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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…
Legislation targets stability for physicians amid Medicare cuts
Physicians are facing a fifth consecutive year of Medicare payment reductions due to policy adjustments and budget neutrality requirements in the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. To address the issue, the SVS, in collaboration with congressional leaders and other physician organizations,…
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…
Track your wRVUs, because no one else does it better
If you were in the audience at the 2024 Southern Association for Vascular Surgery (SAVS) annual meeting, you might have been taken aback by the presentation from UT Health San Antonio and the San Antonio VA Medical Center, presented by…
Novel measure suggests 20% of elective carotid revascularizations fail to achieve a textbook outcome
One in five patients failed to achieve a textbook outcome after undergoing carotid endarterectomy (CEA), transcarotid artery revascularization (TCAR) or transfemoral carotid artery stenting (TF-CAS), a Vascular Quality Initiative (VQI) analysis that tested a novel, patient-centric textbook outcome metric found.…
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…
Decoding differences for proper billing and reimbursement
The Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) has partnered with KarenZupko and Associates (KZA), a consulting and education firm, to create vascular surgery coding resources for SVS members and their coding staff. The resources include on-demand courses for purchase and frequently…
VAM 2024: Changes to carotid stenting landscape in United States set to be discussed
Sean P. Lyden, MD, chairman of the Department of Vascular Surgery at Cleveland Clinic’s Heart, Vascular and Thoracic Institute in Cleveland, Ohio, will discuss the national coverage determination (NCD) changes passed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)…
CMS considers new approaches to quality payment program with MVPs
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) are exploring strategies to enhance the Quality Payment Program (QPP), underscoring an effort to boost healthcare quality and efficiency. Launched on Jan. 1, 2017, the QPP was designed to inspire clinicians to…
I’m just a bill: An overview of health-related committees on Capitol Hill
In the U.S., the legislative process is complex. Among the most important in this process are congressional committees, which play a pivotal role in shaping policy concepts, drafting legislative proposals and shepherding them through the path to becoming law. These…