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2026 AANS Annual Scientific Meeting Main banner

    Socioeconomic

    Quality, Confidentiality and Liability in Modern Practice: Legal, Ethical and Data-Driven Perspectives

    Saturday, May 2, 2026
    4:00 PM - 5:30 PM CT
    Location:304AB, Level 3, HBGCC

    This session examines quality, confidentiality, and liability in modern medical practice, including malpractice discovery, tort reform, peer review, and registries. It also features the presentation of the Robert Florin Award and rapid-fire abstracts.

    Presentations:

    • 4:00 PM - 4:01 PM CT
      Welcome and Introduction

      Speaker: Laura S. McGuire, MD – University of Wisconsin - Madison

    • 4:02 PM - 4:14 PM CT
      Quality, Confidentiality, and Liability: Rules of Discovery in Malpractice

      Speaker: Catherine A. Mazzola, MD, FAANS – New Jersey Pediatric Neuroscience Institute

    • 4:14 PM - 4:26 PM CT
      Quality, Confidentiality and Liability: Current State of Tort Reform

      Speaker: Charlotte E. Pineda, MPP – AANS/CNS Washington Committee for Neurological Surgery

    • 4:26 PM - 4:38 PM CT
      Quality, Confidentiality and Liability: Peer Review

      Speaker: Mark E. Linskey, MD, FAANS – University of CA, Irvine

    • 4:38 PM - 4:50 PM CT
      Quality, Confidentiality and Liability: Registries

      Speaker: Mick J. Perez-Cruet, MD MS – Michigan Minimally Invasive Neurosurgical Institute

    • 4:51 PM - 4:57 PM CT
      Can We Quantify the Quality of Life Gains And Cost-Effectiveness at 5 Years After Surgery for CSM? A QOD SpineCORe™ Study (Robert Florin, MD Resident Award)

      Presenting Author: Hunter S. Yamada, BS – UCSF

    • 4:58 PM - 5:00 PM CT
      Barriers to Collection of Patient Reported Outcomes in Cervical Radiculopathy

      Presenting Author: Geoffrey R. O'Malley, Jr., MD – Goodman Campbell Brain and Spine

    • 5:01 PM - 5:03 PM CT
      How Much Do Patients Benefit in Quality of Life After Surgery for Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy? A QOD Study

      Presenting Author: Vardhaan S. Ambati, M.S. – UCSF Department of Neurological Surgery

    • 5:04 PM - 5:06 PM CT
      Tracing Ten Years of U.S. Spending for Lower Back Pain: Growth, Gaps and the Cost of Surgical Inaction

      Presenting Author: Arush Rao, BS – Oakland William Beaumont School of Medicine

    • 5:07 PM - 5:09 PM CT
      Defining Expertise in the Courtroom: A National Analysis of Neurosurgical Expert Witness Qualification Standards

      Presenting Author: Joseph G. Camarano, MD – LSU Health Shreveport

    • 5:10 PM - 5:12 PM CT
      Linguistic Justice in Neurosurgery: Ethical and Clinical Implications for Spanish-Speaking Patients in Texas

      Presenting Author: Crystal E. Peraza, BS – Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine

    • 5:13 PM - 5:15 PM CT
      Pre-Surgical Bone Optimization Clinic: A Cost-Saving Strategy for Adult Spinal Deformity

      Presenting Author: Iyan Younus, MD – Vanderbilt University Medical Center

    • 5:16 PM - 5:18 PM CT
      A Novel Approach to Cranioplasty Using Point-of-Care 3D-Printed Molds and Polymethyl Methacrylate: Lowering Infection Rates and Improving Clinical Outcomes

      Presenting Author: Gabriella Yakemow, MSc, BSc – McMaster University

    • 5:19 PM - 5:21 PM CT
      Inter-Surgeon Variation in Value: An Analysis of Surgeon-Level Costs and Outcomes in Lumbar Fusion

      Presenting Author: Clayton Kramm, BS – Wayne State University School of Medicine

    • 5:22 PM - 5:24 PM CT
      Telemedicine in Neurosurgery: A Systematic Review of Global Implementation, Outcomes and Barriers to Access

      Presenting Author: Helbert de Oliveira Manduca Palmiero, MD PhD – University of São Paulo (USP)

    • 5:25 PM - 5:27 PM CT
      Climate-Associated Trends in Neurosurgical Mortality Across the United States: Evidence From a Multidecade Nationwide Analysis

      Presenting Author: Tirath Patel, AS, BS, MS – Trinity Medical Sciences University School of Medicine, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

    • 5:28 PM - 5:30 PM CT
      Increasing Rurality is Associated With Worse Outcomes in Epilepsy

      Presenting Author: Edward R. Bader, MBChB, MS – Department of Neurological Surgery, Albert Einstein College of Medicine