Neurosurgeon Featured in Article about Surprise Medical Billing

On Nov. 8, the AANS and the CNS issued a press release agreeing with 152 bipartisan members of Congress that the Biden administration needs to fix surprise medical billing regulations. The new rules inappropriately require arbitrators to primarily use the median in-network payment rates as the primary factor in deciding billing disputes over out-of-network care.

Subsequently, Becker’s Spine published an article featuring John K. Ratliff, MD, FAANS, chair of the AANS/CNS Washington Committee. In the article, Dr. Ratliff stated that “Congress enacted a thoughtful and balanced approach to protect patients from unanticipated medical bills for out-of-network care that also included a fair process for resolving billing disputes. Unfortunately, this rule directly conflicts with both the letter and intent of the law by prioritizing median in-network payment rates. It is therefore incumbent upon the Biden administration to revise the new rules before they take effect on January 1.”