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Physician Practice Advisor

Issue 52, December 27, 2006

• New database allows for geographic insurance-cost comparison

  A new federal database created by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) allows...

• Males just 5% of total nurse population in United States, survey reveals

  Men represent just 5.7% of the total U.S. nurse workforce, according to the 2006 Survey of Men in...

• AMA releases tips for a healthy 2007

  "The start of another new year provides us with an opportunity to reflect on the past 12 months and...

Issue 51, December 20, 2006

• Survey shows improper medication use reaching crisis proportions

  Nearly 75% of consumers admit they do not always take their prescription medications as directed...

• Patient's broad definition of 'errors' can undermine satisfaction

  Patient opinion of what constitutes a medical error is much broader than traditional clinical...

• Poll: Employer-sponsored coverage meeting needs of U.S. adults

  Most adults (89%) with employer-sponsored health insurance felt very or somewhat confident that...

Issue 50, December 13, 2006

• Congress halts 5% Medicare cut for physician services

  After several worrisome weeks since the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released its...

• Larger medical groups may deliver better care

  Primary care practices with more doctors scored higher on four of six measures of quality than...

• IHI launches campaign to reduce medical harm

  The Institute for Healthcare Improvement has announced a national campaign to reduce incidents of...

Issue 49, December 6, 2006

• Consumers value quality information over cost data

  Consumers value quality information over cost data when it comes to making key decisions about...

• Physician reinstated in PPO after three-year legal battle

  An arbiter has ordered a preferred provider organization (PPO) in New Jersey to reinstate a...

• Hospital-physician rift leads to ’medical arms race’

  Deteriorating relations between hospitals and physicians is increasing competition and leading to a...

Issue 47, November 22, 2006

• U.S. employees switch from HMOs to PPOs

  U.S. employees are abandoning health maintenance organizations (HMOs) in record numbers, often...

• Physicians rate involvement in public roles as important

  Approximately two-thirds of physicians participate in activities such as community outreach...

• Employers call on hospitals to waive costs for "never" events

  A group of large U.S. employers has called on hospitals to apologize and waive costs for "never...

Issue 45, November 8, 2006

• CMS cuts physician payments by 5% in 2007 Fee Schedule

  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a final rule that will update...

• Clical IT gap grows between small and large practices

  Smaller practices continue to lag behind larger practices when it comes to the availability of...

• Majority of HMOs have pay-for-performance programs

  More than half of the nation’s HMOs used pay-for-performance programs in their contracts with...

• Medical boards look to ease license portability

  The Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) hopes to ease license portability for physicians...

• Study reveals little cost variation in outpatient settings

  A new study reveals little difference between the cost and quality of three different procedures...

• Minority medical students report lower satisfaction

  Minority students report less personal satisfaction during medical school than nonminority...

Issue 44, November 1, 2006

• Physicians report low morale, consider leaving medicine

  Physicians say they are burned out, according to the 2006 American College of Physician Executives...

• Medical liability insurance rates stabilizing

  Medical malpractice insurance rates are stabilizing after skyrocketing in the early 2000s...

• Physicians win two major legal victories in Florida

  Physicians won two significant legal victories in Florida this month that allow them to sue health...

Issue 43, October 25, 2006

• CCHIT certifies 11 ambulatory EHR products

  The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT) has approved 11 new...

• Medical journals influence how physicians practice

  Research in prominent medical publications may have a widespread effect on how physicians practice...

• Screening after-hours calls may result in medical errors

  Screening after-hours calls to physicians may result in preventable medical errors, suggests a...

Issue 42, October 18, 2006

• CMS to test pay for performance in small practices

  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced plans for a new demonstration...

• Survey: HIPAA compliance remains low

  HIPAA compliance is still low, and has stalled in many areas since last winter, according to a...

• Survey reveals double-digit increases for nine specialties 2004-2006

  Overall physician compensation remained relatively stable, but nine specialties garnered...

Issue 41, October 11, 2006

• Physicians fail to communicate medication information

  Physicians often fail to communicate critical elements of medication use and do not regularly...

• Supreme Court refuses to hear HIPAA consent case

  The United States Supreme Court on October 2 refused to hear Citizens for Health v. Michael O...

• Record number of flu vaccines available this season

  A record number-at least 100 million vaccines-of flu vaccines will be available this year the...

Issue 40, October 4, 2006

• OIG releases 2007 Work Plan

  The Office of Inspector General (OIG) released its Work Plan earlier than usual this year, on...

• Diagnostic errors leading cause of malpractice

  Diagnostic errors are the leading cause of adverse events cited in malpractice claims, according to...

• Study calls for 39% more family physicians by 2020

  A new work force report approved by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Congress of...

Issue 39, September 27, 2006

• Only one in four physicians communicates via e-mail

  Roughly one in four physicians (24%) used e-mail to communicate clinical issues to patients between...

• New York doctors’ group sues two insurers, charging coercion

  The statewide trade group for physicians in New York has filed a class action lawsuit against...

• Study: Too many physicians involved in care leads to more errors

  Elderly patients who see several physicians are more likely to experience a medication error than...

Issue 38, September 20, 2006

• CMS: Majority satisfied with contractor-provider relationship

  The majority of Medicare healthcare providers are satisfied with the customer service, claims...

• Aetna to reward physicians for good care

  Connecticut-based health insurer Aetna, Inc. has announced plans to join Bridges to Excellence, a...

• IMGs fill vacant primary care residency slots

  International medical graduates (IMGs) are increasingly filling primary care residency slots as...

Issue 37, September 13, 2006

• Medicare cuts may force practices to limit patients

  Thirty-nine percent of medical group practices said they may be forced to limit the number of...

• Efficiency, convenience top concerns for EHR adopters

  Eighty-two percent of physician practices cited efficiency and convenience as top factors driving...

• CMS launches program to improve physician-hospital collaboration

  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced a three-year demonstration program...

Issue 36, September 6, 2006

• CMS announces plan to improve QIO oversight

  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a plan to enhance oversight and...

• Survey: Compensation up, profits down for many specialties

  In 2005, 89% of medical specialties saw increases in compensation, with an overall average increase...

• Physician attire affects patient trust

  A physician’s attire may significantly affect his or her patients’ confidence and...

Issue 35, August 30, 2006

• Medicare to hold provider payments for nine days

  Congress has approved a Medicare "holiday" during which physicians, hospitals, and other providers...

• CMS posts payment information for ASC procedures

  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has posted online Medicare payment information...

• Bush signs healthcare transparency executive order

  President Bush has signed an executive order that forces healthcare providers and insurers across...

Issue 34, August 23, 2006

• Many physicians taking no new Medicaid patients

  The proportion of physicians accepting Medicaid patients has decreased slightly over the past...

• Monthly Part D premiums lower than initial estimates

  Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in the Part D prescription drug program will pay an average monthly...

• Americans reluctant to embrace healthcare consumerism

  Americans spend twice as much time researching car and computer purchases than they do when...

Issue 33, August 16, 2006

• Medicare proposal cuts physician payment by 5.1% in 2007

  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a proposed rule for the 2007...

• Physicians more likely to disclose apparent medical errors

  Physicians are more likely to disclose medical errors that would be apparent to the patient, and...

• 3.4 million Medicare beneficiaries face drug coverage gap

  Roughly 3.4 million Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in Part D prescription drug coverage, or about...

Issue 32, August 9, 2006

• Executive order to establish IT, quality-measurement standards

  The Bush administration is a few weeks away from signing an executive order that will require all...

• Web site lists medical malpractice litigants

  An offshore company has begun working on a Web site-Litipages.com-that lists the names of Florida...

• Medicare growth rate decreasing

  The rate of "excess" growth in Medicare spending per beneficiary (i.e., growth beyond the combined...

Issue 29, July 19, 2006

• Younger patients less trusting of physicians

  Young patients are less likely to be satisfied with and have confidence in their physicians when...

• CMS revises guidance for national coverage determinations

  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released revised guidance for national...

• Primary care physicians disappointed in compensation

  Fifty-three percent of primary care physicians say they are disappointed with their income, but the...

Issue 28, July 12, 2006

• Medicare to offer consumer-directed health plan

  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced plans to make consumer-directed...

• CMS issues exemption to proof-of-citizenship law

  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued exemptions to regulations that took...

• Missouri passes malpractice insurance reform law

  Missouri Governor Matt Blunt has signed into law a medical malpractice insurance reform bill...

Issue 27, July 5, 2006

• Study: Ambulatory visits up 31% since 1994

  More than 1.1 billion people visited ambulatory healthcare facilities (e.g., doctors&rsquo...

• AMA releases member survey results

  The American Medical Association (AMA) has released results of its Member Connect® Survey on Annual...

• Lawsuit challenges Medicaid proof-of-citizenship law

  Nine plantiffs have filed a lawsuit against U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary...

Issue 25, June 21, 2006

• Physicians’ suit against UnitedHealth dismissed

  A federal judge has dismissed all claims against UnitedHealth Group Inc., the nation’s...

• AMA calls for a moratorium on prescription drug advertising

  The American Medical Association (AMA) has adopted a new policy calling for a temporary moratorium...

• Health IT access increases moderately

  Physician access to practice-based clinical information technology (IT) grew significantly between...

Issue 24, June 14, 2006

• AMA votes on dozens of new policies

  At the annual five-day meeting of its House of Delegates, the American Medical Association (AMA...

• AMA votes on dozens of new policies

  At the annual five-day meeting of its House of Delegates, the American Medical Association (AMA...

Issue 23, June 7, 2006

• HHS relies on voluntary compliance for HIPAA

  The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has received 19,420 grievances since 2003...

• Private payers compensate for Medicare, Medicaid cuts

  A study commissioned by Seattle-based Premera Blue Cross suggests that employers and consumers may...

• New CMS forms require NPI before 2007 deadline

  Although roughly one year remains before National Provider Identifier (NPI) use is required for all...

Issue 22, May 31, 2006

• Survey ranks health insurers’ payments to physicians

  Insurance claims-processing company Athenahealth has released a survey ranking the speed and...

• Three-fourths of insurance claims filed electronically

  Three-quarters of all health insurance claims are now filed electronically, according to a study by...

• Demand for primary care physicians on the rise

  According to a report by recruiting firm Merritt, Hawkins & Associates, recruitment of primary care...

Issue 21, May 24, 2006

• Medicare to focus on preventative services

  With the May 15 Medicare prescription drug plan enrollment deadline passed, the Centers for...

• Drexel offers mini medical school for lawyers

  Drexel University in Philadelphia is offering a new "mini medical school" designed to help trial...

• Study: One-third of medical tests are unecessary

  A new study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine suggests that one-third of...

Issue 20, May 17, 2006

• Part D initial enrollment period ends

  Medicare beneficiaries rushed to sign up for prescription drug coverage as the initial enrollment...

• Two studies shed light on malpractice costs

  Two recent studies on medical malpractice have raised new questions about the effects of...

• Virginia Web site translates healthcare phrases

  A new Virginia Department of Health Web site provides translations of common healthcare phrases...

Issue 19, May 10, 2006

• Senate rejects malpractice award caps

  The Senate on Monday rejected two Republican-backed bills dealing with malpractice damages...

• More physicians decline to participate in managed care

  The proportion of U.S. physicians who do not participate in managed care plans rose from 9.2% in...

• OIG excludes medical center due to kickback violations

  The Office of Inspector General (OIG) has notified Alvardo Hospital Medical Center and its parent...

Issue 18, May 3, 2006

• Medicare to go broke by 2018

  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its annual Medicare Trustees Report...

• Medical schools seek to increase enrollment

  Medical schools are increasingly pursuing innovative ways to boost enrollment levels to respond to...

• AMA pushes for medical liability reform

  The American Medical Association (AMA) has launched a national grassroots advertising campaign...

Issue 17, April 26, 2006

• CMS standardizes Medicare enrollment process

  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has standardized enrollment requirements for...

• Study examines racial differences in trust of physicians

  African-Americans may have lower levels of trust in physicians than whites, according to a national...

• Part D enrollment exceeds projections

  According to a press release by the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), more than 30...

Issue 16, April 19, 2006

• Study finds barriers to patient-centered care

  Only 22% of physicians effectively implement techniques necessary for delivering patient-centered...

• Florida judge rules in favor of medical staff in bylaws case

  In a ruling that the American Medical Association (AMA) called a landmark victory for physicians...

• CMS releases two NCD guidance documents

  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the first two in a series of final...

Issue 15, April 12, 2006

• CMS projects 4.6% fee reduction for 2007

  On April 7, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) sent a letter to the Medicare...

• Study: Patients rank U.S. last in healthcare

  Despite having the highest healthcare expenditures per capita, the United States ranked last...

• CMS denies request to disclose payment information

  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has denied a request by Business Roundtable...

Issue 14, April 5, 2006

• AAFP develops tools to aid PVRP

  The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) last week released a series of online tools to aid...

• Understand HIPAA’s final enforcement rule

  HCPro, Inc. is providing a free, 10-page special report on the final enforcement rule for the...

• Majorty of Kentucky physicians renew licenses online

  Nearly 65% of Kentucky physicians who renewed their professional licenses since December used a new...

Issue 13, March 29, 2006

• CMS demonstration targets disparities in cancer care

  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has selected sites for six demonstration...

• Study: Physician charity care declining

  The proportion of physicians providing charity care dropped from 76% in 1997 to to 68% in 2005...

• Three medical groups receive AMGA award

  The American Medical Group Association (AMGA) presented three medical groups with its annual...

Issue 11, March 16, 2006

• CMS warns of Medicare phone scam

  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a press release warning seniors about...

• Study: Medical groups concerned about turnover

  Medical groups are increasingly concerned about turnover and are taking steps to track it...

• Aging population, new techology spur house call comeback

  Physician house calls are making a comeback, according to a report published by the Journal of the...

Issue 10, March 8, 2006

• Senate report criticizes Medicare’s handling of complaints

  Investigators for the Senate Finance Committee harshly criticized Medicare’s process for...

• Annual medical care visits exceed one billion

  Visits to doctors’ offices, emergency rooms, and hospital outpatient departments exceed one...

• Immigrants healthier than U.S. natives despite limited access

  A study by the National Center for Health Statistics found immigrants to be healthier than U.S...

Issue 9, March 1, 2006

• Physician report calls for coordinated care

  Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions and Healthways, Inc., have released a report calling for a...

• Study: Administrative data may skew report cards

  Medical quality report cards that are based on administrative data may be subject to grade...

• Healthcare spending to double during next decade

  Healthcare spending will double to $4 trillion a year during the next decade, according to...

Issue 8, February 23, 2006

• AMA to develop measures of quality care

  The American Medical Association (AMA) has agreed to work with Congress to develop approximately...

• HHS announces Part D reimbursement program

  The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will implement a demonstration program to...

• AMA opposes physician involvement in executions

  In a press release, the American Medical Association (AMA) criticized a ruling by Judge Jeremy...

Issue 7, February 15, 2006

• CMS: 100,000 enrolled in coordinated care pilot

  In a press release last week, the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it has...

• SureScripts offers online prescription data

  SureScripts, which operates an electronic prescribing network, announced on Monday plans to provide...

• Study: Doctors lack basic knowledge of drug testing

  According to a study published in the February Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, many...

Issue 6, February 8, 2006

• 2007 budget cuts healthcare spending

  On Monday President Bush unveiled his 2007 budget proposal, which includes a reduction in the...

• CMS revises Part D cost estimates

  Medicare's new Part D drug coverage will have significantly lower premiums and lower costs to...

• Houses eliminates Medicare rate cut

  The House passed the Deficit Reduction Act for the second time last week, eliminating the 4.4...

Issue 5, February 1, 2006

• Report warns of primary care system collapse

  The number of primary care physicians (PCP) who retire currently exceeds the number of new PCPs...

• Health savings account enrollment hits 3 million

  At least 3 million Americans have enrolled in high-deductible plans sold in connection with health...

• NAHIT creates group to examine information technology

  The National Alliance for Health Information Technology (NAHIT) recently created a clinical...

Issue 4, January 25, 2006

• Supreme Court upholds physician-assisted suicide in Oregon

  The Supreme Court upheld Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act in a 6-to-3 ruling on January 17...

• MGMA kicks off National Medical Group Practice Week

  Medical groups throughout the nation celebrated the third annual National Medical Group Practice...

• Levin proposes changes to Part D

  Senator Carl Levin (D-Michigan) on Monday said that he will propose revisions to the Medicare Part...

Issue 3, January 18, 2006

• California enacts emergency prescription drug coverage

  Declaring an emergency, California health officials announced January 12 that...

• Study finds disparities, improvement in quality of care

  Although healthcare disparities are narrowing overall for many minority Americans, gaps have...

• Growth in healthcare spending declined in 2004

  According to a study by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the growth in...

Issue 2, January 11, 2006

• Medicare rate cut temporarily takes effect

  CMS released guidelines for the new Medicare physician fee schedule, which includes a 4.4% rate...

• Despite cuts, physicians still welcome Medicare patients

  The number of physicians accepting new Medicare patients increased between 2001 and 2005, despite...

• FTCR study says malpractice insurers inflated losses

  Insurance companies inflated losses by 46% on average during the mid-1980s, says the Foundation for...

Issue 1, January 4, 2006

• Part D kickoff receives mixed reviews

  According to an article in the New York Times, initial reports on the Medicare Part D prescription...

• CMS extends oncology demonstration

  The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will extend its 2005 oncology demonstration for...

• Construction boom brings high-tech, luxurious hospitals

  The U.S. is in the middle of the largest hospital-construction boom in a half-century, with...