Videos

Obtaining Medicare claims data to use with the STS National Database data is a top advocacy priority. With this data, clinician-led clinical data registries can facilitate outcomes-based research that improves health care quality and efficiency, as well as provide insight into appropriate Value-based reimbursement. This video examines the importance of registry access to Medicare claims data, current regulatory barriers, and how STS is advocating to improve access.

Presenter:
Alan M. Speir, MD
Chair, STS Council on Health Policy and Relationships

The 2021 Thomas B. Ferguson Lecture during The Society of Thoracic Surgeons 57th Annual Meeting was presented by three surgeons from different COVID-19 hotspots around the world.

The lecture provided an international overview, with the surgeons sharing their experiences and thoughts about the pandemic and how it has affected them, their families, institutions, colleagues, and their patients.

The 2021 Vivien T. Thomas Lecture during The Society of Thoracic Surgeons 57th Annual Meeting was delivered by Quinn Capers IV, MD, associate dean for faculty diversity and vice chair for diversity and inclusion in the Department of Internal Medicine at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

The 2021 C. Walton Lillehei Lecture was presented during The Society of Thoracic Surgeons 57th Annual Meeting by Paul G. Yock, MD, MA, founder and director of the Stanford Byers Center for Biodesign in California.

During the lecture, Dr. Yock encourage participants to view innovation as a discipline—one that can be taught, practiced, and recreated. He acknowledged, though, that comprehensive innovation can be difficult in the health care setting because it involves multiple stakeholders. He likened the “user” in this scenario to an “eight-headed monster.”

STS-PAC is the only political action committee that exclusively represents cardiothoracic surgery and is the Society’s primary mechanism for influencing the policymaking process. This video defines the role of a political action committee and provides an overview of STS-PAC, including how it’s governed, who can contribute, how contributions are used, and accomplishments made possible through support from STS-PAC.

Presenter:
Keith S. Naunheim, MD
Chair, STS-PAC Board of Advisors
STS Past President 

The Bundled Payments for Care Improvement (BPCI) Advanced Model is part of continuing efforts by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to implement voluntary episode payment models. This video discusses the continuum of risk-based payment models, an overview of the BPCI Advanced program, winners and losers in this payment model, and opportunities for savings. 

Presenter:
Keith A. Horvath, MD
Association of American Medical Colleges

Grassroots advocacy is ground-up support to advance a common goal. Participation by STS members in grassroots advocacy efforts is fundamental to helping the specialty, as well as improving access to quality care for cardiothoracic surgery patients. This video discusses the basics of grassroots advocacy, why it is important for members at every career level—from residents to experienced surgeons—to get involved, and how to get started with help from the STS Government Relations team.

Presenter:
Seth Wolf
University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine