SUBJECT: H.R. 1565, the Saving Lives, Saving Costs Act
Dear Representative Barr,
On behalf of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and Congress of
Neurological Surgeons (CNS), we appreciate your efforts to improve our country’s medical-legal
system and thank you for your leadership in introducing H.R. 1565, the “Saving Lives, Saving Costs
Act.”
As high-risk specialists, neurosurgeons know only too well how the current system falls short.
Consider the following:
- Forty-four percent of neurosurgeons have reported that they limit the type of patients they treat, with 71 percent no longer performing aneurysm surgery, 23 percent no longer treating brain tumors and 75 percent no longer operating on children.
- On average, neurosurgeons are sued every two years, although most of these cases are dropped or resolved in favor of the neurosurgeon.
- Two-thirds of neurosurgeons report ordering imaging or other tests solely to minimize the risk of lawsuits; thus driving up the costs of defensive medicine.
- Neurosurgeons pay the highest professional liability insurance premiums of all physician specialties, typically in excess of $100,000 per year
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