ACA: Cost, Coverage, Choice and Change
Guest Post from Deborah L. Benzil, MD, FACS, FAANS Chair, AANS/CNS Communications and Public Relations Committee Mount Kismo Medical Group Columbia University Medical Center Mt Kisco, New York “Invention, it must be humbly admitted, does not consist in creating out of void, but out of chaos.” – Mary Shelly Memory can trick us all but […]
A History of #HealthReform
Kurt A. Yaeger, MD (left) Neurosurgical Resident, Mt. Sinai Hospital New York, NY Clemens M. Schirmer, MD, PhD, FAANS, FAHA (right) Vice-Chair, AANS/CNS Communications and Public Relations Committee Geisinger Health System Wilkes Barre, PA In March and April, Neurosurgery Blog considered various aspects of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Clearly, the signs are pointing towards […]
The ACA’s Seven Year Itch: Repeal, Replace or Repair?
Guest Post from Deborah L. Benzil, MD, FACS, FAANS (left) Vice President, AANS Chair, AANS/CNS Communications and Public Relations Committee Mount Kismo Medical Group Columbia University Medical Center Mt Kisco, New York Clemens M. Schirmer, MD, PhD, FAANS, FAHA (right) Vice-Chair, AANS/CNS Communications and Public Relations Committee Geisinger Health System Wilkes Barre, PA On March […]
Neurosurgery and 600 Other Groups Urge Congress to Repeal IPAB
Today’s post originally appeared on the Protect My Doctor and Me website. It addresses a key element of the Affordable Care Act — the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) — which is a board of 15 unelected and largely unaccountable government bureaucrats whose primary purpose is to cut Medicare spending. Such cuts threaten America’s seniors […]
Neurosurgeons Urge Congress to Adopt Changes to Improve Health Reform Law
By now it is old news that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Obama Administration in the King v. Burwell case. At issue was the lawfulness of federal tax subsidies for individuals enrolled in federal, rather than state, health insurance exchanges. The 6-3 decision was authored by Chief Justice John Roberts. Justices […]
83rd AANS Annual Scientific Meeting Spotlight: Health Reform Update – James C. Capretta
Guest post from Kimon Bekelis, MD Neurosurgical Resident, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center The passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has led to sweeping changes in the United States healthcare system, yet many questions about its implementation remain. Fortunately for neurosurgeons, during the 83rd AANS Annual Scientific Meeting held in May 2015, James C. Capretta, a […]
Neurosurgery and 500 Other Groups Urge Congress to Repeal IPAB
Today’s post originally appeared on HLC’s Prognosis Blog. It addresses a key element of the Affordable Care Act — the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) — which is a board of 15 unelected and largely unaccountable government bureaucrats whose primary purpose is to cut Medicare spending. Given the charge of this board, repealing the IPAB is […]
New Survey Shows Significant “Burnout” Among U.S. Neurosurgeons
Guest post from Frederick A. Boop, MD Professor and J. T. Robertson Chairman Department of Neurosurgery University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis St Jude Children’s Research Hospital Memphis, TN Although the practice of medicine can be incredibly meaningful and personally fulfilling, it is also demanding and stressful. To this end, a new survey published […]
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 […]
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 […]