Blogs

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently finalized a new policy impacting the coding and reimbursements for 90-day surgical global periods. This change may impact reimbursement so surgeons and their staff should learn about the details of this policy going into effect on January 1, 2025.

Access to early cancer detection is crucial for saving lives. Unfortunately, many Americans living in rural or underserved areas struggle to access screenings.

The STS Annual Meeting is only a few short weeks away. Currently, we are preparing to gather for the 61st Annual Meeting of our Society, with the first being held in January of 1965 in St. Louis.

All medication strips and packages carry the date of manufacture and the date of expiration. As physicians, we know our date of birth and date of retirement. It is known as soon as you enter employment and maybe a few years different in various regions. Not preparing for a relaxed stress-free post-retirement life is inviting stress. 

As the government funding Dec. 20 deadline approaches, Congress is working to finalize plans for either a continuing resolution (CR) or an omnibus spending package. House Republicans are advocating for a CR that would extend funding through March, allowing the new GOP trifecta (President, House, and Senate) to have greater leverage in the upcoming year.

International medical graduates (IMG) are physicians who obtained their medical degree from a medical school outside the US. Moreover, US citizens who graduated from non-US medical schools are still considered international medical graduates.

As Lung Cancer Awareness Month begins, it’s important to reflect on the significant efforts made by STS over the past year to advocate for improved lung cancer outcomes and raise awareness. Key initiatives have included:  

It is time to reconsider the management of Aortic valve Disease (AVD) across the world. In South Asian and Sub-Saharan African nations, in low-income countries, AVD is treated with surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). Patients receive mechanical valves. The population is younger than in high-income countries and the disease is different, mostly of rheumatic origin. 

Congress recently passed a continuing resolution to fund the government through Dec. 20, providing a reprieve before another potential budget showdown. Despite the urgency of keeping the government running, significant progress has been made on key STS advocacy priorities in the House of Representatives.  
 

There are so many ways in which we, as surgeons, lead teams—from our first day in practice, through the end of our careers. As we lead teams, we learn repeatedly that a cohesive and effective team works toward common goals, and that successful leaders inspire team members by elucidating and giving importance to those shared goals. But is having the same end goal enough?

Early career cardiothoracic surgeons have many important relationships that need to be managed and developed. The patient relationship can be excellent, a source of pride and healing, or damaging, a source of stress and contempt.

This month, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized a new mandatory episode-based alternative payment arrangement called the Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM).