HealthLeadersMedia.com - The Doctor's Office

Quashing access to data, feds muddle commitment to transparency

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

When HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius issued a strategic plan for her huge federal agency in 2010, she cited the need for "transparency," emphasizing that President Obama was committed to "creating an unprecedented level of openness."

Healthcare leaders react to Super Committee's failure

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

The Super Committee's abject failure to compile a plan that reduces spending by $1.2 trillion over 10 years was no surprise. But now, some healthcare leaders are looking with dread at the "sequester," a process by which hospitals and physicians will see automatic Medicare reimbursement cuts of 2% starting in 2013 through 2021.

Fighting the tide against independent physicians

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Independent physician practices are slowly fading away, and with the advent of healthcare reform, the pace may be about to get much quicker. It's only one of a few troubling signs about the physician labor pool, which seems increasingly dissatisfied with their career choice and the direction of the healthcare industry.

Concierge medicine could be the solution to falling revenue

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

When it all becomes too much-the falling revenue, the long hours, the hassle of working with third-party payers, the uncertainty of what the healthcare system will look like five years from now-many physicians dream of getting out. But there is another option that might appeal to them.

ICD-10 cost, timing concerns explain AMA vote

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

The AMA's House of Delegates' vote in November 2011 to "vigorously work to stop" the "onerous" implementation of ICD-10, due in just 22.5 months, caught some healthcare leaders by surprise.

Is physician mistrust souring your growth strategy?

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

When physician practices merge or integrate with hospitals or health systems, healthcare leaders say integration of practice teams and compensation are the biggest challenges. Trust ranks well down the list, according to a recently released HealthLeaders Media Intelligence Report. In reality, though, trust is at the heart of successful mergers of physician practices-and lack of trust contributes greatly to failure.

Stage 1 meaningful use

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Diamantoni & Associates of Lancaster, PA, attested to Stage 1 of meaningful use recently, resulting in the five-office practice and 18-provider group receiving more than $300,000 in federal incentive payments. Along the way they learned a few lessons that might help other practices, says health information technology consultant Christine Kelly of CMK Consulting, who helped Diamantoni with its EMR implementation.

The Doctor's Office, February 2012

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Physician compensation incentives shifting

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Changes in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement, healthcare reform, and market competition are all driving change not only in how hospitals and health systems approach patient care, but also in how physician compensation models are taking shape, according to a new HealthLeaders Media Intelligence Report, Physician Compensation: Shifting Incentives.

Physician checklist zaps wasteful spending

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Patient after patient asks for relief for sinusitis. Doctor after doctor gives them a prescription for medication-even though most infections are viral, not bacterial, needing no drugs to treat.

Physicians and patient engagement

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT

It is easy to say that patients are at the center of healthcare, but a challenge healthcare leaders face centers on the question of responsibility for the patients' care. Some providers are evaluating the patients' role, committing resources to help educate them as to their central place in healthcare. Others are still struggling to understand the impact of patient-centered approaches.

When things go wrong, admit mistakes

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Something went very wrong a few years ago when Michelle Malizzo Ballog underwent surgery to replace a temporary stent in her liver at the University of Illinois Medical Center (UIMC) in Chicago. Tim McDonald, MD, chief safety officer, says he remembers vividly the text he received from a nurse as Ballog stopped breathing: Come quick. Things going badly. Cardiac arrest.

Health insurance exchanges will bring change to physician �reimbursement

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Health insurance exchanges will shake up the healthcare system, and physician practices will feel the effects directly in their managed care contracts and reimbursement. Don't be misled by the fact that the big impact from exchanges won't happen until 2014, because now is the time to influence how the systems are designed and soften the blow to your practice.

Is your physician group a high-reliability organization?

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Dave Gans thinks every physician group needs to be an HRO-a high-reliability organization. HROs handle emergencies well because they recognize danger signals and respond in such a way that their systems continue to function and catastrophic outcomes are avoided.

Patient safety checklists improve efficiency

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Physician groups looking to be more efficient should develop patient safety lists that address emergent events and routine activities, according to Elizabeth Wertz Evans, RN, executive director of professional practice for the Oncology Nursing Society in Pittsburgh.

The Doctor's Office, January 2012

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Educating physicians on OSHA bloodborne pathogens

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 13:30:00 GMT

The sense of fear and intimidation in the voice was impossible to ignore. It was a call to HCPro’s OSHA consultation hotline. In barely a whisper, so that nobody in her office could overhear her, the caller asked, “Do I really have to train my physicians in bloodborne pathogens? OSHA doesn’t require them to undergo training like the rest of the practice’s staff, does it?”

Group practice innovators: Investing in success

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 05:00:00 GMT

While healthcare organizations are exploring programs such as accountable care organizations (ACO) and medical homes, the efforts of two group practices already offer insights on how to make these programs work logistically and financially via a patient-centered environment and population health management.

Physicians' retirement woes

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 05:00:00 GMT

Caught between healthcare reform mandates and a weak economy, many physicians are fretting that financial conditions will force them to postpone retirement indefinitely. It's no surprise that baby boomer and older "Silent Generation" physicians plan to delay their retirement. What is surprising is that Generation Xers are also thinking about it, even though retirement is many years away, according to Jackson & Coker, an Alpharetta, GA, physician placement firm.

Making margin with the medical home

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 05:00:00 GMT

Under healthcare reform, the payment structure will move from fee-for-service to a pay-for-outcome model, such as bundled payments, medical homes, or accountable care organizations (ACO). However, the change to a new payment model is going to be a bumpy and expensive one-and few organizations have the margins to lose reimbursement dollars during the transition period. With most providers having little margin to put toward a pilot program, and with an expectation of losing reimbursements once it's under way, a medical home is unappealing under the current payment system. However, there are pathways to making margin in the medical home.