Dr. Beth Haynes, BRI executive director, moderated a Docs 4 Patient Care panel on health policy in a breakout session. CON laws and other aspects of healthcare policy were discussed.

From the SPNAM.org official website: The SPN Annual Meeting started in 1993 in Traverse City, Michigan. A dozen people met in a room with the hope of building a robust network of state think tanks throughout the country. Today, the SPN Annual Meeting brings together over 900 people from around the country, including state and national leaders, influencers, and professionals.

We believe that being good enough is not enough to win in the rapidly evolving political environment. We can’t afford to be outgunned, outmanned and outspent. The future of the country depends on it.

That is why the State Policy Network has hosted the Annual Meeting for 23 years running.

This year, the Annual Meeting is returning to the state where it all started. Freedom fighters will gather in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with an intentional focus on developing the solutions and skills to advance freedom at both the state and national level. Through the lens of our 2015 theme – Experience Freedom – we will consider ways to sharpen our solutions and strategies and help our core audiences envision their need for freedom. We will inspire and challenge ourselves to give Americans opportunities to experience the benefits of freedom to their everyday lives.

The program focuses on building leaders, refining operations, cultivating excellent communication and outreach strategies, analyzing policy priorities and training top-notch fundraisers. The SPN Annual Meeting is also the only outlet where state and national leaders can chart collaborative strategies together. SPN purposefully creates an environment to facilitate connections and build coalitions.

Patients Rising University Conference: Focus on Multiple Sclerosis at Mission Bay Conference Center.

Patients Rising University: Spotlight Multiple Sclerosis is a patient/consumer education event. We will bring together patients, advocates, medical experts and policy leaders to offer a comprehensive look at innovation, access and the health care reforms needed for patients living with multiple sclerosis.

FMMA-Houston chapter meeting to discuss direct primary care and other free market healthcare medical delivery systems and options.

Dr. Beth Haynes was one featured speakers at the AANS conference in Los Angeles. The Socioeconomic Section session of the AANS meeting had a variety of speakers. Dr. Jim Hinsdale gave a brief overview of recent US health policy initiatives and changes. Dr. Haynes spoke on the inadequate and imbalanced health policy instruction on US medical school campuses. A neurosurgeon from Bolivia presented on his very low cost neurosurgery procedures (craniotomy for less than $320). A variety of other speakers presented original research on patient satisfaction and tools for predicting surgical outcomes. The final speaker discussed the lack of women pursuing neurosurgical careers and the paucity of female neurosurgeons in academia and leadership positions.