Annual Meeting – Neurosurgery Also Means Business — Socioeconomic Programs Support Neurosurgical Practice

The focus of any AANS annual meeting always is clearly and firmly on the science of neurosurgery. The 2005 AANS Annual Meeting in New Orleans, themed Education and Innovation, amply demonstrates this focus with three plenary sessions, five scientific sessions, nine subspecialty section sessions, and more. The meeting, held April 16-21, offers a new special scientific session on Thursday — Neurosurgery With the Masters: In My Experience — featuring prominent neurosurgeons who relate intraoperative nuances for several procedures.

This exceptional scientific programming is complemented not only by exuberant social programming set in the historical city of New Orleans, but also by socioeconomic programming that supports the practice of neurosurgery.

As a prelude to the main meeting, practical clinics held Saturday and Sunday offer in-depth study of clinical topics, as do breakfast seminars throughout the week. Several of these programs also lend support for the practice of neurosurgery. Two different PowerPoint courses help practitioners incorporate X-rays, video and other clinical aspects into polished presentations, while coding courses aim to improve revenue through correct coding and accurate use of modifiers. Courses on hand-held computing and moving a practice into the digital age help improve the bottom line, a subject that is the focus of an entire breakfast seminar aptly titled Improving Your Bottom Line in Today’s Neurosurgical Practice.

Two programs address financial planning, with one focusing on risk management and the other on retirement. A course on advanced leadership skills seeks to help neurosurgeons maximize opportunities within hospitals and communities to foster financial success and career satisfaction as well as leverage their value to a hospital. A media training seminar provides information on how to communicate complex clinical procedures effectively through print and broadcast media and allows participants to hone a dynamic “on camera” presence.

These media skills can be used in combating the medical liability crisis, a topic which is addressed in Preparation for Medical/Legal Testimony and in Medical Liability: How to Develop an Action Plan.

The medical liability crisis figures prominently in a special Thursday morning socioeconomic session moderated by Rick Boop, MD, and David Jimenez, MD, both members of the Bulletin Advisory Board. The program leads off with an update of AANS/CNS Washington Committee activities, followed by reports on two different studies that track malpractice claims over time. Practice patterns are the focus of two presentations, one elucidating practice patterns of women neurosurgeons in the United States, and the other looking at practice and healthcare challenges in the next decade. The 80-hour work week for neurosurgical residents is revisited in a study of its impact at the University of Oklahoma.

Looking ahead to next year, the 2006 AANS Annual Meeting will be held April 22-27 in San Francisco, Calif.

Manda J. Seaver is staff editor of the Bulletin.