Cross Post – Death By 1,000 Clicks: Where Electronic Health Records Went Wrong
From time to time on Neurosurgery Blog, you will see us cross-posting or linking to items from other places when we believe they hit the mark on an issue. Today’s post highlights a report produced by Fortune Magazine and Kaiser Family Foundation. The report examines how, “the U.S. government claimed that turning American medical charts […]
Neurosurgery and 140 Other Groups Urge Congress to Repeal the Medical Device Excise Tax
According to a new study released by the Pacific Research Institute, “The medical device tax is bad tax policy that has increased patient costs, reduced access to life-saving technology, and reduced profits and jobs,” said Dr. Wayne Winegarden, author of the Benefits from Repealing the Medical Device Tax. The study points out that repealing the […]
Rate of Return to Military Active Duty after Single and Two-level Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion: A Four Year Retrospective Review
Luis Manuel Tumialan, MD, FAANS Neurosurgeon, Barrow Neurological Institute Scottsdale, Ariz. Can a member of the United States Marine Corps return to unrestricted full duty after a cervical fusion? How about a Navy SEAL or a Navy F-18 fighter pilot? Wearing a 60-pound rucksack for hours, parachuting from 11,000 feet, diving into the depths of […]
AANS/CNS Spotlight – Exceptional Speakers at the 2018 Spine Summit
This year’s 2018 Annual Meeting of the AANS/CNS Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves, which is being held this week in Orlando, FL, features a noteworthy ensemble of honored guests and speakers who will advance the meeting theme of, “Restoring Alignment in an Era of Global Change.” These speakers are innovators and […]
A Better, Kinder, More Effective MOC Product
Richard G. Ellenbogen, MD, FACS Professor and Chairman, Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Washington Medicine Director, American Board of Neurological Surgery Specialty boards, such as the American Board of Neurological Surgery (ABNS), were created as entities independent of the government and medical specialty societies to establish criteria and a process of establishing the competence […]
Cost Post – Impact of Insurance Precertification on Neurosurgery Practice and Health Care Delivery
Pre-authorization, prior authorization or precertification is a tool insurance companies use to limit the amount of services they provide for their customers. In essence, it’s a simple way to reduce costs by delaying or not approving planned, non-emergency (elective) surgery for patients who need it. The inefficiency and lack of transparency associated with prior authorization […]
Physician Regulatory Relief: Breaking the Red Tape to Improve Patient Care
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 We the people of the USA deserve better from our health care system. Whether one is a patient, physician, nurse, or another part of our medical community, […]
Misleading the Public: Analyzing Online Rating of Surgeons
Guest post from Linda W. Xu, MD Neurosurgical Resident, Stanford University Hospital and Clinics Palo Alto, CA Online ratings fill the Internet, and it is almost impossible to avoid them. So it is no surprise that for patients facing the difficult decision to have surgery, it is natural to gather information about their surgeon. Until […]
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 […]