SUBJECT: Reducing Administrative Burden to Put Patients Over Paperwork
Dear Administrator Verma,
On behalf of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and the Congress of
Neurological Surgeons (CNS), representing more than 4,000 practicing neurosurgeons in the U.S., we
appreciate the opportunity to comment on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) ongoing
Patients over Paperwork initiative. Like you, we believe that reducing unnecessary administrative burden
is critical to lowering costs and removing obstacles that get in the way of physicians delivering high quality care to their patients. While our health care system, including the Medicare and Medicaid programs, is complex, over time, the accumulated regulatory burdens foisted on physician practices has reached a tipping point.
Our comments will focus on the single most pressing issue facing neurosurgical practices today:
burdensome utilization review programs — including prior authorization and appropriate use criteria
(AUC) for advanced diagnostic imaging.
Read full letter here
