News

Opinion: Finding an Economic Model for High-tech, Efficient Healthcare

Submitted January 14, 2013 - 11:00

A nagging issue for healthcare reformers is the disincentive for many providers to adopt innovative approaches to care that improve health and cut costs. If you're paid a fee for each service you provide in your office, why would you invest in technologies and procedures that led to fewer billable services? One reason is to achieve better results, and that's good enough for some providers. But the Medicare program is supplying another rationale. It started cracking down last year on hospitals that readmit too many patients soon after discharging them.

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Hospitals Get Tough on Workers Refusing Flu Shots

Submitted January 14, 2013 - 10:48

Patients can refuse a flu shot. Should doctors and nurses have that right, too? That is the thorny question surfacing as U.S. hospitals increasingly crack down on employees who won't get flu shots, with some workers losing their jobs over their refusal.

"Where does it say that I am no longer a patient if I'm a nurse," wondered Carrie Calhoun, a longtime critical care nurse in suburban Chicago who was fired last month after she refused a flu shot.

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Illinois Medical Society, State Feud Over Licensing Woes

Submitted January 11, 2013 - 13:59

The state of Illinois has informed new and transferring doctors to expect delays in issuing their medical licenses and says it's all the Illinois State Medical Society's fault - while the physicians' group argues that the state's improper use of cash collected from medical license fees is to blame.

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Flu Season Invades Arizona; 1,137 Cases Confirmed in AZ

Submitted January 11, 2013 - 13:56

Arizona is in the grip of a widespread early flu season that could worsen in the coming weeks, public-health officials and doctors say.

The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 1,137 cases of lab-confirmed influenza from the Sept. 30 start of flu season through last week, compared with 26 cases through the same week one year ago. The flu outbreak is gaining momentum, with 283 confirmed cases in just the past week.

Public-health officials, well-aware of the severe outbreak on the East Coast, fear the seasonal illness may worsen here, too.

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Physician-owned Practices Crack Down on Costs

Submitted January 10, 2013 - 11:04

Physician-owned practices are keeping a tight rein on costs, with the amount of money spent per doctor in operating expenses going up only 1.3% from 2010 to 2011, according to data released Dec. 12, 2012, by MGMA-ACMPE.

“For the private practice physician, keeping costs down is a matter of survival,” said Kenneth Hertz, principal with MGMA Health Care Consulting Group. “Private practices have to be extraordinarily vigilant about costs.”

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Organized Medicine Urges CMS to Halt ICD-10 Switch

Submitted January 10, 2013 - 10:58

The mandated transition in late 2014 to new diagnosis codes used for billing medical services will be a significant burden for physician practices and cause many to go out of business, the American Medical Association and scores of other organized medicine groups stated in a Dec. 20, 2012, letter.

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New Physician Faces in Congress

Submitted January 10, 2013 - 10:53

The 113th Congress has begun with the same number of physician lawmakers as the previous Congress: 20. But there are two new faces in that contingent on Capitol Hill — both Democrats.

That shift doubles the number of Democrats in the House of Representatives who place MDs after their names. In addition to the four Democratic physicians in the House, 13 Republican physicians serve in the House, and three GOP physicians serve in the Senate.

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Mountain Vista Medical Center Receives Get With The Guidelines-Silver Quality Achievement Award

Submitted January 10, 2013 - 09:47

Photo caption (left to right): Ryan Herold, stroke coordinator, Mountain Vista; Jim Prohaska, RN, director of emergency services, Mountain Vista; Ron Loomis, regional director, American Heart and Stroke Association; Tony Marinello, CEO, Mountain Vista; Scott Smith, mayor, City of Mesa; Yasir Shareef, D.O., neurologist, Mountain Vista. 

Mountain Vista Medical Center was recently presented with the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines®–Stroke Silver Quality Achievement Award. The award recognizes Mountain Vista Medical Center’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of stroke care by ensuring that stroke patients receive treatment according to nationally accepted standards and recommendations.

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Planning Your ICD-10 Transition Activities for 2013

Submitted January 10, 2013 - 09:44

The year 2013 brings two crucial ICD-10 transition milestones for providers:

  • April 1, 2013: Testing ICD-10 with colleagues/staff within your practice
  • October 1, 2013: Testing ICD-10 with business trading partners like payers, clearinghouses, and billing services

Review your ICD-10 timeline and make sure you are on track to meet these milestones.

Jump-starting Your Transition
To prepare for testing, be sure you have completed the following activities:

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Commonwealth Proposals Include National Health Spending Target

Submitted January 10, 2013 - 09:31

Health policy experts with the Commonwealth Fund urged Congress to set a national target for health spending not to exceed per capita growth of the gross domestic product as part of a plan to improve U.S. healthcare quality and reduce health spending.

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