Dedicated to alleviating health care disparities, the Pathway to Neurosurgery program encourages high school students from underrepresented groups and/or disadvantaged backgrounds to pursue a career in neurosurgery. On Monday, Sept. 11, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) Foundation will host the program at the 2023 Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. Read More
From time to time on Neurosurgery Blog, you will see us cross-posting to items from other places that we believe will interest our readers. Today’s post originally appeared in Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) on Sept. 1. Neurosurgeon Anthony M. DiGiorgio, DO, MHA, FAANS, Jesse M. Ehrenfeld, MD, MPH and Brian J. Miller, MD, MBA, MPH discuss the impacts and causes of burnout, which affects up to two thirds of physicians. Read More
From time to time on Neurosurgery Blog, you will see us cross-posting or linking to items from other places that we believe will interest our readers. Today’s post originally appeared in NPR’s Fresh Air on July 28. Dave Davies interviews pediatric neurosurgeon John “Jay” Wellons, III, MD, FAANS, about his memoir “All That Moves Us,” which reflects on his experiences operating on children facing critical illnesses and injuries. Read More
From time to time on the Neurosurgery Blog, you will see us cross-posting or linking to items from other places when we believe they may interest our readers. Today, we wanted to bring attention to a recent publication in Neurosurgery, the official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, which provides multimedia, prompt publication of scientific articles on clinical or experimental surgery topics important for the brain, spine, and peripheral nerves, reviews, and other information of interest to readers across the world. The article — “Surgery Decreases Nonunion, Myelopathy, and Mortality for Patients With Traumatic Odontoid Fractures: A Propensity Score Matched Analysis” — is published as part of Neurosurgery’s High-Impact Manuscript Service (HIMS). Read More
From time to time on Neurosurgery Blog, you will see us cross-posting or linking to items from other publications that may interest our readers. Today’s post was first published in The Hill on July 6, titled “A new crisis at the border: Traumatic injuries caused by falls from Trump’s 30-foot wall.” In the op-ed, Alexander Tenorio, MD, a neurological surgery resident at the University of California San Diego, discusses the injuries and economic burden of height extensions of U.S.-Mexico border wall barriers. Read More
From time to time on Neurosurgery Blog, you will see us cross-posting or linking to items from other places that may interest our readers. Today’s post originally appeared in The Lincoln Journal Star, titled “When Insurance Fails.” In the op-ed, neurosurgeon Jeremy Hosein, MD, discusses the misuse of prior authorization, which delays care, prolongs suffering and adds significant administrative costs to health care. Read More
From time to time on Neurosurgery Blog, you will see us cross-posting or linking to items from other places that may interest our readers. Today’s post originally appeared on 1819 News on April 21, titled “Ending the Health Insurance Monopoly Will Make Life Healthier for Alabamians.” In the op-ed, Richard P. Menger, MD, MPA, assistant professor of neurosurgery and political science at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Ala., discusses why broadening health insurance coverage options in Alabama will improve the state’s health care system.
Alabama is tied with Alaska as the least competitive insurance market in the nation, limiting patient options, hurting hospitals and physicians and feeding the insurance industry. Lack of competition also impacts prior authorization, a system where insurance companies must approve certain surgeries before they agree to pay for them, despite the physician and patient deciding upon a personalized treatment plan. Dr. Menger states that this is an intentional delay tactic, and the cumbersome apparatus frustrates families, hurts patients and burns out physicians.
Dr. Menger argues that the arc of reform needs to bend towards the injection of competition between and within state lines — With that will come better products, lower prices, higher quality and more innovation.
Click here to read the full op-ed by Dr. Menger.
Editor’s Note: Organized neurosurgery aims to improve competition in the health care system by broadening health insurance coverage options, increasing scrutiny of hospital and other health care consolidation, removing restrictions on physician ownership of hospitals and other ancillary services and establishing network adequacy standards.
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