Leading with the heart, head and hands
Leading with the heart, head and hands
Barbara Trautlein, PhD, author of "Change Intelligence: Use the Power of CQ to Lead Change that Sticks," offers a summary of the strengths and weakness of three leadership styles and provides a coaching suggestion for each. MORE

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ICD-10 deadline will hold steady June 18, 2013 | Diana Manos
ICD-10 deadline will hold steady
The cutoff for switching from the ICD-9 medical coding system to ICD-10 will remain Oct. 1, 2014, according to Farzad Mostashari, MD, the national coordinator for healthcare IT, who delivered the keynote address June 17 at the HIMSS Media ICD-10 Forum in National Harbor, Md.
Panel says Medicare unfairly penalizes hospitals serving the poor June 17, 2013 | Kaiser Health News - www.kaiserhealthnews.org
Panel says Medicare unfairly penalizes hospitals serving the poor
The financial penalties that Medicare imposes on hospitals with high rates of patient readmissions are too harsh for hospitals serving the poor and should be changed, according to a congressional advisory agency.
FDA advises cyber security for devices June 17, 2013 | Diana Manos
FDA advises cyber security for devices
In a June 13 safety communication, the Food and Drug Administration warned medical device manufacturers, hospitals, medical device user facilities, healthcare IT and procurement staff, and biomedical engineers to put safeguards in place to reduce the risk of cyber attack.
Retail clinics expected to double by 2015 June 17, 2013 | Frank Irving - Editor
Retail clinics expected to double by 2015
New research from management consulting and tech services firm Accenture finds that the very clinics once perceived as rivals by PCPs and hospitals may represent a key tool for managing patient volume while more conventional health providers focus on higher acuity and more complex treatments.
Preparedness for ICD-10 staggering June 14, 2013 | Diana Manos
The Medical Group Management Association published research June 13 that suggests overall readiness of the industry to meet the Oct. 1, 2014, ICD-10 compliance deadline continues to be a concern.
Doctors voice job unhappiness June 14, 2013 | Frank Irving - Editor
Doctors voice unhappiness with current employment
A survey of more than 3,400 doctors conducted by Jackson Healthcare found that 42 percent of practicing physicians are dissatisfied in their job. Some are thinking about leaving medicine altogether, while others are considering early retirement, according to the survey report released June 11.
Physician pay to hinge on patient say June 13, 2013 | Madelyn Kearns - Associate Editor
Report predicts physician pay will soon hinge more on patient say
The latest installment of the swooping MGMA Physician Compensation and Production Survey: 2013 Report Based on 2012 Data highlights quality and patient satisfaction as measures expected to have a considerable impact on compensation structures in the coming years.
Rule allows higher out-of-pocket spending June 12, 2013 | Kaiser Health News - www.kaiserhealthnews.org
Federal rule allows higher out-of-pocket spending
Starting next year, the Affordable Care Act sets maximum limits on how much consumers can be required to pay out-of-pocket annually for their medical care. But some people with high drug costs may find the limits don't protect them yet. That's because the federal government is giving some health plans extra time to comply with the rules.

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Leading with the heart, head and hands June 18, 2013 | Frank Irving - Editor
Leading with the heart, head and hands
Barbara Trautlein, PhD, author of "Change Intelligence: Use the Power of CQ to Lead Change that Sticks," offers a summary of the strengths and weakness of three leadership styles and provides a coaching suggestion for each.
CMS' Rob Anthony answers questions on payment adjustments June 18, 2013 | Frank Irving - Editor
CMS' Rob Anthony answers questions on payment adjustments
Medicare eligible professionals who do not demonstrate meaningful use for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program may be subject to a payment adjustment beginning Jan. 1, 2015. This Q&A with the deputy director of the HIT Initiatives Group at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services explores what you should know about payment adjustments -- and how to avoid them.
How to Win at AdWords June 14, 2013 | David S. Brooks - Vice President, Client Services, Doctor.com
David Brooks
[Sponsored Content] Every practice owner who's tried Google AdWords has heard a horror story about someone spending thousands of dollars and getting nothing. The fact is that pay-per-click (PPC) marketing is extremely expensive only if you do it wrong. Here are six important concepts to follow when setting up your PPC campaign.
New FAQs address ICD-10 billing concerns June 13, 2013 | Frank Irving - Editor
New FAQs address ICD-10 billing concerns
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has posted new entries on its FAQ website regarding the submission of ICD-10 claims around the Oct. 1, 2014, deadline. The FAQs update previous information, according to CMS, and explain how to split claims for services that span the transition date.
Practice integration: 'No obstacles' June 13, 2013 | MedAxiom
Practice integration: 'No obstacles in our way'
Paul Freier, MD, FACC, explains that his 15-physician cardiology practice sets its own daily work schedule two years after integration with Adventist Health Midwest System. "I think, for the most part, this is the model," he observes.
Countering declining reimbursement rates June 12, 2013 | Salvador Lopez - Content Writer, CareCloud
How to counter declining reimbursement rates
While there isn't much you can do to stop reimbursement cuts, a proactive approach will help you negate the potentially disastrous effects of declining reimbursement rates. Here are several approaches to consider.
Resources for 2013 Stage 1 changes June 10, 2013 | Frank Irving - Editor
Resources available for 2013 Stage 1 changes
On Jan. 1, 2013, several changes went into effect for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs' Stage 1 meaningful use objectives, measures and exclusions. According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which administers the programs, some of the changes are optional, but others are mandatory. Here's a recap of where to look for more information.
5 avenues to ACO prosperity June 07, 2013 | Kevin Fuller - New Media Producer at MedTech Media
In an effort to become more transparent and accountable while offering the best care possible, healthcare providers are aligning to form accountable care organizations, which aim to use reliable and progressively more sophisticated performance measurements to support improvement and provide confidence that savings are achieved through improvements in care.

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June 20th @ 2PM ET -- How to Secure Patient Data: Understanding EHRs, HIPAA and the Cloud May 23, 2013 | Resource Central
Join Intel and CareCloud for a “how-to” webinar on practical strategies and best practices for securing sensitive data, moving from in-house EHR to cloud-based EHR, and unlocking the security, scalability and cost-saving benefits of more agile cloud solutions.
Enhancing Cash Collections and Internal Controls May 21, 2013 | PhysBizTech staff
As payment responsibility shifts from payers to patients, providers must institute proper collections practices and strengthen internal controls. The success of physician practice acquisitions often hinges on how these initial decisions are handled. This white paper examines the issues affecting these decisions and includes insights from several industry veterans whose areas of expertise focus on physician practice acquisitions.
Collect More from Patients without Hurting Satisfaction May 21, 2013 | PhysBizTech staff
Recent estimates say that as much as 30% of all provider revenue is coming out of patients’ own pockets. And thanks to higher-deductibles plans, a greater number of uninsured patients, and larger co-pays, more of that money owed is not delivered to providers. Getting reimbursements from patients is one of the biggest challenges hospitals face and it’s only made worse by their fear of hurting patient satisfaction and retention. Read about these 3 keys to success that can create results that are beneficial for both providers and their patients.
Rescue Your Revenues with Coding, Compliancy, and Reimbursement Management Tools May 21, 2013 | PhysBizTech staff
Medical coding is continuously changing. With so many different references and amendments to programs like Medicare, it has become harder for claims to be assessed properly. Often many physicians forgo thousands of dollars in reimbursements due to billing errors. Coding, compliancy and reimbursement management tools offer workflow-consistent claims management that enables practices to rescue reimbursements.
The VNA Strategy: Balancing Workflow and Enterprise Imaging Management April 16, 2013 | Resource Central
As healthcare providers implement health IT to comply with federal mandates and participate in quality of care programs, VNA solutions can play a critical role in helping them meet their needs today and in their future IT initiatives. Forward-thinking healthcare providers around the world are already successfully meeting this challenge with VNA. Download this Healthcare IT News eBook to learn how VNA enables exchange, supports data consolidation and IT simplification.
Saving Private Practice: The Front Office April 03, 2013 | Resource Central
20 million newly-insured patients will enter the healthcare system by 2014 as a result of the Affordable Care Act. 80% of these newly-insured patients are deemed “High Risk” for non-payment. As a practitioner, you cannot afford inefficient front office processes. In this webinar, learn about the changing healthcare landscape, how it may affect you, and best practices for ensuring you receive payment.
Navigating the Path to a Successful ICD-10 Implementation January 28, 2013 | Resource Central
Over the last few years, all healthcare organizations – from payers to vendors to providers – have gone through the rollercoaster ride of preparing for ICD-10 then stopping or slowing down due to deadline delays. Now that the deadline is officially set, every organization needs to focus on their implementation plans to ensure they are prepared. So where should your practice start? This free white paper will provide you with the details you need to: • Build a successful and strategic implementation team • Conduct documentation reviews and gap analyses • Develop an implementation timeline A successful ICD-10 transition will not happen overnight, but with thoughtful planning it will be easier to manage.
Achieving Meaningful Use in Private Practice: A close examination of Stage 2 requirements November 28, 2012 | Resource Central
As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the Federal Government laid the groundwork for the nationwide implementation of electronic health records (EHR) systems as a measure to improve patient care, reduce healthcare costs, and increase the level of overall public health. The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) program requires providers to demonstrate meaningful use (MU) of an electronic health record system to be eligible for monetary incentives. The implementation of EHR and compliance with meaningful use regulations, should be a top priority for all eligible healthcare professionals (EPs).

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When will the data tsunami turn into a windfall for patients? June 17, 2013 | Dave Lareau - CEO of Medicomp Systems
Dave Lareau
While we toss our patient-level data into a huge pool, we have to be able to retrieve it on a patient level and deliver it to the clinician as structured versus unstructured data that can be easily accessed and used as well.
The 4 C's of the MBA: Worth the price? June 14, 2013 | Arlen Meyers - CEO, Society of Physician Entrepreneurs
Arlen Meyers
Before you invest the time, effort and money enrolling in an MBA program, ask yourself the following questions.
Not all clouds are created equal June 11, 2013 | Kurt Hagerman - Director of Information Security at FireHost
Kurt Hagerman
With a cloud stack designed to meet the specific needs of the healthcare industry, you can optimize your EMR/EHR system, improve medical billing, enhance patient outcomes, satisfy compliance regulations and more.
Planning a career transition June 06, 2013 | Arlen Meyers - CEO, Society of Physician Entrepreneurs
Arlen Meyers
Doctors who are contemplating a switch to bio-innovation and entrepreneurship have several options, including creating their own company, consulting, working with industry or becoming a service provider to life science entrepreneurs.
Policy recommendations on quality measurement: my reactions June 05, 2013 | David Williams - Health Business Blog
David Williams
Do these esteemed health experts choose their own providers based just on the "organization" or do they do what I and everyone I know does, which is to give considerable weight to the individual physician they are going to see?
Doctor Scum Bag June 04, 2013 | Rob Lamberts, MD
Rob Lamberts
Our system of "healthcare" doesn’t just fail to counter the flaws of our nature; it actively promotes bad relationships.
5 lessons healthcare can learn from project management June 03, 2013 | David Lee Scher, MD
David Lee Scher
Much of what I did as a practicing physician fit into standard practice management (PM) teaching. However, it helps to frame a discussion around PM today in the context of healthcare, because of how fragmented care delivery is.
Working May 28, 2013 | Rob Lamberts, MD
Rob Lamberts
After fighting valiantly against the idea for the first two months, I succumbed to the necessity of building my own IT system and have been seeing the many benefits of that decision.

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VentureHealth Launches New Model for Funding Healthcare Innovations May 20, 2013 | Industry Release
VentureHealth, an online healthcare investment portal for accredited investors, today announced a new model for equity crowdfunding. Focused on innovations that dramatically improve clinical outcomes, VentureHealth is the first equity crowdfunding portal founded by professional investors.
Kareo Raises $20.5 Million to Fuel Rapid Growth January 23, 2013 | Industry Release
Kareo, Inc., a cloud-based medical office software provider for small medical practices, announced today the closing of a new $20.5 million equity investment led by Stripes Group with participation from existing Kareo investor Western Technology Investments. This new funding is in addition to the $18 million previously raised, bringing Kareo’s total funding to more than $38 million. Kareo will use the new capital to launch Kareo Billing Services, a technology-enabled revenue cycle management solution for small medical practices, and is extending its market reach and leadership position through new investment in sales and marketing.
COLA to offer lab quality program to American College of Physicians January 10, 2013 | Industry Release
COLA, a laboratory accreditor, today announced an agreement with the American College of Physicians (ACP) to promote a program of laboratory excellence to ACP members. The joint initiative is designed to assist Patient-Centered Medical Home practices in delivering quality and value-driven laboratory medicine to their patients through a new COLA laboratory recognition program, called Patient-Centered Laboratory Excellence (PCLE).
QuantiaMD Announces New Executive Appointments January 09, 2013 | Industry Release
QuantiaMD, the largest online physician community and collaboration platform, has appointed Daniel Malloy to the role of Senior Vice President, bringing deep payer, health system and life sciences expertise to the company’s leadership team. In addition, current QuantiaMD President, Mike Coyne, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer. Eric Schultz, QuantiaMD’s founder and current CEO, has been appointed Executive Chairman.
Voalte Chief Nursing Officer Named Nebraska Nurses Association President January 08, 2013 | Industry Release
Voalte, a provider in clinical communication technology, announced that the company’s chief nursing officer, Dr. Teresa Anderson, was recently inducted as President of the Nebraska Nurses Association, an organization that represents more than 25,000 nurses in the state. Voalte congratulates Dr. Anderson on this prestigious appointment for the 2013-2014 term.
Navicure Named 2012 Best in KLAS for the Claims and Clearinghouse Services Market Segment for Third Time in Five Years January 02, 2013
Navicure, an Internet-based medical claims clearinghouse for physician practices, today announced that it has been named “Best in KLAS” for the claims and clearinghouse services market segment as part of the 2012 Best in KLAS Awards: Software & Services report. KLAS seeks to improve healthcare technology delivery through honest, accurate and impartial measurement of vendor services.
Voalte Executive Wins Florida Governor’s Innovators in Business Award December 11, 2012 | Industry Release
Voalte’s founder and Vice President of Innovation Trey Lauderdale was honored by the Governor of Florida Monday for his role in helping transform clinical communications.
digiChart Names Harry Jacobson, M.D., as New Board Chairman November 14, 2012 | Industry Release
digiChart, Inc. today announced that Harry Jacobson, M.D., has been named the new chairman of digiChart’s board of directors. digiChart is a national provider of specialty-specific electronic health record (EHR) and practice management system (PMS) solutions for OB-GYN practices. Dr. Jacobson replaces digiChart’s former chairman, G. William Bates, M.D., M.B.A., who has been named chairman emeritus of the company.

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ZirMed Fact of the Month

Average time to submit charges by specialty

Click here to see the expanded table. Data provided by Revenue Cycle Management Company ZirMed.

Slideshow: Physician Practice Demographics from SK&A Research

Research firm SK&A maintains a database of more than 2 million healthcare practitioners. This slideshow presents snapshots of U.S. physician practice demographics, based on reports published by SK&A between June 2011 and January 2012.
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