IOM Releases New Report on Sports Concussion in Youth

Guest Blog from Julian E. Bailes, MD Bennett-Tarkington Chair Department of Neurosurgery, NorthShore University HealthSystem Co-Director, NorthShore Neurological Institute Recently, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and National Research Council, with support from several other government agencies and private groups, issued a 306-page report entitled:  “Sports-Related Concussions in Youth:  Improving the Science, Changing the Culture.” This […]

Dr. Robert E. Harbaugh Talks Sunshine Act

Recently, neurosurgery’s very own Dr. Robert E. Harbaugh, participated in the 7th Annual Forum on Sunshine and Aggregated Spend conference, where he was a distinguished panelist during the “Creating Awareness of Sunshine Disclosure Among Physicians and Patients” session. In his remarks, Dr. Harbaugh said, “Diseases commonly treated by neurosurgeons – stroke, brain tumors, head and […]

AANS Spotlight: Patient Safety and Today’s Neurosurgeon

The AANS Neurosurgeon is official socioeconomic publication of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) which features information and analysis for contemporary neurosurgical practice. It focuses on issues related to legislation, workforce and practice management as they affect the specialty of neurosurgery. For today’s post we wanted to bring your attention to the newly released […]

CNS Spotlight: 2013 Summer Congress Quarterly Released

The Congress Quarterly (cnsq) is the official newsmagazine of the CNS and is designed to reflect the changing nature of neurosurgery and foster discussion about the core being of the neurosurgeon, which is that of leadership, strength, innovation and the relentless pursuit to improve the care and quality of life of patients.  Each issue explores […]

Mark Kirk: The Senator’s Comeback from a Stroke

Nearly 800,000 Americans a year suffer a stroke, a catastrophic event that does not discriminate based on title or position. And though the vast majority of stroke victims survive, recovery can be a long and difficult step-by-step process. For today’s post, we wanted to highlight a wonderful video from CBS News that showcases Senator Mark […]

The New BRAIN Initiative to Prevent and Treat Brain Attack (aka Stroke)

A couple of weeks ago, the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA) hosted a briefing on Capitol Hill: “The BRAIN (Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies) Initiative: What is it and What Does It Mean for Stroke and Other Neurological Conditions?” The event was moderated by Sue Nelson, Vice President of Federal Advocacy, […]

House Committee Unveils Framework to Replace the SGR

Last week, the talk of the town (amongst healthcare stakeholders) was about the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s draft legislative proposal for repealing Medicare’s sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula. While this skeleton discussion draft bill is very preliminary, it provides a legislative outline for replacing the current Medicare payment system with an “improved fee for […]

AANS Spotlight: Negotiating the Neurosurgical Learning Curve

The AANS Neurosurgeon is official socioeconomic publication of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) which features information and analysis for contemporary neurosurgical practice. It focuses on issues related to legislation, workforce and practice management as they affect the specialty of neurosurgery. For today’s post we wanted to bring your attention to the newly released […]

CNS Spotlight: 2013 Spring Congress Quarterly Released

The Congress Quarterly (cnsq) is the official newsmagazine of the CNS and is designed to reflect the changing nature of neurosurgery and foster discussion about the core being of the neurosurgeon, which is that of leadership, strength, innovation and the relentless pursuit to improve the care and quality of life of patients.  Each issue explores […]

Moot Point: IPAB Triggers Won’t Happen This Year

On April 30, 2013, in a letter to acting CMS administrator, Marilyn Tavenner, Medicare’s acting chief actuary, Paul Spitalnic, wrote that the spending triggers for the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) will not be hit this year, nor are they expected to be activated for several more years. Over the past several years, Medicare per […]