The American Medical Association House of Delegates considered several issues important to neurosurgery at its meeting in mid-June.
Dr. Carmel’s Candidacy
Peter Carmel, MD, ran an excellent race for election to the AMA Board of Trustees but, unfortunately, was unsuccessful by just a few votes. Neurosurgery is a small organization and does not have much leverage. Nevertheless, Dr. Carmel ran a superb campaign and his excellent qualifications made him a very good candidate.
It was extremely gratifying to see the neurosurgical community come together in support of Dr. Carmel’s race. So many delegates reported that they were astonished to receive personal calls from neurosurgeons throughout the country in support of Dr. Carmel. It is a great compliment to the fraternity of neurosurgery that even though our numbers are small, we do come together.
Dr. Carmel is assessing whether he will run for the Board next year. If he decides to do so, the AANS will once again call on neurosurgeons to assist in this endeavor.
Thompson Speaks
“I need your help” was the message to the House from Tommy Thompson, U.S Health and Human Services Secretary. Thompson said that he is committed to eliminating hassles in Medicare rules that interfere with the physician’s ability to care for their patients. He has changed the name of the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in an attempt to change the image of the department. The House gave Thompson a standing ovation when he said, “If you do your job of bringing to the forefront those things that don’t make any sense with advice and suggestions on how we can improve it, we are going to change this system together.”
Several Resolutions Adopted
Actions taken by the AMA House of Delegates included:
- A directive for the CPT Editorial Panel and specialty societies to develop specialty-specific clinical examples for evaluation and management codes. The panel was directed to work with CMS to refine the draft examples that CMS is currently developing. Led by neurosurgeon Troy Tippett, MD, delegates stated that the draft examples are “seriously flawed” and amount to down coding.
- A vote urging the Office of Inspector General to modify its Compliance Program Guidance for individual and small group physician practices.
- A request that the Board of Trustees decide whether the AMA should ask Congress to repeal the privacy regulations mandated by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
- A call for revisions in Medicare reimbursement rates for services provided to the same patient in the emergency room and as an inpatient.
- A study of overcrowding of emergency rooms and ambulance diversions.
- Praise for former Rep. Tom Campbell’s (R-CA) efforts to secure antitrust relief so physicians can jointly negotiate with health plans.
- A requirement that AMA “take a proactive” role with all stakeholders in developing standards for digital medical management systems.
Mark J. Kubala, MD, a neurosurgeon in private practice in Beaumont, Texas, is the AANS delegate to the AMA’s House of Delegates.