Beginning with the winter 1999 issue, the AANS Bulletin has taken on a new look and a new focus, evolving into a more member-friendly publication with a strong focus on socioeconomic issues. This change was in direct response to AANS members’ expressed interest in hearing more from the Association about practice management issues, reimbursement concerns and other socioeconomic topics. To date, the feedback on the redesign has been overwhelmingly positive and, while we recognize that we are off to a good start, we believe that further development is necessary.
Editorial Advisory Board
At the AANS Annual Meeting, I met with the AANS editorial staff to discuss the future direction of the Bulletin as the socioeconomic publication of the Association. We felt it was important to organize a group of individuals who could not only serve as a sounding board for potential story ideas, but bring to the Bulletin a broad base of experience and expertise in such areas as public policy, practice management, outcomes analysis, coding and reimbursement, and more. The diversity of the Board members we have selected, as well as their commitment to addressing challenges in the neurosurgical arena, is sure to make our membership magazine one of the best in the field.
Following is an abbreviated biography on each of our Board Members.
WJames R. Bean, MD, Associate Editor of the Bulletin, is a neurosurgeon in private practice in Lexington, Kentucky. An authority on practice management and public policy issues, Dr. Bean is a member of the AANS Managed Care Advisory Committee and the AANS/CNS Cost Containment Task Force. In addition, he is the former Chair of the Council of State Neurosurgical Societies (CSNS).
Edward C. Benzel, MD, is Professor of Neurosurgery at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. A consummate physician and educator, Dr. Benzel currently serves as Chair of the Professional Development Program, and is a member of the AANS Coordinating Committee for Continuing Medical Education and member of the Journal of Neurosurgery’s Editorial Board.
Robert E. Harbaugh, MD, FACS, is Professor of Neurosurgery and Director of Cerebrovascular Surgery at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. An activist in several national outcomes analysis and quality improvement initiatives, Dr. Harbaugh Chairs the AANS/CNS Committee for the Assessment of Quality and the AANS/CNS Outcomes Subcommittee. He is also a member of the AANS Coordinating Committee for Continuing Education and the AANS/CNS Washington Committee.
David F. Jimenez, MD, FACS, Associate Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Missouri School of Medicine, is an advocate for young neurosurgeons just entering practice. He currently serves as Chair of the AANS Young Neurosurgeons Committee (YNC), Vice-Chair of the CSNS, YNC Liaison to the AANS Board of Directors, and as a member of the CSNS Young Physicians Committee and the AANS/CNS Task Force on Fellowships.
John A. Kusske, MD, is Chief of Neurological Surgery at UCI Medical Center. A renowned authority on managed care issues, Dr. Kusske currently Chairs the AANS Managed Care Advisory Committee, the AANS/CNS Cost Containment Task Force, and serves as a member of the AANS Physician Reimbursement Committee, AANS/CNS Washington Committee, and the CSNS Health System Cost Control Committee.
Gregory J. Przybylski, MD, is an Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at Thomas Jefferson Medical College. A recognized expert on coding and reimbursement issues, Dr. Przybylski serves as a faculty member for the AANS Professional Development course on Reimbursement Foundations, as an alternate AANS representative to the CPT Advisory Panel of the American Medical Association, and as Chair of the AANS/CNS Subcommittee of the CPT Coding Task Force on Evaluation and Management.
Katie O. Orrico, JD, is Director of the AANS/CNS Washington Office. For nearly 15 years, she has represented organized neurosurgery on public policy issues ranging from Medicare coverage and reimbursement to managed care reform and E&M documentation. In addition, she serves as Assistant Secretary/Treasurer for the American Neurological Surgery Political Action Committee and as Co-Chair of the AMA/Specialty Societies Antitrust Work Group.
From my personal perspective, we rose to the challenge of transforming the Bulletin into a publication that best serves the needs of the AANS membership. We saw a need for a strong, diverse and active Editorial Board, and we met that need through the volunteers we have selected to serve our publication. With our diverse, highly-visible Board of recognized experts beginning to function, we anticipate that the improvements in the Bulletin will not only continue, but that the end result will be a first-rate publication for our membership.