ISASS recently signed on to a multi-society letter supporting the nomination of Gregory J. Przybylski, MD to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). Nominated by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, Dr. Przybylski is a practicing neurosurgeon and spine specialist from New Jersey. His experience and knowledge on healthcare...

On March 10, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a proposed rule to classify posterior cervical screw systems as a Class II device. Since posterior cervical screw systems were in use prior to May 28, 1976 (the date of enactment of the Medical Device Amendments of 1976), they are considered unclassified “pre-amendments devices” by the...

On March 4, the American Medical Association posted the CPT® Editorial Summary of Panel Actions, a high-level summary of the final actions taken by the CPT® Editorial Panel at the February 2016 meeting. Tab 43 addressed the sundowning of several Category III codes. Category III codes are archived five years from the date of initial publication or extension...

News and noteworthy information for February: NGS Issues Final LCD on MIS SIJ Fusion Califf Confirmed as FDA Commissioner FDA Looks to Bring Payers to the Table at Device Pre-submission Meetings President Obama Releases Proposed Budget for FY2017 Senate HELP Committee Action Public-Private Partnership to Develop Health Care Quality Measures CMS Extends the Attestation Deadline...