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Washington E-Newsletter

AANS and CNS Urge Congress to Address Medical Student Debt

On June 6, the AANS and the CNS called on the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) to address the high student loan debt facing physicians by advancing the Resident Education Deferred Interest (REDI) Act (S. 704). The bipartisan REDI Act would allow borrowers to qualify for interest-free deferment on their […]
Washington E-Newsletter

2022 Open Payments Data Released

On June 20, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services published the 2022 Open Payments Program data and newly submitted and updated payment records for previous program years. The Open Payments program collects and publicly reports information annually about biopharmaceutical and medical device companies’ payments to physicians and teaching hospitals for travel, research, gifts, speaking fees and meals. […]
Comment Letter

Neurosurgery-Led Coalition Urges Senate to Include Good Sam Liability Protections in PAPHA

Subject: Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act Discussion Draft Dear Chairman Sanders, Ranking Member Cassidy, Senator Casey and Senator Romney: On behalf of a diverse coalition of medical professionals and associations working to improve timely access to care and reduce medical lawsuit abuse, the Health Coalition on Liability and Access (HCLA) would like to thank you […]
  • Medical Liability Reform
Comment Letter

Neurosurgery Asks Senate Committee to Incorporate Good Samaritan Liability Protections in PAHPA

SUBJECT: Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act Reauthorization Dear Chairman Sanders and Ranking Member Cassidy: On behalf of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS), we write to request that you include the provisions of the Good Samaritan Health Professionals Act (S. 2941 in the 117th Congress/H.R. 2819 in […]
  • Medical Liability Reform
Washington E-Newsletter

Washington Committee Chair Featured in Articles on Prior Authorization

Following an AANS/CNS Washington Office press release, Becker’s Spine Review published an article on June 22, “Neurosurgeons call on CMS to finalize prior authorization rules.” The article quoted AANS/CNS Washington Committee chair Russell R. Lonser, MD, FAANS, “Our message to policymakers is simple: Our patients cannot afford to wait or jump through unnecessary hoops to get care for painful, debilitating and life-threatening […]
Washington E-Newsletter

Neurosurgeon Pens Op-Ed on Misuse of Prior Authorization

On May 16, The Lincoln Star published an op-ed titled “When Insurance Fails” by neurosurgeon Jeremy Hosein, MD. The op-ed discusses the misuse of prior authorization, which delays care, prolongs suffering and adds significant administrative costs to health care. According to Dr. Hosein, prior authorization is increasingly used to deny or delay basic medical care such as blood tests, imaging […]
Washington E-Newsletter

2022 Open Payments Data Released

On June 20, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services published the 2022 Open Payments Program data and newly submitted and updated payment records for previous program years. The Open Payments program collects and publicly reports information annually about biopharmaceutical and medical device companies’ payments to physicians and teaching hospitals for travel, research, gifts, speaking fees and meals. […]
Washington E-Newsletter

New Training Requirement for Initial and Renewed DEA Registration

Beginning on June 27, physicians obtaining a new Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registration or renewing their current registration are required to attest to training requirements under the federal Medication Access and Training Expansion Act, passed as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (P.L. 117-328). The law requires physicians to complete eight hours of training “on the treatment […]
Washington E-Newsletter

Neurosurgery Comments on HIT Proposed Rule

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology recently released a proposed rule,Health Data, Technology, and Interoperability: Certification Program Updates, Algorithm Transparency, and Information Sharing (HTI-1), which aims to update electronic health record certification requirements and adopt standards to better support data sharing and interoperability. The AANS and the CNS joined the Alliance of Specialty Medicine (Alliance) […]
Washington E-Newsletter

CMS Proposed Edit for Decompression Add-on Codes Rescinded

On June 23, staff for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) National Correct Coding Initiative (NCCI) reached out to the AANS and the CNS, stating that as of July 1, NCCI edits would be implemented that restrict the reporting of spinal fusion codes 22630, 22632, 22633 and 22634 with add-on decompression codes 63052 and 63053. […]