The Council of State Neurological Societies (CSNS) passed resolutions on helmet use, trauma care funding and medical school education at its semiannual assembly September 23 in San Antonio, Texas.
The Assembly passed a resolution supporting trauma system planning and development act funding, critical to the field of neurotrauma. The resolution was referred to the Washington Committee to take aggressive action to secure funding.
The Assembly passed a resolution confirming the council’s official policy on the value of using helmets during recreational activities such as riding a motorcycle, bicycle and moped. The resolution was referred for policy statements and publications from the two national neurosurgical organizations.
The third resolution was on the need to expose medical students to neurosurgical issues. The resolution was referred for report to the Communications and Education Committee of CSNS. The Committee will try to pull together the efforts of the two national organizations and the Senior Society to encourage medical schools to allow neurosurgery ingress into medical student education. The Committee will make a report in Toronto.
Risk Management Education
The Neurotrauma Committee reported on the development of risk management education in the core curriculum of public schools in various states. The Committee reviewed an attempt to pass such a law in California.
A packet on how to duplicate the strategy in California will be provided to all of the delegates, alternates and appointees of the CSNS. A second tactic is to convince various State Departments of Education of the importance of injury risk management in a public school curriculum.
The Neurotrauma Committee also reported on reimbursement for trauma coverage. The survey that was done needs to be further reviewed to assess its statistical validity.
AANS/CNS Integration Survey
The last resolution discussed was from the San Francisco semiannual assembly. The CSNS approved a resolution on an organizational membership survey regarding the integration of the AANS and CNS. The one-page survey was developed to determine what the membership perceives as the best form of national organization. It should have been in the mail prior to the publication of this issue of the Bulletin. The survey will be reviewed at CSNS’ Executive Committee Meeting on March 10 in Chicago.
National Leadership Conference Set for July in Washington, D.C.
In other CSNS news, the AANS and CNS approved the first-ever National Leadership Development Conference. The conference will be held July 20-24 at the Washington Court Hotel in Washington, D.C. The event is intended to involve and invest individuals from every state to be politically active (to carry the water for neurosurgery) among health policy staffers, senators, congressmen and state representatives. The leadership conference will teach them that as well as how to lobby elected officials. The conference includes a practice management coding course and a visit to the Hill.
The conference is a critical endeavor for neurosurgery. It is important for each state to be involved. The CSNS sent e-mails urging people who are interested in receiving this training to attend the meeting to learn from experts in the lobbying field. The goal is to establish a network of individuals the Washington Committee can use when various political issues arise. Neurosurgery may not win all the time, but at least we would have the opportunity to be heard. The Chairman and the entire CSNS encourage all neurosurgeons who are interested in this endeavor to attend the conference to receive valuable training.
Committee Reports
CSNS also heard many interesting committee reports. The Coding and Reimbursement Committee provides logistical workforce support for coding and reimbursement issues. The Workforce Committee will be addressing pediatric neurosurgical workforce issues in certain areas of the country. The use of physicians’ assistants and nurse practitioners in neurosurgical practice will be assessed not only by the Workforce Committee but also by the Medical Practices Committee.
The Communications and Education Committee now is under a mandate to run the leadership conference and to promote neurosurgical education by developing access to the curriculum of various medical schools. The Young Neurosurgeons Committee is developing a survey to assess the views of residents and young physicians on recertification. This is a busy and active group that will continue to do its best to work in the social and economic arenas of neurosurgery for the entire organized neurosurgical community.
Lyal G. Leibrock, MD, FACS, is the Chairman of the CSNS.