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In the Loupe Ocular Cysticercosis: A cysticercal cyst is noted in the anterior chamber of the eye. The patient had a known history of neurocysticercosis and presented with monocular visual loss. Photograph contributed by William T. Couldwell, MD, PhD, Salt Lake City, Utah, with thanks to James R. Keane, MD, Los Angeles, Calif. No potential conflicts of interest were disclosed. Copyright 2008, Doheny Eye Institute. Used under permission. |
| Get In the Loupe: Compelling digital photos that depict a contemporary event or clinical topic or technique in neurosurgery are sought for In the Loupe. Submit a low resolution image in JPG format to [email protected] with “In the Loupe” in the subject line and a brief description of the photo and its significance in the e-mail message. Submitters must verify copyright ownership of the image and have a 300 DPI resolution image available for publication. |
With 16 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product devoted to healthcare, healthcare not only is big business but healthcare-related businesses also frequently are among the top employers in communities. Two studies released in October attempt to quantify the economic impact that physician practices, specifically, have on the economic vitality of their communities. The 2008 Metro Medical Economic Footprint study by the Metropolitan Medical Society of Greater Kansas City found that in 2007 the physician practices studied generated $2.7 billion in payroll, $191 million in capital investment and $1 billion in operating expenses. Physicians paid $202 million in taxes and also donated $19.3 million to charitable causes, as well as more than 500,000 hours of volunteer work worth more than $124 million. In addition, financial losses for treating Medicaid and uninsured patients were calculated at more than half a million dollars per physician. Similarly, the Economic Impact of Private Practice Physicians’ Offices in Georgia study by the Medical Association of Georgia estimated that in 2008 private practice physicians’ offices would support more than 180,000 jobs, over $10 billion in personal income, and nearly $20 billion in total economic activity. It found that each private practice physician supported 13 additional jobs, -640,000 in personal income for those jobs, and nearly $1.5 million in total economic activity. Further, private practice physicians’ offices altogether supported more than $1.2 billion in state revenues and nearly $1.5 billion in local government revenues.
https://www.metromedkc.org/documents/EconomicFootprintStudy.pdf;
https://www.mag.org/pdfs/economic_impact_final_102408.pdf
AANS President Addresses National Healthcare Conference
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| AANS President James R. Bean, MD (center), with panelists Teresa J. Koenig, MD, of SummaCare Inc., and Henry J. Aaron of the Brookings Institution, at America’s Health Care at Risk: Finding a Cure. |
The conference included a presentation of the Obama-Biden healthcare plan by Irwin Redlener, MD, as well as a discussion between Tommy Thompson, a former secretary of Health and Human Services, and Tom Daschle, who since has been named HHS secretary in the Obama administration. “All the stars are coming together to make 2009 the most important year for the transformation of healthcare,” Thompson said. Thompson and Daschle agreed that there is bipartisan support for wellness and prevention and for information technology in healthcare. Daschle indicated his personal support for payment reform, quality improvement and developing a framework for universal healthcare coverage, as well as creation of a health court, a safe harbor for doctors to help resolve medical mistakes, and a fund to compensate victims of medical mistakes. Among the conference sponsors was Doctors for Medical Liability Reform, a coalition of which the AANS is a member. The video of conference proceedings can be accessed from the conference Web site. https://www.healthcareatrisk.org
Daschle Nominated as HHS Secretary
Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle is President-Elect Obama’s nominee
for secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services and director
of the new White House Office of Health Reform. Daschle’s appointment must
be confirmed by the Senate, where he served from 1987 to 2005. Daschle also
served four terms in the House of Representatives. His book about the healthcare
crisis was published in February.
EMTALA TAG Final Report Published
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently published the final
report of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act Technical Advisory
Group. The TAG adopted many of the AANS/CNS recommendations, and its recommendations
overall appear to be favorable to neurosurgery. The group was created by
the Medicare Modernization Act to review and propose suggested revisions
to the EMTALA statute, regulations and Interpretive Guidelines. John Kusske,
a neurosurgeon from California, was the AANS/CNS representative to the TAG
and served as chair of its On-Call Subcommittee. https://www.magpub.com/emtala/EMTALA%20Final%20Report_FINAL.PDF