1. CANS to employ lobbyist 2. Annual Meeting Topics Pertinent 3. AMA Guide for Work Comp disability now the law 1. CANS Board votes to employ lobbyist Departing from its long held opinion that California Neurosurgery will be adequately served by feeding our input to the CMA and/or other specialty groups, the Board voted to […]

1. CANS on the brink 2. Surgical fees legislation 3. Medical malpractice offence 4. Work Comp impairment guide 1. Dues, CANS lobbyist and Survival The Ides of March came and went and appeared to bode about as well for the future of CANS as they did for Julius Caesar. As of this writing, fewer than […]

1. CANS Board Meeting a zinger 2. Legislation of note 3. CMA House of Delegates actions 4. Agenda for Board Meeting 5. Nobody’s perfect 1. CANS Board Meeting The CANS Board meeting on April 30th at 9 AM at the LAX Sheraton Gateway should be the most pivotal one for our organization to be held […]

1. CANS Board takes pivotal actions 2. EMTALA wars 3. Lobbyist interview 1. CANS Board meeting notes At the CANS Board meeting on April 30th the decision was made to continue to exist. The Board interpreted the 131 members who by that time (it’s up to 146 now) had paid the new increased dues of […]

1. Work Comp fees—on the wane 2. Can CANS Do More? 3. Free ED Call—also on the wane 1. CANS members face almost certain fee reductions Work comp fees are still our payment oyster but the pearl is getting smaller. As I understand it, the bill to freeze work comp physician payments at their present […]

1. Medical Provider Networks—getting on them 2. New Comp Law—getting used to it 3. EMTALA TAG—getting defensive 4. CMA and MICRA—getting serious 5. Letter to the Editor—getting a view 1. Work Comp insurers use existing panels for MPN’s It would appear that most Work Comp insurers have not had the time or inclination to create […]

1. No News is Probably Good News 2. Work Comp Report Writing 3. A Time to be Heard/ A Time to Plan 4. An AMA Report Worth Reading 1. Legislators Take a Break I suspect the general lack of news for this month may be a reflection of lawmakers hitting the road for summer break. […]

CANS BOARD MEETING 9/17/2005 1. The Few, the Proud, the Members 2. What Are You Worth? 3. Annual Meeting Stuff 4. Do We Get What We Pay For? 5. Guidelines—Jekyll and Hyde 1. Membership increasingly selective As we pass the equinox, further dues are not likely to be paid so the 55 active members and […]

1. Lobbying: next chapter 2. Artificial Disc 3. Annual Meeting Info 4. Guidelines: next chapter 5. Follow Ups 6. ED Coverage 1. News from the Lobbyist Front In response to a letter sent by President Edwards expressing our concern about lobbyist Mike Mattoch’s lack of communication with us, Norwood Associates responded with a 3 page […]

1. Our Friend the Hospital 2. Our Friend the JCAHO 3. Our Friends the Insurers 4. Our Friends the CMA and the Governor 5. Our Real Friend: CANS 1. Our Friend the Hospital: Sneak Attack As you may know, the California Hospital Association is sponsoring an initiative for the next ballot that would increase tobacco […]

1. Our Friend the Hospital 2. Our Friend the JCAHO 3. Our Friends the Insurers 4. Our Friends the CMA and the Governor 4. Our Real Friend: CANS 1. Our Friend the Hospital: Sneak Attack As you may know, the California Hospital Association is sponsoring an initiative for the next ballot that would increase tobacco […]

1. Comp fees go up—good for some 2. Annual meeting—good for all 3. Personal note—not very good but what the heck 1. WORK COMP LEGAL FEE SCHEDULE: It’s about time The near final iteration of a new Work Comp medical-legal fee schedule was recently circulated which includes an increase in fees for those of us […]

1. CANS—round 1—Board meeting 2. CANS—round 2—Annual meeting 3. CANS—round 3—President’s Message 4. CANS—round 4—Officers for 2006 1. CANS in San Diego —the Board meeting I am always impressed with how much time it takes for volunteer Boards of Directors of professional organizations to have a meeting. But if one recognizes that meetings of the […]

1. State Comp goes Blue 2. President’s Message 3. Report from Executive Secretary 4. An Apology and a Goodbye 1. SCIF dumps its preferred providers; MPN now Blue Cross PPN The State Compensation Insurance Fund has deep sixed its own Preferred Provider Network (PPN) and will, as of May 1st, force physicians presently in the […]

1. All is well on Work Comp provider scene-for now. 2. President’s Message 3. Report from Executive Secretary 4. CSNS Resolutions 1. CWCI finds no Work Comp physician exodus—yet. It is noted that the California Workers Compensation Institute has released a study indicating there has been no exodus of providers to care for injured workers. […]

1. All is well on Work Comp provider scene—for now. 2. President’s Message 3. Report from Executive Secretary 4. CSNS Resolutions 1. CWCI finds no Work Comp physician exodus—yet. It is noted that the California Workers Compensation Institute has released a study indicating there has been no exodus of providers to care for injured workers. […]

1. CANS Board Meeting Notes 2. President’s Message 3. Report from Executive Secretary 4. CSNS and AANS actions in San Francisco 1. Board makes some decisions worth knowing At the April 8th meeting of the Board of Directors, multiple noteworthy issues were addressed: a. Lost Members The Newsletter editor was asked to publish the names […]

1. Malpractice Insurance Premiums 2. President’s Message 3. Report from Executive Secretary 4. Work Comp Goings On 1. Med mal premiums; just the facts, M’am. A very cogent piece about the cause of high medical malpractice premiums was presented by Alex Tabarrok in a recent Wall Street Journal editorial. He makes a great argument for […]