简体中文
EnglishWhat Advocacy Work Does STS Do?
Updated
STS advocates on policy issues that affect cardiothoracic surgery practice, and it communicates those positions through channels such as the presidential update. One documented example is its response to the final National Coverage Determination issued by CMS for transcatheter aortic valve replacement, where the Society expressed support for multidisciplinary, heart team-based care. That advocacy is paired with member-facing programs such as the STS Compensation Survey and the STS Annual Meeting, which appear alongside policy news in the Society's updates.
What STS Advocacy Covers
Based on the Society's own update content, STS advocacy work centers on policy decisions that shape how cardiothoracic surgeons deliver care. The example given is CMS coverage policy for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). In that case, STS's stated position supported multidisciplinary, heart team-based care.
That framing matters because coverage determinations can influence which care models hospitals and surgeons use. When STS takes a position on a National Coverage Determination, it is weighing in on the conditions under which a procedure is covered and how care teams are structured around it.
How STS Communicates Advocacy Positions
STS publishes advocacy and policy news through its presidential updates. In the update referenced on the site, Vinay Badhwar, MD, addresses the CMS final National Coverage Determination for TAVR and the Society's support for heart team-based care. The same update also points members to the 2026 STS Compensation Survey and registration for the 63rd STS Annual Meeting.
This means advocacy news is not isolated. It is delivered alongside practical member items, so readers encounter policy positions in the same place they find survey participation and meeting registration.
What Else Appears Alongside Advocacy
The STS homepage groups several member-facing items with its advocacy and policy updates. These are not advocacy activities themselves, but they show the context in which STS shares policy news.
| Item | What it is | Relevance to members |
|---|---|---|
| STS Surgeon Compensation Survey | A survey for U.S.-based CT surgeons on market value by specialty, practice, career stage, and geography | Helps surgeons understand compensation benchmarks |
| 63rd STS Annual Meeting | The Society's annual meeting; early bird discounts available until Nov. 2, 2026 | Registration and meeting participation |
| 2027 Nina Starr Braunwald EWCTS Awards | Awards recognizing women in cardiothoracic surgery in clinical practice, leadership, mentorship, and advocacy | Recognizes advocacy as a professional contribution |
| STS National Database | Clinical registry and quality improvement resource | Supports quality and research work |
| Risk Calculators | Tools to calculate patient risk of mortality and morbidities for common surgeries | Clinical decision support |
The EWCTS Awards are notable here because they explicitly list advocacy as one of the areas they celebrate, alongside clinical practice, leadership, and mentorship.
How to Follow STS Advocacy
If you want to track STS advocacy positions, the presidential update is the channel described on the site. It carries policy statements, such as the position on the CMS TAVR coverage determination, and links to related member programs.
For a broader view of STS resources, the site also points to data and research initiatives, public reporting of institutional performance and national benchmarks, current research projects, data access programs, and early career resources. These sit alongside the advocacy and compensation content rather than replacing it.
Where This Leaves You
STS advocacy, as documented on sts.org, focuses on policy decisions that affect cardiothoracic surgery practice, with the CMS TAVR coverage determination and heart team-based care as the concrete example. The Society shares these positions through presidential updates and pairs them with member programs like the compensation survey and annual meeting. If your interest is specifically in policy, the presidential update is the place to look; if you want the wider set of member resources, the site's data, research, and career sections cover that ground.