Board-certified neurosurgeon Ann Stroink, MD, ventures to Washington, D.C., almost every month to tell policymakers about her practice and the challenges that she sees, WGLT reports.
Five things to know:
1. Dr. Stroink practices at Central Illinois Neuro Health Sciences in Bloomington, where she is a senior partner. On The 21st show, Dr. Stroink said the office's biggest challenge is the delay in care associated with insurance approval.
2. She said there is bipartisan acceptance among elected representatives that healthcare is a big ticket item, but claimed progress is slow.
3. As a volunteer advocate, Dr. Stroink said her professional associations are concerned with surprise billing.
4. She claimed young physicians tend to focus on professional development as well as their patients first before thinking about making systemic changes later in their careers.
5. Dr. Stroink was the first female neurosurgery resident at the Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic.