Here are the top conversations from last quarter in the List Serv. You can read the full threads by visiting:
Member’s Home Page → My Profile → My Features → E-Lists → NERVES Listserv.
Help us welcome our new members to NERVES! The Regional Directors representing the Southeast, Northeast, Northwest, West, South and North/Midwest regions would like to personally welcome you to our great professional organization. We are excited you have decided to join us and look forward to getting to know you!
Neurovascular care is the backbone of every high-performing neuroscience service line. RapidAI strengthens that foundation with deep clinical AI designed to improve clinical, operational, and financial outcomes across the neurovascular pathway.
Our enterprise platform brings care teams together with real-time intelligence that tells a complete clinical story—from first imaging to surgical decision-making. With unmatched speed and compatibility across all imaging formats, RapidAI supports confident, timely decisions that improve door-to-treatment times, increase appropriate case capture, identify surgical eligibility earlier, and reduce unnecessary transfers. The result is a more aligned, efficient neurovascular program that elevates performance across the entire service line.
My name is Joshua Beckman, and I am a board-certified neurosurgeon at NeurosurgeryOne in Denver, Colorado. I joined NeurosurgeryOne in 2021 after completing my military service at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, TX where I served as Vice Chair of Neurosurgery and Director of Spine Surgery and Spinal Oncology. I am incredibly honored to have served my country and to have cared for some of the bravest men and women I have ever known. At NeurosurgeryOne, I specialize in the full spectrum of spinal procedures, treating conditions ranging from degenerative disc disease and spinal stenosis to complex spinal deformities and tumors. Most recently, I was honored to be named a 2025 “Top Doctor” by 5280 Magazine, a recognition that reflects our commitment to excellence in patient care.
One aspect that makes my practice unique is my passion for both motion-preserving/minimally invasive procedures and complex spinal deformity surgery. These two ends of the surgical spectrum could not be more different, and I joke with my team that scheduling swings from “microsurgery mode” to “all-hands-on-deck” every week. This dichotomy was born out of necessity during my military service, where preserving motion and function was critical for pilots and soldiers to continue their careers. But we also needed to treat complex acute trauma to maintain readiness skills and degenerative deformity conditions for the retired military population. Being able to perform both types of procedures at a high level allows me to tailor care to each individual patient rather than forcing a one-size-fits-all solution.
Dear NERVES Friends,
As we begin 2026, I am filled with a sense of optimism and gratitude for the strength, resilience, and collegiality of our NERVES community.
A 1-Year Follow-Up Study Published in the Peer-Reviewed Journal Stroke Validates Effectiveness of Paired Vagus Nerve Stimulation Therapy for Improved Upper Limb Function
MicroTransponder®, Inc., a commercial-stage medical technology company and developer of the breakthrough Vivistim® Paired VNS™ System for chronic stroke recovery, announced the publication of new findings in the peer reviewed medical journal Stroke validating the beneficial long-term outcomes of Paired VNS™ Therapy. The findings demonstrate that stroke survivors treated with paired vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) for upper extremity deficits post-stroke had improvements in impairment, activity, participation and quality of life for at least one year after completing therapy.
Dear NERVES Members,
As we move through the heart of 2025, I want to take a moment to reflect on the exciting momentum building within our organization and share a few key highlights.
Help us welcome our new members to NERVES! The Regional Directors representing the Southwest, Southeast, Northeast, and North/Midwest regions would like to personally welcome you to our great professional organization. We are excited you have decided to join us and look forward to getting to know you!
By Brent Patterson, CPA, Semmes Murphy, Survey Committee Chair
The Survey Committee is happy to announce that both the 2025 NERVES Socio-Economic Survey and 2025 SNIS Socio-Economic Survey (hosted by NERVES) opened and questionnaires were released for submission on Tuesday, July 15th. We will again be offering $1,000 to two lucky participants who submit to the NERVES survey by the August 31st deadline.
The Committee explored a web-hosted submission and reporting platform for the NERVES Survey that we hoped to launch in 2025. However, the Committee discovered in the beginning of the implementation phase that the functionality that was available when we started our due diligence that would’ve allowed us to capture and report on important data points like sub-specialty neurosurgery data was being sunset and would not be available to us for 2025 and beyond. Without sufficient time to pivot to an alternate solution, the Committee decided to maintain our current format for one more year to allow ample time to explore solutions that would be an upgrade in terms of functionality but also allow NERVES to continue to develop a survey that meets the needs of NERVES and the neurosurgery community.
We look forward to rolling out a web-hosted platform for the 2026 NERVES Socio-Economic Survey.
By Nicola Hawkinson, DNP, RN, RNFA, CPC,
CEO of SpineSearch
Introduction
Summer recruitment presents unique challenges—vacation schedules, slower response times, and increased competition for top talent. Despite the seasonal slowdown, it's crucial to stay proactive to maintain hiring momentum and prepare for the busy fall season.
Get to know Flora Gallegos of Sierra Neurosurgery Group. Flora joined NERVES in 2017 and is a member in Southwest region.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Including my time as the Chief Executive Officer of Sierra Neurosurgery Group, I've spent over 20 years in executive healthcare positions. My career has been dedicated to fostering patient focused operations, strategic growth, and operational excellence within the medical field, with a particular focus on neurosurgery, pain management, and sports medicine.
At RapidAI, we empower neurosurgery programs with AI-driven clinical decision support to enhance patient assessment, streamline workflows, and strengthen financial performance. Our real-time, actionable insights help teams make faster, more informed decisions, optimizing both care and operations.
My name is Steve LeMoine, and I am the Vice President for Infirmary Health's Cardiovascular and Neuroscience service lines. I joined the health system in October 2020 and joined NERVES shortly after my arrival at Infirmary Health. I have the opportunity to partner with Dr. Ankit Gulati, my dyad physician leader, and an outstanding team among Infirmary for the growth, strategy and quality improvement of the service line. Our model focuses on neurovascular (stroke), neuro/ortho spine, neuro tumor and a variety of other patient care areas (today), with a vision of expanding our areas of focus every year!
Prior to joining Infirmary Health, I had the opportunity to work in many exciting roles that engaged the community, patients and hospital team members. These roles were both operational and strategic, at a local hospital level, physician practice and healthy system level.
Our Neuroscience Center of Excellence is comprised of many clinical teams from the hospital and private setting. We work in a collaborative manner to bring the highest quality of care to our region and support our Vision to be the FIRST CHOICE for healthcare in the Region. Our service line engages specialists from Neurology, Neurosurgery, Interventional Radiology, Critical Care, Physical Medicine and Rehab, Ortho/Spine and Neuro/Spine surgery, just to mention a few.
Dear NERVES Members,
Now that we are a few months into 2025, I am filled with enthusiasm for what lies ahead for our organization. This year promises to be full of initiatives and collaborations that will propel us forward and deepen our professional connections.
Help us welcome our new members to NERVES! The Regional Directors representing the Southwest, Southeast, Northeast, and North/Midwest regions would like to personally welcome you to our great professional organization. We are excited you have decided to join us and look forward to getting to know you!
By Kristi Wright, MBA, CPCU, AIC—Senior Vice President, Claims, Curi Insurance
Recently, Dr. Gita Pensa, creator of the popular podcast, “Doctors and Litigation: The ‘L’ Word,” delivered an impactful keynote to our Curi Insurance team. This gathering was a key opportunity for our team to connect, learn, and reaffirm our commitment to supporting physicians and clinicians in medicine, business, and life. Dr. Pensa's talk at our event on the stress of litigation resonated deeply with us, highlighting a crucial point: a lack of understanding about the litigation process can intensify this stress for the impacted physician or clinician.
The NERVES Nominating Committee would like to submit the following ballot of nominees for your consideration and support. Final voting by the membership will take place during our Annual Business meeting set for Thursday, April 24, 2025, at the Seaport Hotel in Boston.
| President Jacob Rodman, CMPE, MBA Raleigh Neurosurgical Clinic |
President Elect Antoine Curtis, MBA, MPA UChicago Medicine |
||
| Treasurer |
2024 Partner article courtesy of Avant-garde Health
Hospital profit margins have been under significant pressure in recent years. In 2023, the median operating margin for U.S. hospitals was 0.3%, with approximately half of hospitals reporting negative margins. This financial strain underscores the necessity for hospitals to implement effective cost-reduction strategies, particularly in high-expenditure areas like spine procedures.
2024 Partner article courtesy of RosmanSearch
If you need to hire a new physician in 2025, consider this your friendly wake-up call: it’s crunch time. The physician hiring scene has never been more competitive, and physicians conduct job searches earlier than ever! Many top candidates are already deep into decision-making—and many have signed on the dotted line.
Physicians will make their decisions based on many factors. Competitive compensation and benefits matter, but many physicians seek a work environment that values balance and growth. They want to know about call schedules, dedicated time for administration or research tasks, and the possibility of flexible hours. They also want to see a clear path for professional development—CME opportunities, leadership training, and research support. And don’t overlook the growing appeal of student loan repayment assistance. Showing that you understand their financial reality can go a long way and make your offer stand out.
Dear NERVES Members,
As we close out another successful year, I want to reflect on our progress and share some exciting updates for the months ahead.
Our partnership with the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) continues to grow stronger, solidifying the collaborative bond that helps us better serve our members and the field of neurosurgery. This partnership is an incredible asset, and we are enthusiastic about the opportunities it will bring in the coming year.
