Monday, October 25
7:00 pm – 8:30 pm EDT / 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm CDT
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9465645170
Synopsis: In September 2017, the Child Neurology Society (CNS) convened a special task force to review the practice of child neurology in the United States. This undertaking was deemed a necessity by our membership, as our colleagues were expressing discouragement and burn-out from the increasing workloads without additional resources; reliance on wRVUs as the sole basis of compensation; a push by administrators for providers to see more patients with less allotted time; and lack of administrative, educational, and research support. The CNS Task Force designed and distributed a survey to academic and hospital-based child neurology divisions of various sizes, as well as to independent practices. Our findings were strikingly similar across different practices – demonstrating high workloads; lack of resources; poor electronic medical record support; high provider symptoms of fatigue and burn-out. The expectations for wRVU productivity for child neurologists appear to be notably higher than for other pediatric non-procedural subspecialties. The survey culminated in an article published in Neurology in January 2020, entitled, “Child Neurology in the 21st Century: More than the Sum of our RVUs.” From the results, the CNS Task Force has concluded that wRVUs should not be the sole basis of compensation for child neurologists. It also made several specific recommendations for improving the current situation, including innovative ways to fund child neurology activities and ways to enhance job satisfaction.
Since the publication of the article, we have been in the throes of the COVID19 pandemic, with the expansion of telehealth as a necessary addition to our ability to take care of our patients. We have also seen significant changes to the wRVU values of EEG and long-term video EEG monitoring interpretation, having a deleterious financial impact on already distressed child neurology divisions. In the face of these crises, is there hope? The CNS RVU Task Force answers with an unequivocal YES and will provide specific recommendations for change that should be considered. Come listen to your colleagues. There will also be a panel discussion for important dialogue among our CNS members.
Presentations:
“A Call to Arms.” RVUs: Past, Present, and Future
Bruce H. Cohen, MD; Professor of Pediatrics and Professor of Integrative Medical Sciences – Northeast Ohio Medical University; Director; NeuroDevelopmental Science Center and Interim Vice President and Medical Director of the Rebecca D. Considine Research Institute, Akron Children’s Hospital, Akron, Ohio.
Child Neurology—The Way We Were: What lessons from the past can we apply to the future?
David E. Mandelbaum, MD PhD; Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics, Alpert Medical School of Brown University.
CNS RVU Task Force Survey Results and Conclusions: The Present Situation
Mary L. Zupanc, MD; Professor of Pediatrics and Neurology, University of California-Irvine
The Future: Disruption and Innovation
Mark Mintz, MD; Chief Medical Officer and Founder, NeurAbilities Healthcare (A Member of CNNH NeuroHealth) and the Clinical Research Center of New Jersey; Voorhees, New Jersey
Panel Discussion – Opportunities and Optimism for the Future