Cross-Post: Medicare for All, Surgery for Some
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 originally appeared in The American Spectator on April 29, 2021. In the op-ed, Richard Menger, MD, MPA, assistant professor of neurosurgery and political science at the […]
Prior Authorization Burdens March On, Even During COVID-19
For much of 2020, as COVID-19 case surges threatened to overwhelm the U.S. health system, physicians faced onerous, business-as-usual insurer policies on top of a public health emergency. In December, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data showed daily new COVID-19 cases reaching the once unthinkable total of 200,000, the American Medical […]
Cross-Post: Streamlining the Process of Prior Authorization for Medical and Surgical Procedures
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 originally appeared in The Hill on Jan. 14, 2021. In the op-ed, Richard Menger, MD, MPA, assistant professor of neurosurgery and political science at the University […]
2020 — A Year in Review
While 2020 is a year that most people want to forget, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) made significant strides in accomplishing its legislative and regulatory agenda, thus ensuring that neurosurgical patients continue to have timely access to quality care. Following are some highlights of these advocacy […]
A Year in review: Making Progress on Neurosurgery’s Legislative and Regulatory Agenda
As we come to the end of a decade and head into 2020, it is fitting to reflect on the progress that the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) have made in advancing organized neurosurgery’s legislative and regulatory agenda to ensure that neurosurgical patients have timely access to […]
Congress Gets to Work Following Historical Swearing-In Day for the 116th Congress
With the U.S. House of Representatives switching to Democratic control for the first time since 2010, and the Republicans gaining seats in the Senate, the voters in the 2018 midterm elections pulled the lever for divided government. While on election day it was more purple rain, than a blue wave, as more races were called, […]
An Approach to Prior Authorization Insurance Denials
Debraj Mukherjee, MD, MPH (left) Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore, MD Chaim B. Colen MD, PhD (right) Neurosurgeon Pompano Beach, FL Patient access to care is a high priority for all neurosurgeons. Unfortunately, many of our practices are thwarted in these efforts from unwarranted insurance denials. Know, you are not […]
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, […]
The Nation’s Opioid Epidemic — Continued Advocacy Needed to Turn the Tide
Guest Post from Patrice A. Harris, MD, MA Chair, AMA Opioid Task Force Atlanta, GA It is a basic tenet of physician leadership that we run toward an emergency. We evaluate the situation, make an initial diagnosis, and pursue interventions consistent with our education and training. This is as true for clinical practice as it […]