The above Korean proverb reminds us that the work ahead of us, even the simplest task, is better shared among colleagues and celebrates the reason that the leadership of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and the Asian Australasian Society of Neurological Surgeons (AASNS) came together to share their strengths at the
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AANS President's Perspective
Objectives for the Coming Year
H. Hunt Batjer, MD, FAANS—The new AANS president, H. Hunt Batjer, MD, FAANS, outlines plans for his 2015-2016 term.
I am honored and humbled at the enormous opportunity of serving you, our patients and our specialty as president of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons. Over the past year, I have been extremely impressed with the vision and commitment of our AANS Executive Committee, Board of Directors, liaisons from societies across the world, and remarkable AANS executive staff. Tom Marshall and his leadership team are extraordinary in their knowledge base, sense of history and willingness to respond to urgent challenges from a variety of sources.
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NPA Report
Comprehensive Patient Registry to Inform National Treatment Benchmarks for Stereotactic Radiosurgery
Kathleen Craig—The American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) have partnered to develop a national registry for stereotactic radiosurgery treatments. Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is a minimally invasive approach that uses imaging guidance and stereotactic principles to deliver radiation to targeted cells within the body. SRS has become an important component in the treatment of some brain tumors, vascular malformations and functional abnormalities. The SRS Registry will establish national benchmarks for SRS treatments that will provide both clinicians and patients the data needed to make informed treatment decisions. Gathering data from 30 diverse and high-volume sites, the registry will log the de-identified SRS treatment information of thousands of patients affected by brain metastases, benign brain tumors and arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). Several of the sites are beta testing the registry in June, with other participants quickly following. “The registry will help us achieve major advances in the management of patients with complex problems such as brain tumors, vascular malformations and functional disorders. This potential for advancement is why the Neurosurgery Research…
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AANS International
The Community of Neurosurgery — Across the Globe
Jillian R. Bernas—Focused on enriching the experiences of its members and engaging with the community of neurosurgeons on a global level, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) has actively reached out to the other continental neurosurgical societies in the past year, participating in scientific meetings and providing and attending educational opportunities for the entire neurosurgical community worldwide. Asian Australasian Society of Neurological Surgeons (AASNS) Continental Association of African Neurosurgical Societies (CAANS) European Association of Neurosurgical Societies (EANS) Federación Latinoamericana de Sociedades de Neurocirugía (FLANC) Pan Arab Neurosurgical Society (PANS) Recent AANS international participation includes the 15th European Congress of Neurosurgery in Prague and the 10th Pan Arab Neurosurgical Society Congress in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The 2014-2015 AANS President, Robert Harbaugh, MD, FAANS, was also chosen as the 2014 Chandy Orator by the Neurological Society of India (NSI). The Chandy oration was delivered at the NSI meeting, held in December 2014. Following the AANS participation in the 14th Asian Australasian Congress of Neurological Surgeons in Jeju, South Korea, the 2015 AANS Annual Scientific Meeting in…
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Washington Watch
D.C. News Updates
President Obama Signs the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act On April 16, 2015, President Obama signed into law the “Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act,” which repealed Medicare’s sustainable growth rate (SGR) physician payment system and prevented a 21-percent pay cut. In addition, the legislation: Consolidates the current Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS), Electronic Health Record (EHR) and Value-Based Payment Modifier (VM) programs and eliminates the penalties associated with these programs; Includes positive incentives for quality improvement payment programs that allow all physicians the opportunity to earn bonus payments; Enhances the ability of physicians — rather than the government — to develop quality measures and clinical practice improvement activities; Clarifies that quality improvement program requirements do not create new standards of care for purposes of medical malpractice lawsuits; Reverses the CMS decision to eliminate the 10- and 90-day global surgery payments; and Extends the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for two years. The American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) will now focus on guiding this legislation through the…
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