Mentorship is an important component to success for many up-and-coming cardiothoracic surgeons. For established surgeons, being a good mentor is equally as important. Vinay Badhwar, MD (West Virginia University) moderates a discussion that includes Shanda H. Blackmon, MD, MPH (Mayo Clinic), Melanie A. Edwards, MD (Saint Louis University), and David D. Odell, MD, MMSc (Northwestern University) talking about how mentorship is critical to the future of the specialty and what STS is doing to promote mentorship for early career surgeons.

STS submitted a response to the proposed Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS) hospital inpatient rule.  

Key highlights included:  

  • Recommendations for improving the Transforming Episode Accountability Model, which will impact all coronary artery bypass grafting procedures at select hospitals starting in January 2026. 
  • Suggestions for programs like the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System, global surgical post-operative data reporting, and the appropriate use criteria program for deregulation.
  • Examples of ways CMS can enhance data quality through standardized collection of unique device identifiers and improved imaging interoperability. Additionally, we continue to advocate for access to federal claims data to support long-term clinical outcomes research.  

Read the full letter.  

Senate Intensifies Negotiations on the Reconciliation Bill

The Senate needs to hear from surgeons about reconciliation! Make your voice heard now.

  • There are key concerns regarding the legislation, including substantial cuts to Medicaid, which could leave millions of people uninsured.
  • The proposed increases to Medicare physician payments are modest despite ongoing financial pressures.

Legislation includes significant changes to federal student loan programs that could reduce access to affordable financing for medical education.  

Jun 16, 2025
1 min read

Chicago, IL – June 12, 2025 – The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) has launched a new mobile app that offers surgeons and multidisciplinary medical providers real-time access to its suite of adult cardiac surgery and thoracic surgery risk calculators. Designed to enhance physician-patient decision-making and improve patient outcomes, the STS Risk Calculator App is now available for both iOS and Android devices.

Digital Clinical Support

Jun 12, 2025

Host Dr. Sara Pereira sits down with Dr. Brittany Zwischenberger, a cardiothoracic surgeon at Duke University, to explore her remarkable career journey. Dr. Zwischenberger shares how she briefly considered majoring in Italian Studies before deciding to follow in the footsteps of her surgeon father and mentor. She also opens up about personal challenges—including divorce and single motherhood—and how support from her surgical partners helped her become a respected clinician, accomplished researcher, and the first female associate professor of cardiac surgery at Duke.

45 minutes
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US Capitol building with blue skies

In late May, House Republicans narrowly passed a sweeping bill aimed at advancing President Trump’s domestic agenda with a vote of 215 to 214. The bill now heads to the Senate, where additional changes are expected. STS is actively engaging with congressional offices to raise several areas of concern and improve the bill:

2 min read
Derek Brandt, JD, STS Advocacy

Host Dr. Sara Pereira welcomes Dr. Ian Bostock, thoracic surgeon at Baptist Health Miami Cancer Institute and associate professor of surgery at Florida International University. Their conversation explores his journey from childhood in Mexico and his early passion for both biology and art, to an initial interest in transplant surgery—and how a serendipitous meeting at Starbucks helped shape his career path. Dr. Bostock also reflects on the importance of supporting trainees and early-career surgeons as they embark on their professional journeys.

40 minutes

Laurie Baedke, executive coach, founder and CEO of Growth Edge Holdings, and best-selling author, talks with Dr. Michael Maddaus about “stepping outside your comfort zone” to grow professionally and personally in this episode of The Resilient Surgeon. They address the challenges of promoting high performers into leadership roles without equipping them with critical skills like communication, accountability, and influence. Listen today.

 

1 hr
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advocacy

Last week, the Energy & Commerce Committee advanced its section of the budget reconciliation package, which includes approximately $880 billion in federal spending cuts—most of which target the Medicaid program.

4 min read
Haley Brown, STS Advocacy
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leadership institute

Conflict is inevitable in the high-pressure, high-stakes world of cardiothoracic surgery. Whether it's a difference in opinion during an operation, tension between surgical team members, or friction over program outcomes, the ability to manage conflict effectively is a critical—yet often underdeveloped—skill for surgeons at all stages of their careers.

3 min read
Raghav Murthy, MD
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Capitol building

In April, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the proposed rule for the fiscal year (FY) 2026 Inpatient Prospective Payment System. This annual regulation includes several initiatives that will directly impact cardiothoracic surgery.

2 min read
Derek Brandt, JD, STS Advocacy

STS Policy on the Recording of Leadership Meetings Involving Videoconferencing

Purpose

Thinking Thoracic Co-host Dr. Erin Gillaspie talks with Dr. Stephen Liu,  associate professor of medicine at Georgetown University and head of Developmental Therapeutics at the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, about the surgeon's role in navigating the biomarker space and working collaboratively with oncology colleagues.  Listen today. 

40 min.