Business

Doctors look to traditional MBA programs July 22, 2013 | Kaiser Health News - www.kaiserhealthnews.org

Business training for doctors has been growing steadily since the late 1990s when University of California Irvine became one of the first medical schools to offer a joint MD/MBA program, as well as a healthcare-specific executive MBA. Now more than 50 percent of medical schools offer the joint degree.

Nurse practitioners gaining autonomy July 19, 2013 | Kaiser Health News - www.kaiserhealthnews.org

At least 17 states now allow nurse practitioners to work without a supervising physician, and lawmakers in five big states are considering similar measures.

Infographic: Physician compensation July 19, 2013 | Betsy Caron - Web Producer

Income is up, frustration still exists, and healthcare reform is making a definite impact on physician practices. In a 2013 survey conducted by Medscape, doctors revealed the number of hours worked, changes to their practice, and satisfaction with their compensation and the practice of medicine. Take a look at this infographic for some highlights from the survey.

Apps will help physicians track payments July 18, 2013 | Frank Irving - Editor

The free apps for iOS and Android platforms are part of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' OPEN PAYMENTS program, which is intended to create transparency about financial transactions between doctors, teaching hospitals, drug and device manufacturers, and other healthcare businesses, the agency explained.

CMS quantifies how EHRs improve care July 18, 2013 | Mike Miliard - Managing Editor

Since 2011, according to the agency, providers have checked drug and medication interactions to ensure patient safety more than 40 million times through the use of EHRs. Providers have also shared more than 4.3 million care summaries with other providers when patients moved between care settings.

Cancer pain management gears up for serious gains by 2019 July 17, 2013 | Madelyn Kearns - Associate Editor

Cancer pain regimens and the revenue that accompanies them are on the fast track to the pinnacle of care demand, with sales expected to total $7 billion by 2019 according to the latest report from GBI Research.

Liberating data through HIE technology July 17, 2013 | Frank Irving - Editor

Daniel Newman, MD, chief medical information officer at technology integration firm MEDfx, recognizes health information exchange as "a laudable goal" in terms of everyday communications, but he emphasizes that it's really part of a bigger issue: making data useful to clinicians. PhysBizTech recently caught up with Newman for further discussion of HIE as it applies to the small-practice environment.

Repository will help value IT investments July 16, 2013 | Diana Manos

HIMSS repository will help evaluate IT investments

The Health IT Value Suite classifies, quantifies and articulates the clinical, financial and business impact of health IT investments. It also offers examples that help stakeholders -- from providers to policymakers to payers to influencers -- analyze performance across numerous factors.

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Leading with the heart, head and hands June 18, 2013 | Frank Irving - Editor

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

Q&A with CMS' Rob Anthony June 18, 2013 | Frank Irving - Editor

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. Rob Anthony, CMS' deputy director of the HIT Initiatives Group, explains 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

[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

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

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

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

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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Enhancing Cash Collections and Internal Controls April 10, 2012 | Resource Central

Healthcare co-payments now account for 20% of total revenue in the typical physician practice, but providers who have not adopted the current set of industry best practices generally only collect 50-60% of these payments. By implementing the best practices in this whitepaper, healthcare providers can increase collection rates to over 90% and decrease billing expenses, both of which contribute to wider operating margins and a healthier bottom line.

Physician Quality Reporting System Best Practices: Maximizing Medicare Reimbursements April 10, 2012 | Resource Central

As healthcare expenditures continue to rise, politicians and employers have sought after ways to slow the growth of healthcare expenses and the budget shortfalls which accompany these increases. While most solutions proposed to fix America's healthcare crisis have been met with intense debate and criticism, virtually all parties agree that efforts to improve prevention and the quality of care delivered are crucial for the success of any reform. In 2007, CMS took its first step towards “pay for performance” reimbursements by launching the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS). In this whitepaper, you will learn about the PQRS program and best practices for participation.

Key Metrics in Revenue Cycle Management: Measurements that Ensure Peak Financial Performance April 01, 2012 | Resource Central

While cash flow is the most common metric practices use to determine financial health – it isn’t the only one that should be monitored. There are other key metrics that are just as important for guaranteeing revenue cycle success. Being proactive about measuring and monitoring these important additional key metrics can help you catch costly errors so your practice can enjoy fewer denials, faster payments and greater profitability. Download this free resource guide to learn more!

Post-Acquisition Physician Practice Billing Strategies March 20, 2012 | Resource Central

Ten considerations when deciding if hospital-owned physician practices should maintain independent billing solutions and processes.

Integrating Faxes into Today's World of Healthcare e-Records March 19, 2012 | Resource Central

This white paper examines the obstacles preventing the move away from fax machines, and the benefits of having a communications system that integrates faxed documents into healthcare systems and solutions.

Making (the most) of Technology Transitions: EHR imperatives and opportunities in today's medical practice March 19, 2012 | Resource Central

Medical practices have been contemplating the prospect of moving from paper-based records to electronic health record (EHR) systems for decades. But relatively few have begun taking steps to make the transition – until now. This white paper examines the factors that have kept many medical practices from moving forward with EHR over the years and the factors that are prompting action today; explains some of the technological requirements of making the transition to EHR and how to begin to meet them; and explores the significant operational, clinical and administrative benefits to be gained in the process.

Selecting the Right EHR for the Life of your Practice and Your Patients March 19, 2012 | Resource Central

If we are at or approaching a technological tipping point in the history of healthcare, then it has never been more important for physician practices to select the right electronic health record (EHR) – and there are tangible reasons to believe so. This whitepaper comments on recent customer surveys, and discusses foundational criteria for selecting the right EHR solution, determining your “game plan” and the process for assessment and selection. Justin Barnes is chairman emeritus of the national Electronic Health Record Association (EHR Association), and is vice president of marketing, industry affairs and government affairs for Greenway Medical Technologies, Inc.

3 Steps to Faster EMR Adoption with Desktop Virtualization & SSO March 19, 2012 | Resource Central

The Meaningful Use objectives in the HITECH Act are creating new urgency for hospitals and other healthcare provider organizations to implement EHR and CPOE systems. This white paper outlines three key steps that your organization can take to accelerate EHR and CPOE adoption. Read on to discover out how the combination of desktop virtualization and single sign-on make it faster and easier to deploy new clinical applications while optimizing the clinician experience, protecting patient data, and reducing cost and complexity.

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Policy recommendations on quality measurement: my reactions June 05, 2013 | David Williams - Health Business Blog

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

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

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

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.

Apparently the HIPAA 5010 transition isn't over May 23, 2013 | Carl Natale - ICD10Watch

It surprises me that more than a year after the HIPAA 5010 deadline, some healthcare providers are figuring out that they can't rely on clearinghouses.

Wanted: Entrepreneurial business models for doctors May 22, 2013 | David Williams - Health Business Blog

I believe many physicians would like to work for themselves if there were a viable way to make it happen.

The big data bubble May 20, 2013 | Arlen Meyers - CEO, Society of Physician Entrepreneurs

Most doctors need targeted, small bits of information to make clinical decisions, not reams of data.

On EHR data integrity: A patient's perspective May 17, 2013 | Deborah Kohn - Principal and Founder, Dak Systems Consulting

It's time our industry professionals address the integrity of information contained in EHRs, not just the technical and operational mechanisms for the sending and receiving of the information.

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Group Health and Providence announce creation of a new integrated physician organization August 03, 2012 | Industry Release

Providence Health Care (PHC) and Group Health Cooperative have signed an agreement to form a new jointly owned company that will create the region's most comprehensive physician organization. The new organization will work with other health insurance companies and health care purchasers to manage care for patients across the region with more coordinated, seamless and affordable care.

New study finds use of generic prescription drugs saved U.S. health care system $1 trillion over past decade August 03, 2012 | Industry Release

The Generic Pharmaceutical Association (GPhA) released an independently conducted analysis showing that the savings to consumers and the U.S. health care system from the use of generic prescription drugs has risen to a current rate of $1 billion every other day — totaling $193 billion in 2011 and more than $1 trillion over the last 10 years(2002-2011).

Enthusiasm builds for Hello Health’s electronic medical revenue platform August 01, 2012 | Industry Release

Hello Health announced it has signed 20 new practices to the Hello Health Electronic Medical Revenue Platform increasing the number of patients able to subscribe to the Platform by more than 30,000.

O-HITEC's experience with Oregon medical providers and EHR adoption confirms GAO report July 31, 2012 | Industry Release

Over the past two years, Oregon's Health Information Technology Extension Center (O-HITEC) has been working with Oregon healthcare providers to overcome the challenges of adopting and implementing electronic health records (EHRs).

Could struggling primary care physicians undermine ACA? July 31, 2012 | Industry Release

26% of primary care physicians report poor financial health in the most recent QuantiaMD Physician Wellbeing Index. This financial instability, coupled with mounting professional challenges, and a dearth of incentives, are major factors driving new physicians away from primary care and into more lucrative subspecialties. This trend is especially worrying at a time when key aspects of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) rely heavily on primary care physicians for success.

Alpha II announces contract with iMed software to provide E&M generation technology July 31, 2012 | Industry Release

Alpha II, a leader in healthcare coding, compliance and reimbursement, announced today that iMed Software of Lafayette, La. has selected Alpha II’s CodeWizard software to ensure accurate coding and compliance. Alpha II’s technology has been integrated with iMedEMR to generate evaluation and management (E&M) codes to deliver a more decisive calculation based on history, exam and medical decision making information obtained from medical records.

Ericksson Physician search notices trend in doctor relocation July 31, 2012 | Industry Release

An Atlanta-based physician search firm has seen a new trend emerge concerning why doctors choose to relocate. Ericksson Physician Search teamed with the American Medical Group Association (AMGA) earlier this year to conduct their inaugural study of "Top Motivators for Physician Relocation."

GNAX Health, Acuo Technologies and Client Outlook announce healthcare IT alliance July 27, 2012 | Industry Release

GNAX Health, Acuo Technologies and Client Outlook, have announced the formation of a new strategic alliance to provide an integrated and simplified solution for medical image access, exchange and management.

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Slideshow: Physician Practice Demographics from SK&A Research

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