In its 2008 Emergency Department Pulse Report, Press Ganey Associates, Inc. finds that patients are reporting longer ED visits, and communication about delays is the top priority for improvement when evaluating their entire experience in the ED. Among other findings in the study was that patients are spending an average of 4 hours, 5 minutes in the emergency department. This continues the upward trend observed from previous years.
In this letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, MGMA President and CEO William F. Jessee, MD, comments on the proposed changes to the Stark physician self referral and hospital acquired conditions regulations noticed as part of the proposed IPPS rule for FY 2009. In the letter, Jessee suggests that it is time for "all concerned to step back and re-examine some structural aspects of the rules that add complexity for group practices." Jessee further notes that as the Stark regulations have evolved over time, "they have become ever more complex to the point where they are now virtually incomprehensible to the average physician or group practice administrator."
Blogger and primary care physician "Dr. Rob" writes about being the boss of a medical practice. In this post, he offers tips on how to keep a practice financially successful while keeping staff happy.
The U.S. could face a shortage of up to 44,000 family physicians and general internists by 2025, according to a University of Missouri study. The trend is due to a skewed compensation system that rewards specialists increasingly more than primary care practitioners, researchers said. They were more optimistic about the future supply of general pediatricians, however.
After going above and beyond to help a patient who suffered a complication from dental work, Jim Eichel, MD, was almost named in a lawsuit against the dentist, despite the objections from the patient. Although the patient ultimately decided to not go through with the suit, this article speaks volumes about the malpractice climate and the toll the process takes on physicians.
A six-year study of the Toyota Motor Corporation has found that its Production System allows the company to continue improving the way it manufactures vehicles. However, researchers from Harvard Business Review also found that this innovative system does not solely account for Toyota's success. They believe the company is successful because it creates contradictions and paradoxes in many aspects of organizational life.