MIPS, Cost Measures and Innovation from a Neurosurgical Perspective
Clemens M. Schirmer, MD, PhD, FAANS, FACS, FAHA Vice-Chair, AANS/CNS Communications and Public Relations Committee Geisinger Wilkes Barre, PA The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) is a law that reformed the Medicare payment system by repealing the sustainable growth rate formula (SGR), which calculated payment cuts for physicians. It also created […]
Neurosurgeons Express Serious Concerns with Medicare Physician Payment Rules
Guest post from Katie O. Orrico, Esq. Director, Washington Office American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) On April 27, 2016, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued a proposal to overhaul the way Medicare pays physicians. The proposed rule implements key elements of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA). This […]
Neurosurgical Focus Highlights Efforts to Define, Measure, and Predict Quality in Neurosurgery
John Ratliff, MD, FAANS, FACS (left) Co-Director, Division of Spine and Peripheral Nerve Surgery Department of Neurosurgery Stanford University Medical Center Chair, AANS/CNS National Quality Council Stanford, CA Anthony L. Asher, MD, FAANS, FACS (right) Co-Medical Director, Carolinas Healthcare System Neuroscience Institute Director, National Neurosurgery Quality and Outcomes Database Vice President, NeuroPoint Alliance Charlotte, NC […]
Neurosurgeons Provide Feedback to CMS on New Medicare Physician Payment System
On Nov. 17, 2015, the AANS and CNS submitted feedback to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in response to the agency’s Request for Information (RFI) seeking input from stakeholders on the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA). Developed by the AANS/CNS Neurosurgery Quality Council (NQC), the letter discussed numerous issues pertaining […]
Tackling the Gordian Knot of Quality Measurement
Guest post from Katie O. Orrico, JD Director, Washington Office American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) From time to time on Neurosurgery Blog you will see us cross-posting or linking to pieces from other places when we believe they involve issues that merit highlighting to our readers. Today’s post originally […]
Neurosurgeons Move Patient Quality Ahead
Guest post from Anthony L. Asher, MD Co-Medical Director, Carolinas Healthcare System Neuroscience Institute Director, National Neurosurgery Quality and Outcomes Database Vice President, AANS/CNS NeuroPoint Alliance Charlotte, NC Patients want the best outcomes; physicians want to provide optimal care. This may seem obvious; thus the assumption that it should be easy to accomplish. Over the […]
PQRS and Neurosurgery: The Need to Know
Guest post from Anand Veeravagu, MD (left) Chief Neurosurgery Resident Department of Neurosurgery Stanford University Medical Center Former White House Fellow Stanford, CA and John Ratliff, MD, FAANS, FACS (right) Co-Director, Division of Spine and Peripheral Nerve Surgery Department of Neurosurgery Stanford University Medical Center Stanford, CA It is changing, yet again. The 2015 Medicare […]
AANS Spotlight – Neurosurgery: Metrics and Evidence-based Medicine
The AANS Neurosurgeon is the official socioeconomic publication of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), and features information and analysis for contemporary neurosurgical practice. It focuses on topics related to legislation, workforce issues and practice management as they affect the specialty of neurosurgery. The February 2015 edition of AANS Neurosurgeon explores the impact of […]
Congress on the Verge of Historic Medicare Vote
After 14 years and 17 temporary “patches” to prevent steep Medicare cuts, Congress is finally poised to vote on legislation that will permanently repeal Medicare’s sustainable growth rate (SGR) physician payment formula. If Congress fails to act, physicians face a 21 percent pay cut on April 1, 2015. The problems with the SGR payment system […]
AANS Spotlight: Healthcare Reform and Neurosurgical Education
AANS Neurosurgeon is the official socioeconomic publication of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), and features information and analysis for contemporary neurosurgical practice. It focuses on topics related to legislation, workforce issues and practice management as they affect the specialty of neurosurgery. The December 2014 edition of AANS Neurosurgeon considers what may lay in […]