advocacy

2027 Inpatient Payment Proposed Rule: Key Changes and Implications for Cardiothoracic Surgeons

Last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) proposed rule. STS has compiled a summary of the rule’s key provisions affecting cardiothoracic surgery.

2 min read
Molly Peltzman, STS Advocacy
macgruder

Maximizing Your Team's Performance: Communication & Investment

All surgeons lead teams, and our ability to do this helps ensure effective and safe care for our patients. Maximizing team performance can be one of the more challenging aspects of our specialty, and yet it's something most of us have little or no formal training in. I think of two key aspects to helping your team function smoothly: effective communication, and investment in each member.
4 min read
J. Trent Magruder, MD
Dr. Sahar Saddoughi

Getting Promoted in Cardiothoracic Surgery: Technical Excellence and Strategic Focus

Cardiothoracic surgery remains one of the most demanding fields in medicine. Promotion—whether to associate professor, division chief, or other leadership roles—is highly competitive. Read how natural leaders can elevate teams, drive innovation, and improve systems.
4 min read
Sahar Saddoughi, MD
US Capitol building with blue skies

Efficiency Adjustment: What It Means for Cardiothoracic Surgeons

On Jan. 1, 2026, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) implemented a new payment policy, through the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS), that directly impacts cardiothoracic surgery.  The “efficiency adjustment,” reduces non-time-based work Relative Value Units (wRVUs) by 2.5%, with additional cuts scheduled every three years.

3 min read
Molly Peltzman, STS Advocacy
van haren serna gallegos

Reflections from the STS Annual Meeting: Inspiration, Innovation, and Connection

As early-career thoracic surgeons, attending the STS 2026 Annual Meeting in New Orleans was an energizing and transformative experience. The annual gathering of our specialty’s brightest minds offers much more than just the latest research—it’s a celebration of our community, a catalyst for professional growth, and a reminder of the impact we can have on patients and each other.

3 min read
Robert M. Van Haren, MD MSPH, and Derek Serna-Gallegos, MD
DC Capitol

President Trump Signs Funding Bill

President Trump has signed into law the bipartisan federal spending package that provides full‑year appropriations for the remaining three FY26 funding bills — Labor‑HHS‑Education and Related Agencies, Defense, Transportation‑HUD — and provides two weeks of stopgap funding for the Department of Homeland Security.

2 min read
By Haley Howell, STS Advocacy
U.S. Capitol

STS Update on the TAVR National Coverage Analysis

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has initiated a National Coverage Analysis (NCA) for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), a process that may affect where and how TAVR is delivered and which patients are eligible for treatment.

2 min read
Rachel Pollock, STS Advocacy
bahar

From Corporate Finance to CT Surgery: Finding Belonging at the STS Annual Meeting

As a first-generation immigrant, the first in my family to graduate from college, and now the first to pursue medicine, my path has been anything but traditional.

2 min read
Bahar Masoudian, medical student
Capitol

Congress Leaves Surgeons Waiting for Answers on America’s Healthcare Future

As we close out another legislative year, we are left with uncertainty about key healthcare-related initiatives. While the debate over Obamacare subsidies and rising health insurance premiums came into sharp focus over the course of the recent federal government shutdown, the standoff ended without a clear path forward. 

2 min read
Rachel Pollock, STS Advocacy
first death blog

How an Outside Perspective Shaped My Path to Thoracic Surgery

For surgical trainees, an outside perspective helps clarify the true nature of a specialty. It can offer insight into what life is like as a thoracic surgeon beyond a single institution, city, or state.
4 min read
Shubham Gulati
first death blog

Facing Your First Patient Death as an Attending Surgeon

The occupation we have chosen is the most fulfilling job in the world. Cardiothoracic surgery has been the only career I have pursued as an adult, but I know that even without a meaningful comparison, my bold claim is correct.
5 min read
Derek Serna-Gallegos, MD
DC Capitol

Government Shutdown Puts Key Health Programs at Risk

The federal government is entering its third week of a shutdown, as Republicans and Democrats remain unable to reach an agreement to fund government operations for FY 2026.  

2 min read
Rachel Pollock, STS Advocacy
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