House Passes SGR Repeal Bill; Senate Adjourns without Taking Action on SGR
After nearly 14 years of advocacy and 17 temporary “patches,” on March 26, 2015 — by an overwhelming vote of 392-37 — the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 2, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act, which repeals Medicare’s sustainable growth rate (SGR) payment system. The legislation: Repeals the SGR, prevents the 21 percent […]
Participate Today in the SGR Virtual Lobby Day!
Last year, Congress made significant progress toward a permanent repeal of Medicare’s sustainable growth rate (SGR) payment system. Unless Congress acts, physicians face a 21 percent Medicare pay cut on April 1, 2015. The AANS and CNS, together with rest of the medical community, are urging Congress to continue the progress already made toward replacing […]
AANS and CNS Release 2015 Legislative Agenda
Today, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) released its 2015 legislative agenda, which includes action items such as abolishing the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB), expanding support for graduate medical education, championing an improved Medicare reimbursement system, and alleviating the medical liability crisis. A few of our […]
Neurosurgeons: Elevating the Quality of Care for our Smallest Patients – Hydrocephalus Guidelines Published
Guest post from Ann Marie Flannery, MD, FAANS, FACS Pediatric Neurosurgeon Childrens Multi Specialty Clinic Womens and Childrens Hospital Lafayette, LA Hydrocephalus is one of the most common birth defects, impacting one out of every 500 births in the U.S. Fortunately, neurosurgeons can effectively treat this problem. In an effort to assure the highest quality […]
5 Things Neurosurgeons Need to Know about the Sunshine Act
Despite the problems associated with the Physician Sunshine Open Payments system, including inaccurate data and computer system problems, on Sept. 30, 2014, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released physician-industry data on the Open Payments public website. Now that the Open Payments data is publicly available, here are 5 things neurosurgeons need to […]
Social Media in Neurosurgery: Are You HIPAA Compliant?
Guest post from Chaim B. Colen, MD (left) Chair of the Young Physicians Representative Section of the CSNS Grosse Pointe Woods, MI and Kristopher T. Kimmell (right) Neurosurgical Resident, University of Rochester Medical Center Rochester, NY The business of medicine is increasingly performed electronically. A wide variety of devices provide neurosurgeons with patient information right […]
CNS Spotlight: 2014 Fall 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 […]
Neurosurgery Contributes to Choosing Wisely Campaign
Guest Post by John Ratliff, MD, FAANS, FACS Co-Director, Division of Spine and Peripheral Nerve Surgery Department of Neurosurgery Stanford University Medical Center Stanford, CA The American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) have developed set of five targeted, evidence-based recommendations regarding neurosurgical patient care. This effort was completed as […]
Cross Post: Neurosurgeons Play a Pivotal Role in the Treatment of Stroke
Today’s post originally appeared on the AdvaMed’s Life Changing Innovation website. The post addresses the all-important topic of the how neurosurgeons play a pivotal role in the treatment of stroke. Neurosurgeons Play a Pivotal Role in the Treatment of Stroke Clemens M. Schirmer, MD, PhD Joint American Association of Neurological Surgeons/Congress of Neurological Surgeons Cerebrovascular […]
The Face of Neurosurgery
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 During Sir Bob Geldof’s talk at the 2014 Opening Ceremonies of the 82nd AANS Annual Scientific Meeting, he suggested that neurosurgery (brain surgery) has supplanted […]