GME Changes: Are we in danger of throwing the baby out with the bathwater?
Guest Post from Maya A. Babu, MD (left) Neurosurgical Resident, Mayo Clinic Rochester, MN and Brian V. Nahed, MD (right) Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School Boston, MA The recent Institute of Medicine (IOM) report heralding potentially major changes in the world of graduate medical education (GME) funding has brought […]
New Study Shows ICD-10 Implementation Costs to Be Significantly Higher
New cost estimates for implementing the federally mandated ICD-10 code set by Oct. 1, 2014, are, in some cases, nearly three times more than previously estimated, according to a new study released by the American Medical Association (AMA). Costs associated with ICD-10 implementation include training, vendor and software upgrades, testing and payment disruption. Compared to a […]
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 […]
Implementation of Physician Payments Sunshine Act Begins
Starting on Aug. 1, 2013, the Physician Payments Sunshine Act, which was part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), will require manufacturers of drugs, medical devices and biologics to report certain payments and items of value given to physicians and teaching hospitals. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) also will make […]
Exciting and Emotional Swearing In Day for the 113th Congress
Thursday, January 3, 2013, proved to be a very exciting Swearing In Day for the 113th Congress, as this was the moment marking Senator Mark Kirk’s (R-IL) triumphant and emotional return to Washington, D.C. after suffering a stroke last January. At 11:30 a.m., cheered on by over 100 colleagues from the U.S. Senate, U.S. House, […]
Going Over the Fiscal Cliff will Hurt Patients
Today, Roll Call Newspaper (Capitol Hill’s paper of record) published a Guest Opinion piece featuring the Alliance of Specialty Medicine and our own Alex Valadka, the Alliance’s spokesperson and chair of the AANS/CNS Washington Committee. The article, “Doctors: We Gave at the Office, and Then Some” addresses the idea that preventing the pending SGR cuts […]
Social Media Adds Valuable Knowledge to a Physician’s Toolbox
It’s no secret that the social media revolution is dramatically impacting the way we communicate. And, according to a recent study by the Journal of Medical Research, it turns out that many physicians are using social media to exchange medical information (and before you say it, no, we’re not talking about the HIPAA kind of stuff […]
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 […]