PQRS Penalties: You Must Report in 2013 to Avoid a 1.5 Percent Cut in 2015
According to a new study by The Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute, “more than 80 percent of Medicare providers will face penalties for failing to meet quality thresholds if current performance trends continue.” As this statistic suggests, the authors of the study say it “spells trouble for providers as the bonus program is converted to […]
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 […]
Neurosurgeons Make their Mark at AMA Meeting
The 2012 Interim Meeting of the American Medical Association’s just concluded, and once again, neurosurgery’s small, but mighty, delegation made its mark. In recognition of his longstanding service to his patients and the profession, the AMA honored one of neurosurgery’s own – Dr. Mark J. Kubala – with its Distinguished Service Award. In addition, the […]
AANS Spotlight – Neurosurgeons and Neurocritical Care
The AANS Neurosurgeon is official socioeconomic publication of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons 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. In today’s post we are spotlighting a piece by Robert E. Harbaugh, MD, FAANS, FACS, […]
Fixing the UnSustainable Growth Rate Once and For All!
Did you know that Congress has employed 16 temporary fixes to override sustainable growth rate (SGR) pay cuts over the last 10 years? The time for a permanent, workable and sustainable solution is loooooong overdue. To that end, neurosurgery recently joined with the American Medical Association (AMA) and over 100 state and national medical societies […]