If the assessment forms that were turned in following the 1995 Annual Meeting in Pasadena are to be believed, the meeting hosted by Gordon McComb, MD, and his wife, Rhoda, was a complete success. The quality of the presented papers was extremely good, and attendees seem to feel they were helpful to their practices.
Respondents appreciated the effort that went into the breakfast seminars on “Neuroendoscopy,” “Frameless Stereotaxis,” and “Surviving Managed Care.” As a result of the feedback from those attending, the use of prepared programs such as the seminars to update an area of importance to the attendee_whether it be new technology or economics and politics_will continue to be a part of our annual program.
On behalf of the Section, I wish to thank Dr. McComb for putting on an excellent program. Special thanks also goes to Bruce Kaufman, MD, who maintained proper documentation so that the meeting would be granted CME credit.
The work of the Annual Program Committee has grown considerably in the past few years and consequently will be restructured as the Annual Program and Continuing Education Committee to insure a close interaction between the meeting planners and those who are responsible for obtaining CME credit for the meeting.
Those of us who are responsible for planning the educational programs of the Section cannot over-emphasize the importance of the meeting assessment forms. If we are to make meaningful change or congratulate ourselves on the lack of need for change, we must decide based upon the feedback from our members.
CPT Coding Questionnaires
Immediate-past chairman, Arthur Marlin, MD, remains the chairman of the ad hoc committee to revamp the pediatric neurosurgical sections of the CPT code. Vignettes have been supplied which will deal with the management of hydrocephalus in children, and a whole new set of codes has been formed dealing with neuroendoscopy.
A questionnaire will be sent to various knowledgeable neurosurgeons to help establish the validity of these modifications, as well as help to establish unit values for the work involved. This is an extremely important project and deserves all our support. Anyone who would be willing to help in this endeavor by taking the time to fill out these questionnaires (which will take between 12 and 20 hours of effort in a one-week period) should call Dr. Marlin directly at (210) 615-1218 or write him at Methodist Plaza, 4499 Medical Dr., #397, San Antonio, TX 78229.
Section Participation at AANS 1996 Annual Meeting
This year’s Donald D. Matson Lecture at The American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) Annual Meeting will be given by Harold J. Hoffman, MD, on Tuesday, April 30, 1996 at 2:45 pm, and will be entitled “Separation of Cephalopagus Twins.” A special seminar will follow, moderated by Derek Bruce, MD, and featuring work by Gordon McComb, MD, and David Moss, MD, entitled “Diagnosis and Management of Occipital Plagiocaphaly.”
Joint Section Annual Meetings
The 1996 Annual Meeting of the Joint Section will be held December 3-7 in Charleston, South Carolina and will be hosted by Bruce Storrs, MD. The 1997 meeting is slated for New Orleans, Louisiana, and the date is tentatively set for December 9-13, 1997. The meeting will be hosted jointly by Joseph Nadell, MD, and Richard Coulon, MD. The 1998 meeting will be held in Indianapolis, Indiana, hosted by Thomas Luerssen, MD.
Education Committee Update
The Education Committee of the Joint Section, under the direction of Richard Coulon, MD, are developing two brochures intended for the education of our patients and their referring physicians. One of the brochures focuses on the Arnold Chiari Malformation (written by Dr. Coulon), and the other on the Dandy-Walker Malformation (written by Andrew Parent, MD). Both are in final editing.
They will be published in cooperation with the AANS Publications Committee. It is intended that these will be available at a low cost in bulk for distribution from the offices of our members.
The primary goal of the Joint Section is to educate neurosurgeons in dealing with problems of the management of the child. Therefore, we are planning a variety of educational programs, including sessions at our own annual meeting and in conjunction with the AANS Annual Meeting and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons Annual Meeting.
We are also approaching the other Joint Sections within organized neurosurgery in an attempt to produce joint interactive programs to update the general neurosurgeon on the important advances in pediatric neurosurgery that impact on their care of children and the pediatric neurosurgeon in the other subspecialty disciplines within neurosurgery. We would appreciate receiving any suggestions or guidance along the way in achieving these goals.