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 hit the mark on an issue. April 8 marks World Neurosurgeons Day, celebrated annually on the birthday of Dr. Harvey Cushing. Dr. Cushing is regarded as the father of modern neurosurgery. 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 hit the mark on an issue. 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, “High-Accuracy Augmented Reality Guidance for Intracranial Drain Placement Using a Standalone Head-Worn Navigation System: First-in-Human Results” is published as part of Neurosurgery’s High-Impact Manuscript Service (HIMS). 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 hit the mark on an issue. 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, Vestibular Schwannoma Koos Grade I International Study of Active Surveillance Versus Stereotactic Radiosurgery: The VISAS-K1 Study, is published as part of Neurosurgery’s High-Impact Manuscript Service (HIMS). Read More
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. We wanted to bring to your attention a recent article featuring Michael J. Feldman, MD, a pediatric neurosurgery fellow at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a former American Association of Neurological Surgeons/Congress of Neurological Surgeons Washington Committee alternate resident fellow. Dr. Feldman is leading efforts to reduce spina bifida rates in Alabama’s Hispanic community through folic acid fortification of corn masa flour. Read More
Our current series on Making and Maintaining a Neurosurgeon discusses how one transitions from student to resident to practicing neurosurgeon. In particular, we highlight what our field is doing to improve diversity and the importance of mentorship to those considering neurosurgery. How impactful can mentorship be? Incredibly.
This cross-post highlights the recent article in The Varsity, the University of Toronto’s Student Newspaper by Parsa Babaei Zadeh, Veronica Papaioannou, Zahn Bariring and Lauren Shaw titled, “Neurosurgery’s glass ceiling: Addressing the gender imbalance in the field.” The authors discuss how mentorship is crucial for guiding prospective applicants to competitive specialties and fostering an inclusive space where applicants do not feel alienated. 
The authors interview neurosurgeon Gelareh M. Zadeh, MD, PhD, FAANS, FRCS, an advocate for change, actively engaged in mentoring young women. “A lack of mentors, role models, and the sense of having allyship and having people that are similar to you in the field… is one of the biggest factors [preventing women from pursuing neurosurgery], so increasing [the] number of people from diverse backgrounds whether it’s females or others is really important,” Dr. Zadeh states.
Click here to read the full article published by The Varsity.
Editor’s Note: We hope you will share what you learn from our posts in the Making and Maintaining a Neurosurgeon series. We invite you to join the conversation on Twitter by following @Neurosurgery and using the hashtag #Neurosurgery.
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. In case you missed it, we wanted to bring attention to a recent op-ed by Reps. Greg Murphy, MD, (R-N.C.), Brad Wenstrup, DPM, (R-Ohio) and Michael Burgess, MD, (R-Texas) in Washington Times titled, “Medicare cuts ensure disaster to doctor-patient relationship.” On Jan. 1, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services cut payments to physicians by nearly 3.4% for services rendered to Medicare patients, which will cripple independent physicians and rural health care providers across the country.
Reps. Murphy, Wenstrup and Burgess, members of the GOP Doctors Caucus, are greatly troubled by another round of payment cuts to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, “It is our goal to navigate the ever-increasing challenges facing those who try to provide care for Medicare recipients.” In anticipation of this rule, the GOP Doctors Caucus introduced legislation seeking to reform the physician fee schedule, prevent extreme fluctuations in future reimbursement and update how costs are determined.
Efforts continue to press Congress to halt these cuts as soon as possible.
Click here to read the article.
We hope you will share what you learn from our posts. We invite you to join the conversation on Twitter by following @Neurosurgery and using the hashtag #FixMedicareNow.
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 JAMA Surgery. The article — “Gender Differences in Medicare Practice and Payments to Neurosurgeons” by Temitope O. Oshinowo, AB, et al. compares practice metrics and earning potential between female and male neurosurgeons and examines gender disparity in Medicare reimbursement.
The authors state that despite efforts to promote diversity within the neurosurgical workforce, individuals from underrepresented groups face significant challenges. Females account for approximately 50% of medical school graduates but comprise just 18.2% of neurosurgery residents and only 6% of board-certified neurosurgeons. Female physicians in the U.S. are estimated to be compensated 25% less, or the equivalent of $2 million, in career-long earnings.
Using Medicare data across practice settings, the authors examine patterns of significant disparity in procedural volume and payments and found significant gender-based variation in practice patterns and reimbursement among neurosurgeons serving the Medicare fee-for-service population. Female surgeons were reimbursed less than male surgeons for performing the same primary procedure. “While there has been a trend of increased female representation in neurosurgery, women continue to face challenges in establishing, maintaining, and progressing within their neurosurgical careers,” according to Oshinowo et al.
Click here to read the full article.
We hope you will share what you learn from our posts. We invite you to join the conversation on Twitter by following @Neurosurgery and @WINSNeurosurge1 and using the hashtag #WomenInNeurosurgery.
From time to time on Neurosurgery Blog, you will see us cross-posting to items published elsewhere that we believe will interest our readers. Today’s post originally appeared in The Hill on Oct. 17. In the op-ed, Reps. Larry Bucshon, MD, (R-Ind.), Ami Bera, MD, (D-Calif.), Raul Ruiz, MD, (D-Calif.), and Mariannette Miller-Meeks, MD, (R-Iowa) state that the Medicare payment system fails to reimburse physicians adequately for the critical services they provide. Unlike other providers, the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) does not have an automatic inflationary update and physician payments declined by 26 percent from 2001 to 2023 when adjusted for inflation.
To address this flaw, Reps. Bucshon, Bera, Ruiz and Miller-Meeks introduced the Strengthening Medicare for Patients and Providers Act (H.R. 2474) to modernize the Medicare physician payment system while protecting patients’ timely access to care. This bill would apply a permanent, inflation-based update to the MPFS.
Click here to read the full op-ed and here to contact Congress and urge your representatives to co-sponsor H.R. 2474. Additional information and resources are available at the American Medical Association’s (AMA) Fix Medicare Now website.
The American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) endorse H.R. 2474. The AANS and the CNS also joined several coalition letters endorsing the bill, including the AMA, Alliance of Specialty Medicine and a coalition of more than one million physician and allied health professional groups.
We hope you will share what you learn from our posts. We invite you to join the conversation on Twitter by following @Neurosurgery.
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 Becker’s Spine Review on Sept. 25. Neurosurgeons Anthony M. DiGiorgio, DO, MHA, FAANS; Praveen V. Mummaneni, MD, FAANS and Luis M. Tumialán, MD, FAANS discuss prior authorization and the significant problems physicians face when it comes to receiving fair payments for services offered.
Denial of payment after prior authorization has become a grim reality in American health care. Insurance companies authorize procedures, and surgeons perform them as approved. Then, the insurance company denies payment. The authors state, “No other industry would tolerate this system. Yet, in healthcare, physicians, bound by their oaths to care for patients, endure a system that withholds payment.”
Ultimately, patients bear the brunt of this charade. The authors conclude the article by stating that patients deserve insurance companies that fulfill their contractual obligations.
Click here to read the full article.
We hope you will share what you learn from our posts. We invite you to join the conversation on Twitter by following @Neurosurgery and using the hashtag #FixPriorAuth.
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.
Although the causes are multifactorial, the authors state that one of the key causes for clinician frustration is quality metrics. Administrative burdens from poorly designed systems and ineffective regulatory policies are central to clinician frustration. Improving these metrics could reduce clinician burnout, with studies indicating that physicians spend less than 15% of their day in direct patient contact. “A living system of quality metrics with a ceiling on their quantity, as well as a metric life cycle with continuous assessment and improvement, would significantly reduce burdens on clinicians and administrators alike” according to DiGiorgio et al.
Click here to read the full article in JAMA.
We hope you will share what you learn from our posts. We invite you to join the conversation on Twitter by following @Neurosurgery.
