Plastic and reconstructive surgery
-
Plast. Reconstr. Surg. · Jul 2017
Spring-Assisted Cranioplasty for the Correction of Nonsyndromic Scaphocephaly: A Quantitative Analysis of 100 Consecutive Cases.
Spring-assisted cranioplasty has been proposed as an alternative to total calvarial remodeling for sagittal craniosynostosis. Advantages include its minimally invasive nature, and reduced morbidity and hospital stay. Potential drawbacks include the need for a second procedure for removal and the lack of published long-term follow-up. The authors present a single-institution experience of 100 consecutive cases using a novel spring design. ⋯ Therapeutic, IV.
-
Plast. Reconstr. Surg. · Jul 2017
Value-Based Payment Reform and the Medicare Access and Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2015: A Primer for Plastic Surgeons.
In 2015, the U. S. Congress passed the Medicare Access and Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act, which effectively repealed the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services sustainable growth rate formula and established the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Quality Payment Program. ⋯ The first performance period for the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System opens January 1, 2017, and closes on December 31, 2017, and is associated with payment adjustments in January of 2019. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services estimates that the majority of providers will begin participation in 2017 through the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System pathway, but aims to have 50 percent of payments tied to quality or value through Advanced Alternative Payment Models by 2018. In this article, the authors describe key components of the Medicare Access and Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act to providers navigating through the Quality Payment Program and discuss how plastic surgeons may optimize their performance in this new value-based payment program.