AANS Bulletin Vol. 10 No. 2 Summer 2001
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A MERICAN A SSOCIATION OF N EUROLOGICAL S URGEONS The Socioeconomic and Professional Quarterly for AANS Members • Volume 10 No. 2 • Summer 2001 TESTYTOPIC NEUROSURGERY PREPARES FOR RECERTIFICATION I NSIDE T HIS I SSUE ● AANS President Sets Priorities ● Annual Meeting Recap ● Statistical Study Completed ONTENTS C VOLUME 10 NO. 2 AANS BULLETIN The quarterly publication of the American FEATURES Association of Neurological Surgeons A Certifiable Challenge Organized neurosurgery prepares A. John Popp, MD, Editor 6 for recertification. What can surgeons expect? James R. Bean, MD, Associate Editor Jay Copp, Staff Editor 2001 Annual Meeting An outstanding educational BULLETIN ADVISORY BOARD 11 program highlighted the gathering in Toronto. Edward C. Benzel, MD • Robert E. Harbaugh, MD • Meet Your President Haynes L. Harkey III, MD • David F. Jimenez, MD • Stan Pelofsky, MD, promises a John A. Kusske, MD • Joel D. MacDonald, MD • 13 year of action. Gregory J. Przybylski, MD • Katie O. Orrico, JD Not Talking Can Be Costly Communication can prevent OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS (2001-2002) 14 expensive liability claims. Stan Pelofsky, MD, President Roberto C. Heros, MD, President-Elect Statistical Study Results The new Procedural Statistics report answers common Volker K.H. Sonntag, MD, Vice-President 15 questions about neurosurgery. Robert A. Ratcheson, MD, Secretary Arthur L. Day, MD, Treasurer Healing Across Borders Louisiana neurosurgeon aids medical community Stewart B. Dunsker, MD, Past-President 16 in Southeast Asia. DIRECTORS AT LARGE Steven L. Giannotta, MD, L.N. Hopkins, MD, John J. Oro, MD, Jon H. Robertson, MD, Richard A. Roski, MD, Theodore R. Jacobs, MD, DEPARTMENTS Jeffrey A. Brown, MD, Domenic P. Esposito, MD, 3 From the Hill AANS and CNS back HCFA reform. Gary D. VanderArk, MD 4 Neuro News Neurosurgeons work on pacemaker. Ex-Officio: Ross Bullock, MD, Rees G. Cosgrove, MD, 28 Letters Richard G. Fessler, MD, Kenneth A. Follett, MD, Legal Update David F. Jimenez, MD, Christopher M. Loftus, MD, 28 Summary of professional misconduct cases given. Joel D. MacDonald, MD, T. Glenn Pait, MD, 30 News.org Survey done on trauma care. A. John Popp, MD, James T. Rutka, MD, John G. Golfinos, MD, Thomas G. Luerssen, MD 33 AANS News Neurosurgical Focus makes changes. Liaisons: Issam Awad, MD • Richard Moulton, MD 39 Calendar of Events AANS NATIONAL OFFICE 5550 Meadowbrook Drive, Rolling Meadows, IL 60008 • Phone: (847) 378-0500; (888) 566-AANS; Fax: (847) 378-0600 • E-mail: [email protected] COLUMNS Web site: www.neurosurgery.org/aans President’s Message Thomas A. Marshall, Executive Director 2 Stan Pelofsky, MD, unveils his presidential priorities. Bobbi Burgstone, Director of Development 18 Managed Care John A. Kusske, MD, warns of economic credentialing. Ronald W. Engelbreit, CPA, Deputy Executive Director, Finance and Information Systems 19 Coding Corner Gregory Przybylski, MD, discusses practice expense revisions. Kenneth Nolan, Director of Information Services 20 N://OC Joel D. MacDonald, MD, provides an update. Susan A. Nowicki, APR, Director of Member Publications 21 Residents’ Corner Katie Orrico, JD, presents a primer on regulatory bodies. Lisa M. Sykes, CMP, Director of Meetings 22 Computer Ease Carlos A. David, MD, explains digital photography. © 2001 by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, all rights reserved. 24 CSNS Report Council recommends a series of actions. Contents may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means 25 Book Review Gary VanderArk, MD, reviews Leading Physicians Through Change. without prior written permission of the publisher. The AANS Bulletin is published quarterly by the AANS, 26 Spotlight Philip L. Gildenberg, MD, explains stereotactic surgery. 5550 Meadowbrook Drive, Rolling Meadows, IL 60008, and is distributed without charge to the neurosurgical 27 Membership Nurses urged to join AANS. community. Unless specifically stated otherwise, the opinions expressed and statements made in this 35 Governance Board OKs two policies. publication are the authors’ and do not imply endorse- ment by the official policy of the AANS. The editor 40 Personal Perspective James R. Bean, MD, argues that recertification is needed. reserves the right to edit copy to fit available space. ADVERTISING SALES: Laura Wissman, Atwood Publishing, (913) 469-1110 Art Direction by Mark Feldman, Feldman Communications, Hawthorn Woods, IL P RESIDENT’ S M ESSAGE S TAN P ELOFSKY,MD Taking a Stand on Contemporary Issues Neurosurgeons Need to Speak Out year is a very short time. A mere 365 medical community by developing strong The fact that stem cell research has been so days after I became president of the position statements, some of which may be closely linked with abortion sells the issue AANS in April, I will have to deter- controversial, and then stand ready to lead short and prevents the public from fully A mine whether or not I made a differ- national debates. understanding the benefits derived from ence for the organization and for you as the use of fetal tissue. Though it will be an members. In other words, I can neither Sparking Debate arduous task for us to develop a consensus waste time, nor can I sit back in compla- I was recently reminded of just how on the issue, we should not shrink away cency and wait for someone else to lead the charged these issues can be when I was from it—it is far too important. debate regarding the medical, philosophi- cal, and financial issues that we as neuro- The Path to Consensus surgeons and citizens face everyday. For this Stan Pelofsky, MD, You already know that consensus is not reason I have titled the theme of my presi- is the 2001-2002 reached overnight, and it is not done in the dency “Speaking Out,” and I expect every- AANS President. presence of only one opinion. It requires one to join the dialogue. that all of us speak up individually in order for us to find our voice organizationally; it Speaking Out requires that you become actively involved A number of contemporary issues are in the process of shaping the future of neu- worth speaking out about: rosurgery and of the larger society. Join me in this effort to bring meaning to the words Ⅲ the future of stem cell research, selecting the cover art for the 2002 AANS of Henry Longfellow, who wrote: Annual Meeting program. My wish was to Ⅲ genetic material patents, select a cover design that would reflect my Look not mournfully into the Past. Ⅲ handgun-related violence, desire to initiate an organizational debate It comes not back again. Wisely regarding the use of handguns, but when I improve the Present. It is thine. Ⅲ professional misconduct, and showed my art selection (which included Go forth to meet the shadowy two handguns) to some colleagues, a very Ⅲ neurosurgical reimbursement, Future, without fear, and with a emotional and heated discussion ensued. [manly] heart. to name a few. Some supported handgun legislation; some These issues are fraught with moral, opposed it. Some were offended that a In other words, there is no time like the ethical, religious, and emotional fireworks handgun was juxtaposed with a brain. present to speak out. Ⅲ which make them explosive to discuss and Some thought that such issues had no place impossible to agree upon, but we must at an annual scientific meeting. Stan Pelofsky, MD, is President of Neuroscience reach a consensus about them and, what is I realized that if the selection of a piece of Specialists, Chief of Neurosurgery at St. Anthony’s more, we must speak out about them. art could cause such commotion, I should Hospital and Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery Neurosurgeons can and should lead the be prepared for an outright conflagration at Oklahoma Memorial Hospital in Oklahoma over stem cell research. City, Oklahoma. The use of stem cells, and their potential EDITOR’S NOTE banned use, are issues that profoundly The results of the survey of Bulletin affect neurosurgeons every day. The future STORY ON DR. PELOFSKY readers will be detailed in the fall issue, of our profession and our patients will be See the Meet the President story on scheduled to be mailed in mid- greatly influenced by scientific progress not page 13 that profiles the new President September. only in this field, but also in the fields of of the American Association of Neurological genetic research and molecular biology. Surgeons. 2 AANS Bulletin • Summer 2001 NN EWSLINEEWSLINE NewsMembersTrendsLegislation FROM THE HILL AANS AND CNS BACK Ⅵ AANS and CNS Back HCFA Reform The AANS and CNS have endorsed a HCFA reform bill. The two neu- PATIENTS’RIGHTS BILL rosurgical groups joined the AMA and more than 50 other national medical specialty organizations in Senators Bill Frist (R-TN), March in endorsing the Medicare Education and Regulatory Fairness Act (MERFA), which would Jim Jeffords (R-VT) and reform the auditing practices of the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA). The bill would John Breaux (D-LA) intro- require HCFA to adequately educate physicians about Medicare’s ever-changing billing rules and pro- duced on May 15 the cedures, reform HCFA’s audit process by giving physicians due process rights that currently do not “Bipartisan Patients’ Bill exist, eliminate random pre-payment audits and require HCFA to conduct at least four Evaluation and of Rights Act of 2001.” Management documentation guidelines pilot tests before they are implemented. Physicians participat- President Bush supports ing in these pilots would be given certain immunity from prosecution for mistakes and errors made the bill. The AANS and during the pilots. To get a copy of the bill and current co-sponsors, visit http://thomas.loc.gov/ and CNS have been working enter the bill numbers S. 452 for the Senate and H.R. 868 for the House. closely with the senators to draft the legislation.