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AANS President's Perspective

The AANS’ Commitment to Neurosurgery

In AANS President’s Perspective, Mitchel S. Berger, MD, FAANS, FACS, addresses the highlights of the AANS Annual Meeting and his year as AANS president.

As it usually does at this time of the year, my attention is turned to completing arrangements and preparing for the AANS Annual Scientific Meeting, which will take place April 27-May 1, 2013, in New Orleans. It is hard to believe my year as your president is coming to an end. I again want to thank all of you for giving me this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to lead the American Association of Neurological Surgeons. One of the highlights for me has been getting to work with the phenomenal AANS staff, led by Mr. Tom Marshall. I have learned so much from Tom, and although I knew it before, I can tell all the members of the AANS that we are incredibly fortunate to have Tom and his staff run our great organization. A special thanks to Katie Orrico, who brilliantly orchestrates our advocacy efforts within the complex legislative environment of today. Along with Tom and Katie, I was lucky enough to work alongside an insightful group of AANS leaders on the Executive Committee — namely, Bill Couldwell, Bob Harbaugh, Alex Valadka and Rick Boop. Read More…

NPA Report

NeuroPoint Alliance and N2QOD: Transforming the Science of Neurosurgical Practice

In today’s rapidly changing health-care world, physicians and health-care providers/practitioners are under increasing pressure to show improvement in patient treatment, outcomes and quality of care. As the U.S. government and private-sector health-care providers continue to adopt new policies and protocols focused on changing the health-care system to one that rewards better value/ROI by measuring accountability, performance and outcomes as opposed to one based on quantity of services delivered, the development of a registry platform that allows its users to collect, evaluate and use that information to improve patient care is of critical importance. The desire to develop a program that would address these needs was the genesis for the creation of the NeuroPoint Alliance (NPA). Founded in 2008 by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) to collect, analyze and report on nationwide clinical data from various neurosurgical sources, the NPA is focused on improving the science of neurosurgical practice by using data to benefit patients, reduce health-care costs and improve the quality of care provided by neurosurgical practitioners. Its mission includes: • The support of…
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Washington Watch

D.C. News Update

Katie O. Orrico, JD— Congress Passes Bills to Stave-off Fiscal Cliff, Prevent Medicare Physician Pay Cuts On Jan. 1, 2013, Congress passed H.R. 8, the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012. The legislation includes a mix of tax measures and health-care provisions. President Obama signed the bill into law on Jan. 2. The Senate passed the measure by a margin of 89-8, and the bill cleared the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 257-167. Key health-related provisions of interest to neurosurgery include …
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AANS Membership

Embracing Changes in Leadership

“Not really. It’s what we do.” That was my response to a friend’s recent comment of, “Well, that’s brutal,” when I mentioned that, in my job, my immediate supervisor changes every 12 months. It wasn’t meant to sound dismissive — learning how to make that unique aspect of the job work is a critical survival skill in managing volunteer leader-driven membership associations. But hidden beneath that seemingly matter-of-fact aside, casually cast off in conversation, lies an interesting contrast of how AANS and other professional membership associations can differ from their for-profit counterparts. Professional associations are hardwired to thrive on transition. They are inherently nimble with change and more comfortable with leadership term limits because leader transition is the accepted annual custom of their organizational life cycles. When a Steve Jobs steps down from Apple, or a Carly Fiorina leaves Hewlett-Packard, or McDonald’s Corp.  suffers the deaths of successive CEO’s in short order (beginning with the sudden death of Jim Cantalupo in 2004), Wall Street headlines and cable business stations gravely foretell of dark omens for the leaders’…
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AANS Membership

An 8,000-mile Leap of Faith

For more than 30 years, neurosurgeon A. Leland Albright, MD, has used his clinical prowess to give back. By 2010, four years into his pediatric neurosurgery professorship at the University of Wisconsin, he already had a number of annual short-term medical missions under his belt. It was then that he and his wife, nurse Susan Ferson, MSN, felt compelled to embark on a long-term medical assignment in Kenya— a full 8,000 miles away from home.
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AANS Annual Meeting

AANS Announces 2013 Humanitarian Award Winner

Since 1987, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) has conferred its Humanitarian Award to members who have brought honor to the neurosurgical specialty through charitable service. The 2013 AANS Humanitarian Award will be presented to Mark Bernstein, MD, FAANS, FRCSC. Regular visits to the developing world signify Dr. Bernstein’s affinity for service and education. During travels to such locales as Ghana and Indonesia, he has introduced innovative and life-saving neurosurgical techniques, often with a team of residents, nurses and colleagues in tow.
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AANS Membership

Neurosurgeons Provide a Strong Voice at the AMA

With greater than 200,000 members, the American Medical Association (AMA) is one of the most influential lobbying groups on Capitol Hill. Its efforts provide a voice for the larger medical community in our nation’s capital and its policies affect how physicians practice on a day-to-day basis. Though smaller in numbers, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) have found unique ways to increase the size of their delegation, allowing neurosurgery to exert greater influence on AMA policies and actions. At of the most recent AMA meeting, held in November 2012, nine neurosurgeons represented the AANS, the CNS and the interests of neurosurgery — including an AMA past president, a member of the AMA Board of Trustees, and two young neurosurgeons from the AMA Resident and Fellow Section. With only nine ambassadors for organized neurosurgery, covering all of the caucuses, committees meetings and action on the House of Delegates floor can be chaotic. Delegates often find themselves running between committee meetings or juggling to cast an important vote to ensure…
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CSNS Report

CSNS Meets Marathon: Chicago 2012

The CSNS Fall 2012 meeting coincided with the Chicago Marathon. Outside, thousands of professional and amateur runners raced through the streets of the city, while inside, the CSNS hosted “Our Future is Now, Our Future is Sustainable” in conjunction with the 2012 CNS Annual Meeting. There were many highlights of the meeting, but for me personally, none top the establishment and presentation of the first Randall Smith Distinguished Service Award to Randall W. Smith, MD, FAANS(L)! Dr. Smith is well known for his fog-cutting voice that pierces through protracted floor debate with the distilled and key salient points of the discussion. He has served the council for decades and mentored years of its leaders, myself included. Never a stuffed shirt, Dr. Smith has guided young and old with warmth, affection, humor and humility. Through the presentation ceremony, he received standing ovations from the body. Dr. Randy Smith and his wife, Florence Emma Smith, after his receiving the inaugural Randall Smith Distinguished Service Award. Another notable talk was delivered by Gregory Mark, dean of Chicago’s DePaul…
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