Brought to you by:
After the recess: Taking a look ahead to a busy September on Capitol Hill
Congress entered summer recess after passing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), which was signed into law by President Donald J. Trump on July 4. This law has various healthcare provisions that will affect Medicare and Medicaid, provider taxes…
Grappling with the healthcare vision of a new administration
As the new administration headed up by President Donald Trump gets underway, work has begun on his vision for a fundamental transformation of the federal government, including some aspects of the healthcare delivery system. While the specialty will continue to…
Senate scrutiny of HHS nominees poses key moment for vascular surgery advocacy
When it comes to a presidential administration’s impact on our healthcare system, personnel is policy. So, a presidential transition is always a critical juncture for the direction of our federal government’s healthcare policy. That is especially the case for a…
Government Grand Rounds: What happens next? The importance of the lame duck session for vascular surgeons
Post election and with the end of the year on the horizon, a crucial but often overlooked period in the legislative calendar begins: the lame duck congressional session. This period, which occurs between the November elections and the start of…
Government Grand Rounds: A call to action for the 119th Congress
A foundational element for effective advocacy is understanding the profound impact that legislative decisions have on the practice of medicine and the health of our patients. The retirement announcements of several key members of Congress from the “Doc Caucus” present…
Budget neutrality and code valuation basics
So, what is budget neutrality and how does it affect physician payment? The Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) is a resource-based relative value scale (RVS) payment system, where relative value units (RVUs) are based on resource costs associated with physician…
Government Grand Rounds: How SVS members can contribute to actively support advocacy efforts
While advocacy consistently maintains a top spot among the list of priorities for SVS members, there remains a degree of uncertainty among many in the vascular surgery community regarding how to actively support SVS advocacy-related programs, the spectrum of available…
Government Grand Rounds: Opportunity knocks as Congressional ‘busy season’ beckons
With the congressional “busy season” upon us, the SVS is gearing up for big tasks ahead on the legislative and regulatory fronts. Having stepped into the role of chair of the SVS Advocacy Council this past June, I have to…
Empowering vascular surgery to promote five pivotal healthcare bills before Congress
Welcome back to Government Grand Rounds, a campaign aimed at expanding vascular surgeons’ understanding of—and comfort with—the SVS’ many advocacy tools. In the dynamic landscape of healthcare, the promotion of positive change and the advancement of our profession require more…
Congress considers incremental steps towards Medicare payment reform
There is no doubt that the Medicare payment system needs reform. At this moment, the SVS is aiming to inspire reform through all facets of effective advocacy. This takes place incrementally by raising Congressional awareness of the issues that physicians…