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Editor's Picks
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End of consultation codes will hurt specialists
My colleague Cheryl Clark wrote an excellent article this week about the impact of CMS' decision to completely eliminate consultation codes starting in January. The change was announced in the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, but has flown under the radar because of the intense focus on healthcare reform. CMS made the move because of a high level of miscoding (and possible fraud) with consults. Specialists will now have to bill under lower-paying office visit codes, which could impact their willingness to be available for referral care. [Read More]
Connecting with physicians online
Google has conducted a study on how physicians use the Internet, and the results are pretty interesting. Eight-six percent of doctors have gathered health or drug information online, and the Internet is used more than peer review journals, CME courses, or any other source for finding this type of information. Search engines are the most common method for finding health resources, and most doctors click on the top result in the search. It's an interesting study and worth reading. [Read
More]
Doctors urge focus on geriatrics
The American Geriatrics Society is proposing that elder care be added to the list of six core areas that have long been the focus of medical school training. More geriatricians will obviously be needed in a couple of decades when 78 million baby boomers reach their 70s and 80s, but it is tough to recruit into one of the lowest-paying specialties in medicine. Perhaps the better solution is to train all physicians in basic geriatric care, so they can manage care sufficiently when geriatricians aren't available. [Read
More]
Do Physicians Have Time for Quality?
Check out Janice Simmons' column about a new report that looks at the link between the amount of time physicians spend with patients and quality. The study found that durations for primary care visits have increased slightly in recent years, but overall performance on quality metrics was poor. The findings suggest that the relationship between visit duration and quality of care depend on the type of quality indicator. [Read
More]
Happy Thanksgiving!
From all of us at HealthLeaders Media, have a happy Thanksgiving holiday. HealthLeaders Media PhysicianLeaders will not publish next week, but will be back December 3. |
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Business Rx
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10 Common Employer Mistakes
Because of their relatively small size and close working relationships, physician practices are less likely to find themselves in an employment suit. However, employment suits do happen, and practices should watch for the following employment mistakes to reduce their likelihood. [Read More] |
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Physician News
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Doctors' neckties seen as flu risk
Wall Street Journal - November 19, 2009
Senate unveils healthcare bill
Washington Post - November 19, 2009
CBO: Physician Payment Bill Would Cost Medicare Beneficiaries
Janice Simmons, for HealthLeaders Media - November 18, 2009
Retail Clinic Market Showing Signs of Growth
Janice Simmons, for HealthLeaders Media - November 18, 2009
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Audio Conferences/Webcasts
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December 17, 2009: Women's Health: Building a More Profitable Service Line With Existing Assets
December 3, 2009: Marketing Cardiology: Service Line Strategies for Marketers
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Sponsored Headline
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One kid, 3 ER admissions, 12 back-end systems. One eHealth ecoSystem.
Learn how MEDSEEK is improving the patient experience.
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| From HealthLeaders Magazine |
Carving Out a New CEO Model
Responding to heightened scrutiny and reimbursement cuts, healthcare CEOs are becoming increasingly interactive with a growing list of constituents. [Read More]
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| Service Line Management |
Don't Count on Colonoscopies
New procedural developments and a shifting market are changing how physicians and hospitals work together to deliver digestive health services. [Read More]
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Audio Feature
Green Solution to Dispose of Medical Waste: David Freedman, president of Medical Innovations Inc., discusses the company's medical waste technology that converts regulated medical waste to ordinary non-regulated waste on site. The technology reduces the volume of waste by roughly 75% on average and has reduced small medical group practices and solo practitioners medical waste costs by as much as 90%. [Listen Now]
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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 new HealthLeaders Media book that combines expert tips with marketing samples, tools, forms, and checklists that will help grow your practice. |
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