| HealthLeaders Media PhysicianLeaders - January 21, 2010 | How Wasteful is Your Care Delivery? |
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How Wasteful is Your Care Delivery?
Elyas Bakhtiari, Managing Editor
When presented with pay-for-performance metrics, clinical benchmarks, and other statistics about the care they provide, physicians typically react one of two ways. Some bristle at the notion of being measured and quantified to such extremes. Other doctors, however, jump at the chance to find out how they measure up to their peers. Dean Health System in central Wisconsin hopes its physicians have the second reaction as it attempts to cut clinical wastes by benchmarking "any clinical indicator for which an evidence-based guideline or external comparison [is] available," says Craig E. Samitt, MD, MBA, Dean's president and CEO. [Read More] |
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January 21, 2010 |
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Editor's Picks
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What Does Brown's Victory Mean for Reform?
In what many are calling one of the biggest political upsets in American history, Republican Scott Brown beat Democrat Martha Coakley in the special Senate election here in Massachusetts Tuesday. That ends Democrats' supermajority in the Senate, allowing Republicans to filibuster reform. But the Democrats still have options. The House can simply pass the Senate bill as is, the Democrats can try to pass components of the bill through budget reconciliation, or they can revamp the bill to get Republican support, maybe even from the newly elected Brown. Be skeptical of conventional wisdom that says reform is dead. [Read More]
Wisconsin Senate expands malpractice claims
Malpractice issues have typically been handled at the state level, and many states have already passed some type of reform. But the Wisconsin Senate recently approved a bill that would allow for more medical malpractice claims against healthcare providers. The bill allows parents to sue for pain and suffering damages if their adult-aged children die as a result of medical negligence. Adult-aged children could sue for damages when their parents are victims of malpractice under the bill. A coalition of groups representing doctors, providers, and insurance companies lobbied against the bill, which needs approval in the state Assembly to become law. [Read
More]
Health Reform Could Put End to Physician-owned Hospitals
Provisions to effectively eliminate physician-owned hospitals have been popping up in war-funding bills, farm bills, and healthcare bills for years, and they have failed for the most part. But under the current Senate reform bill, physician-owned hospitals must meet a list of five "allowable growth criteria" if they want to continue receiving Medicare and Medicaid funding, which proponents of physician-owned hospitals say would effectively kill them off. For example, if 49% of a hospital is owned by physicians, the hospital would not be allowed to increase that number as of the date of the bill's passage. Of course, this all depends on whether reform actually passes, which is a lot less certain after Tuesday's election. [Read
More]
AMA Launches Campaign Urging Medicare Payment Fix
The American Medical Association hasn't forgotten that the 21% Medicare reimbursement cut that was originally scheduled for January 1 has only been delayed by three months. The organization has begun campaigning for the Senate to permanently fix the payment formula before the cut takes effect on March 1. If healthcare reform hasn't passed by then or has completely fizzled, I don't see that happening. Instead, we'll probably see another patch to hold physicians over until the end of this year. [Read
More] |
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Business Rx
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Four Ways Practices Can Conduct Effective, Cost-efficient Outreach
Physician practices shouldn't stop promoting their name and expertise during tough economic times. But they can find more cost-effective ways to market their services. [Read More] |
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Physician News
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Hey, doctors: Walgreens also says Medicaid does not pay enough
Wall Street Journal Health Blog - January 15, 2010
Massachusetts doctor accused of fraud by faking research
Associated Press - January 15, 2010
Doctors, nurses from Southern California head to Haiti
Los Angeles Times - January 18, 2010
Ankles gain as candidates for joint replacement
New York Times - January 19, 2010
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Audio Conferences/Webcasts
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January 25, 2010: Marketing Oncology: Service Line Strategies for Marketers
January 22, 2010: Joint Replacement Service Lines: Alignment and Business Strategies for a Changing Environment
On Demand: Women's Health: Building a More Profitable Service Line With Existing Assets
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| From HealthLeaders Magazine |
Five Strategies that Prove Healthcare is Still a Growth Industry
Here is a review of growth opportunities that will increase revenue, decrease costs, or enhance services in the areas of leadership, finance, physicians, technology, health plans, quality, and outcomes. [Read More]
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| Service Line Management |
The Sports Center
Famous athletes and big sports programs may be the public face of sports medicine, but at its core are local communities and, increasingly, the unconventional athlete. [Read More]
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Resources From HealthLeaders Media
Sign up to receive our new, free e-mail publication that offers concise updates on the top nursing leadership headlines, as well as best practices, practical advice, and expert strategies from nurse industry thought leaders.
Improve patient satisfaction, CAHPS scores, and quality with the strategies and tools in Physician Entrepreneurs: The Quality Patient Experience.
Learn how to harness the power of a large organization, either by expanding the practice or partnering with hospitals, private investors, or other physician groups, with Physician Entrepreneurs: Strength in Numbers.
Read about the latest business strategies to help you grow beyond traditional practice models in Physician Entrepreneurs: Going Retail.
Start marketing your practice or refine your existing marketing program with Physician Entrepreneurs: Marketing Toolkit, a HealthLeaders Media book that combines expert tips with marketing samples, tools, forms, and checklists that will help grow your practice. |
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