Articles: cations.
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In the present article, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on geographical trends in the neurosurgery match in successfully matched applicants was analyzed. A cross-sectional analysis for the years from 2017 to 2021 was performed. Successful applicants' region, state, and medical school were compared with the location of their matched residency program. ⋯ The COVID-19 pandemic did not significantly affect geographic trends during the neurosurgery match in 2021. This is of note as the COVID-19 pandemic significantly affected the match in other competitive specialties, including plastic surgery, dermatology, and otolaryngology. Despite limited away rotations, it is possible that neurosurgery programs did not change their applicant selection criteria and implemented systems to virtually interact with applicants outside of their local region.
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On January 1, 2021, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services implemented a hospital price transparency rule. Consumerism as a means of reducing healthcare expenditure is predicated on informed consumers making discrete choices. ⋯ Patients as well as their surgeons do not estimate healthcare cost or remuneration accurately and therefore will be ineffective change agents in reducing surgical spending based on price transparency without further education of both parties. Patients consistently overestimated surgical cost while surgeons consistently underestimated surgical cost and reimbursement. It is likely that better-informed surgeons and patients are necessary prerequisites for Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services price transparency rules to be effective in reducing Medicare expenditures in surgery.
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We expand the application of cost frontiers and introduce a novel approach using qualitative multivariable financial analyses. ⋯ In summary, we demonstrate that multivariable cost (or performance) frontiers can track a net increase in profitability associated with fellowship implementation despite diminishing returns at higher caseloads.