently been cleared up by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of […]