Blogs

Congress recently passed a continuing resolution to fund the government through Dec. 20, providing a reprieve before another potential budget showdown. Despite the urgency of keeping the government running, significant progress has been made on key STS advocacy priorities in the House of Representatives.  
 

There are so many ways in which we, as surgeons, lead teams—from our first day in practice, through the end of our careers. As we lead teams, we learn repeatedly that a cohesive and effective team works toward common goals, and that successful leaders inspire team members by elucidating and giving importance to those shared goals. But is having the same end goal enough?

Early career cardiothoracic surgeons have many important relationships that need to be managed and developed. The patient relationship can be excellent, a source of pride and healing, or damaging, a source of stress and contempt.

This month, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized a new mandatory episode-based alternative payment arrangement called the Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM).

It's the August recess and lawmakers are back home in their districts campaigning and meeting with their constituents, providing a prime opportunity for STS members to support STS’s advocacy priorities.

The STS oversees numerous workforces and councils with various focuses ranging from cardiothoracic clinical practice to databases to education to surgeon wellness.

Despite the rapidly evolving presidential political scene, Washington remains uncharacteristically busy this election year. 

On June 28, the Supreme Court overturned the Chevron deference doctrine, which for 40 years has required judges to defer to agencies' reasonable interpretations of "ambiguous" federal laws falling within the agencies’ field of expertise.

During this year's STS Advocacy Leadership Summit held May 21-22 in Washington, DC, 14 STS leaders supported issues critical to the cardiothoracic specialty. The key areas the group focused on included: 

As physicians, we spend the first half of our adult lives being told to always say yes. The goal is to build that CV so you can make it to the next step. Set a foundation to show you have potential and you’ll get accepted to medical school. Show academic, research, and leadership promise to land that coveted residency spot.

As physicians we are committed to caring for our patients, guiding them through physical and emotional traumas. Our training, especially as cardiothoracic surgeons, has taught us to be disciplined, self-sufficient, and strong. As cardiothoracic surgeons we deal with significant adversity and are resilient.