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Public Outreach & Legislative Activity AANS is committed to raising awareness of the specialty and the valuable role neurosurgeons play in treating neurological medical conditions. Following are some of the high-impact ways AANS promotes the expertise of neurosurgeons to the media, Federal agencies, managed care organizations and the general public. Legislative Activities AANS aggressively advocates the view of its members before the U.S. Congress and Federal agencies on a wide range of issues impacting neurosurgery. Recent initiatives include: Medical Liability Reform Medicare Physician Payment Media/Public Relations AANS serves as an information clearinghouse for the media, the public and other healthcare professionals. A well-organized spokesperson's network puts the media in touch with physician experts in the field. Patient Education NeurosurgeryToday.org This new AANS Web site is dedicated for public audiences, and features lay-explanations of what neurosurgeons do, the variety of conditions they treat, how to find a board-certified neurosurgeon, media center, research and legislative issues of interest to the public, and more. An expanding line of patient education brochures written for the general public explain a variety of conditions neurosurgeons treat. These brochures are distributed to the media, and enable members to provide credible, expert information to their patients. Topics range from neck and low back pain, to hydrocephalus, carpal tunnel syndrome and brain tumors. AANS implemented a bike helmet safety campaign that included a print public service announcement distributed to consumer publications and newspapers nationwide. Public service campaigns are an important means of educating the public about neurosurgery AANS created a National Neurosurgery Procedural Statistics report tracking the number of neurosurgical procedures performed by AANS members, and distributed a complimentary copy to each member. Organized Medicine AANS represents member interests to a number of organizations that set policies impacting neurosurgeons including the American Medical Association and the American College of Surgeons. Liaisons also have been appointed to groups focusing on professional liability and tort reform.