PERC (Professional Economic and Regulatory Committee) Chair

Chris Kauffman is a Nashville area orthopedic spine surgeon in private practice. Prior to that, Dr. Kauffman was in full time academic practice at UCSD. He was actively involved in teaching residents and spine fellows in the clinical, surgical and coding aspects of spine surgery. His experience in both the academic and private sectors give a solid foundation on understanding the clinical and practice management aspects of a surgical practice.

Dr Kauffman is currently NASS’ Professional, Economic and Regulatory Chair (PERC). The PERC reviews policies from various payors and makes recommendations based on the best evidence-based medical literature available. These recommendations concern payor coverage and availability of procedures for patients and providers. Dr. Kauffman has been involved with the NASS Surgical Coding Committee for many years and has served as chair of the committee for seven years. He has attended both CPT and RUC meetings regarding spine-coding issues and been involved in the process from development of procedure codes to valuing and coverage recommendations. He has been course director and overseen the NASS coding course for six years and still actively teaches current courses. Dr. Kauffman is also the NASS representative at the AAOS Coding, Coverage and Reimbursement Committee. Dr Kauffman also serves as the alternate representative to the AMA PCPI for NASS and is interested in the development of outcome measures for spine care.