Neurosurgery remains one of the leading medical specialties devastated by the medical liability crisis. To help combat the damaging effects of this crisis, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons has pledged its unequivocal support for federal medical liability reform and the Protect Patients Now campaign that will help achieve it.
“We must work together to tackle a legislative issue of this complexity in the national arena,” stated AANS President A. John Popp, MD. “It must be reiterated that there is no greater threat to neurosurgery than the medical liability crisis.”
AANS Fights for Reform Through NPHCA
To represent both the AANS and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons in the fight for federal medical liability reform, Neurosurgeons to Preserve Health Care Access was created.
The NPHCA, organized under 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code, is a tax-exempt social welfare advocacy organization dedicated to promoting sound public policies that preserve patient access to healthcare. Additional information about NPHCA is available at www.neuros2preservecare.org.
The AANS’ support of the Protect Patients Now campaign is demonstrated by a variety of efforts that support the NPHCA, including:
- Involvement of AANS leadership on the NPHCA Board of Directors;
- staffing and coordinating the NPHCA booth at the AANS Annual Meeting and at AANS/CNS section meetings; and
- managing financial aspects of NPHCA, including AANS and CNS member contributions toward NPHCA’s $3 million commitment to the Protect Patients Now campaign.
In February 2004 the AANS undertook the NPHCA’s mail campaign to all AANS and CNS members requesting 2004 contributions. The cover letter from AANS President A. John Popp, MD, and CNS President Vincent Traynelis, MD, announced the launch of Protect Patients Now and highlighted key campaign information. In addition to background information on the NPHCA, the mailing featured an invoice requesting a contribution of at least $1,000 for 2004. It also included a compact disc of the television newsmagazines airing in Washington and North Carolina.
A press release, “The AANS Fully Supports DMLR’s ‘Protect Patients Now’ Initiative, the Specialty Physicians Public Information Campaign Demonstrating the Urgent Need for Federal Medical Liability Reform,” was distributed in mid-February to hundreds of medical reporters over the wire announcing AANS’ support of DMLR’s Protect Patients Now campaign. The press release is available at www.neurosurgerytoday.org/media/DMLRFeb04FINAL.pdf.
In addition, the newly revised AANS Web sites, www.AANS.org and www.NeurosurgeryToday.org each provide direct links for AANS members, the general public, other physicians, etc. to the official NPHCA site. In addition, regular updates on progress toward ending the medical liability crisis are highlighted in the bi-weekly member e-mail newsletter, AANS E-News. The medical liability crisis was also a topic of extreme interest for readers of the Fall 2003 Bulletin. In-depth articles about the crisis and its effect on neurosurgery is available in the online Library at www.AANS.org, article ID 13303.
AANS Produces Medical Liability Reform Brochure for Patients
Will There Be a Doctor to Treat You When You Need One? This is the question posed by a new brochure directed toward patients. The brochures, designed to complement the Protect Patients Now campaign and help doctors extend the campaign message at the grassroots level, encourage patients and their families are to learn the facts about medical liability reform from the AANS.
Just published in April, the attractive, two-color brochures will be mailed this summer to all Active and Active Provisional members of the AANS. Each member will receive 100 complimentary brochures that they can put to use locally in their offices and at medical events. The brochure also will be available from the AANS’ information portal for the public, www.NeurosurgeryToday.org. While additional brochures are not expected to be available this year, doctors are invited to print additional copies as needed from the Web site.
Media Training Helps Deliver the Message
The AANS also is offering a media training breakfast seminar, from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. on Monday, May 3, during the AANS Annual Meeting in Orlando. This seminar is designed to help neurosurgeons deliver a clear message when interviewing with journalists from print, radio and television outlets.
These newly learned skills can be honed further during the hometown radio interviews being offered at the meeting from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, May 3, and Tuesday, May 4. Media skills also are useful when working with local reporters.
“Members can take the valuable skills they’ve learned from this seminar and apply them to interviews they participate in back at home with their local media,” noted Alex Valadka, chair of the AANS Public Relations Committee. “Reaching out through local media to educate the public about neurological disorders and the need for medical liability reform is another way for each of us to protect the public’s access to specialty care.”
Heather L. Monroe is AANS director of communications.