Burr Ridge, IL – The National Association of Spine Specialists, the advocacy arm of The North American Spine Society, today joined numerous state medical societies and specialty societies to participate in the Texas Medical Association’s Million-Signature Campaign to Stop the Medicare Meltdown. The goal of the petition drive is to gather 1 million signatures from physicians and patients, sending a united message to Congress and the president to develop a rational Medicare physician payment system in order to preserve Medicare patients’ access to care.

“Access to spine care is likely to be significantly reduced if Congress fails to implement a long‐term solution to Medicare’s flawed Sustainable Growth Rate formula,” said NASS President Ray Baker, MD. “Temporary fixes in recent years are only perpetuating the inevitable. A permanent change in the formula is needed in order for physicians to continue to provide access to the quality care our patients need and deserve.”

Visit the online Stop the Medicare Meltdown petition here. 

The North American Spine Society (NASS) is a multidisciplinary medical organization dedicated to fostering the highest quality, evidence‐based, and ethical spine care by promoting education, research, and advocacy. NASS is comprised of more than 5,700 members from several disciplines including orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, physiatry, neurology, radiology, anesthesiology, research, physical therapy and other spine care professionals.

Recognizing the need to influence the debates that shape health care policy, NASS established the National Association of Spine Specialists – an IRS-designated 501(c) (6) trade organization – as its advocacy arm. Administered by the North American Spine Society, the Association advocates in the legislative and regulatory arenas for public policies that protect member's abilities to practice medicine and give patients access to the specialists and technologies they need for quality spine care.

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Lindsay Law Murphy
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