Washington Committee

With a rapidly changing and challenging healthcare climate, the Washington Committee remains steadfast in engaging our policymakers on the issues that affect neurosurgeons and our patients. Our goal is to ensure the best outcomes for our specialty in these dynamic times.

In legislative news, we want to highlight the introduction of H.R. 2474, the Strengthening Medicare for Patients and Providers Act. This bill will implement a new annual Medicare physician payment update based on the Medicare Economic Index beginning in 2024. This legislation is the first step in our comprehensive strategy to reform the broken payment system. We are also working on modifying Medicare’s budget neutrality requirements and streamlining the quality payment programs as part of this multi-part legislative strategy.

Regarding the No Surprises Act, we are thrilled to share a significant victory in our ongoing advocacy efforts. This act bans surprise medical bills for out-of-network care and establishes a process for resolving payment disputes between health plans and providers. Unfortunately, the final rule implementing the law continued to give preference to the qualifying payment amount — or median in-network rate — which unfairly favors insurers when settling out-of-network payment disputes. However, on October 19, 2022, the AANS and the CNS, in collaboration with the Physician Advocacy Institute, led a physician-led amicus brief supporting the Texas Medical Association’s (TMA) lawsuit challenging the final rules. This amicus brief received support from the American Medical Association and other medical groups as well. The Texas court ruled in favor of the TMA, stating that the final rules “improperly restrict arbitrators’ discretion and unlawfully tilt the arbitration process in favor of the QPA.” We now await the administration’s response to determine if an appeal will be made. This court ruling marks a significant victory in our ongoing advocacy efforts to ensure fair payment for physicians providing out-of-network services. Such progress not only protects our profession but also aims to improve physician/health plan contracts for in-network care.

Expanding our social media reach is a key focus for the Washington Committee and Washington Office. We currently have nearly 125,000 followers across our social media accounts, providing a broad and extensive audience for you to engage with. To assist us in this endeavor, we kindly request your public social media account handles. Please use this link or copy and paste the URL: (https://forms.office.com/r/FKxz9gxV3m) to enter your social media account information.

To facilitate effective communication and stay informed on healthcare policy topics, we encourage you to utilize the following resources:

1. Connect with Tiffany R. Hodges, MD, FAANS, who serves as the liaison for the AANS/CNS Tumor Section. Dr. Hodges will be your point of contact to address any concerns or bring forward issues to the Washington Committee.
2. Subscribe to Neurosurgery Blog at www.neurosurgeryblog.org for insightful articles and updates on crucial healthcare policy topics.
3. Follow the Washington Committee on Twitter @neurosurgery for real-time updates and timely information.

Additionally, please take advantage of periodic updates available through AANS and CNS publications and attend neurosurgery meetings for further insights and educational opportunities.