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Physician Practice Advisor

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Issue 22, May 30, 2007

• Editor's note about PPA

  Beginning June 7, readers of PPA will instead receive Physician Leaders, which will provide you...

• Physicians, legislators oppose pharmaceutical data mining

  More than a dozen states have considered legislation to curtail drugmakers' common practice of...

• AMA launches new online tool to help physicians improve the quality of care

  The American Medical Association (AMA) has launched AMA Therapeutic Insights, an online...

• CMS could identify inefficient physicians by mid-2008

  The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) may have the ability to identify and target...

Issue 21, May 23, 2007

• MGMA profiles OB/GYN, anesthesia, and pediatric practice costs

  The Medical Group Management Association has released specialty-specific cost survey reports for...

• North Carolina lawyers, doctors agree on malpractice cap

  In a turnaround from previous years, North Carolina’s doctors and lawyers have agreed to...

• Report: U.S. healthcare expensive, inefficient

  Americans pay more but receive less when it comes to healthcare compared to their counterparts in...

Issue 20, May 16, 2007

• Study finds discrepancy between physicians' attitudes, actions regarding medical

  A University of Iowa study has revealed a possible gap in physicians' attitudes about disclosing...

• Hospital CEOs concerned about physician and nurse shortages

  More than two-thirds of hospital CEOs view physician shortages as a serious problem, and more than...

• IRS ruling allows hospitals to help doctors with EHR adoption

  An IRS memo has made it clear that not-for-profit hospitals can help subsidize the cost of...

Issue 19, May 9, 2007

• Study examines physicians’ relationships with pharmaceutical industry

  Almost 95% of physicians in the United States accept free gifts, such as food, beverages, drug...

• Senate considers withholding payments to physicians who owe taxes

  The Senate is considering legislation aimed at withholding payments to doctors and other healthcare...

• Physicians rank Cigna as top health insurer

  Physicians ranked Cigna Healthcare UnitedHealth as the best overall payer among the seven largest...

Issue 18, May 2, 2007

• Communication barriers cost practices $19,000 annually

  A recent study presented at the American College of Physicians' annual meeting found that treating...

• Federal contracts may reward physicians for EHR use

  The American Health Information Community (AHIC), a high-level Health and Human Services Department...

• Physicians generate $1.5 million annually for their affiliated hospitals

  Physicians on average generate $1,496,432 in net revenue a year on behalf of their affiliated...

Issue 17, April 25, 2007

• Survey: Healthcare employers say retaining employees is harder than last year

  About one-third of healthcare employers (34%) say it's harder to retain employees this year...

• Juries tend to favor physicians in liability cases

  Juries seem to have more sympathy for doctors than they do for patients who allege medical...

• New IPPS proposal requires disclosure of physician ownership in hospitals

  On April 13, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) posted its annual proposed update...

Issue 16, April 18, 2007

• Study: Erratic scheduling main cause of physician burnout

  The lack of control over scheduling or the number of hours worked per week is the greatest cause of...

• CMS launches e-learning tool to aid in technology adoption

  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has launched the Doctor's Office Quality...

• Study identifies seven traits of satisfied patients

  Seven specific characteristics related to communication and follow-up care can determine whether a...

• Part D and Medicare reimbursement's impact on physician practices

  **TAKE OUR SURVEY**

Issue 15, April 11, 2007

• CMS releases 74 measures for quality-reporting initiative

  The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has posted detailed specifications for 74...

• Part D and Medicare Reimbursement's Impact on Physician Practices

  Part D and Medicare reimbursement's impact on physician practices

• Many physicians do not consider patients' out-of-pocket costs

  Many physicians do not routinely consider insured patients' out-of-pocket costs when recommending...

• One in 10 turn to clinics instead of physicians

  One in 10 users of retail health clinics say they're more likely to turn to their local pharmacy...

Issue 14, April 4, 2007

• CMS announces NPI contingency period

  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will not enforce the May 23 deadline for...

• HealthGrades launches database of physician malpractice records

  HealthGrades, a healthcare ratings company, has launched the first national online database of...

• Physicians launch medical version of Wikipedia

  Four physicians at Cleveland Clinic have launched a collaborative online collection of medical...

• Physician office therapeutic decisions annual survey

  Please take a moment to fill out this survey on the impact of Medicare on physician therapeutic...

Issue 13, March 28, 2007

• CMS extends timetable for final Stark rule by one year

  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will extend its timeline for issuing the next...

• Low health literacy puts patients at risk

  Low health literacy and poor physician communication skills are putting patients at risk for...

• Female physicians better at treating risk factors for heart disease

  A study presented at the American College of Cardiology scientific meeting suggests female...

Issue 12, March 21, 2007

• Bank of America to help repay medical student loans

  Bank of America will donate $5 million to help repay the medical school loans of primary care...

• Many patients disregard physician recommendations

  Roughly one-quarter of Americans say they have left a drug prescription unfilled because they felt...

• Lack of centralized care impedes pay for performance

  The lack of centralized or coordinated care for Medicare beneficiaries may be a significant...

Issue 11, March 14, 2007

• Harvard agrees to increase pay for teaching physicians

  Harvard Medical School and three teaching hospitals-Massachusetts General, Brigham and Women's, and...

• GAO recommends profiling physicians to identify inefficiencies

  In an effort to improve the current Medicare physician payment system, the Government...

• Connecticut considers 3% tax on physician revenue

  Connecticut state lawmakers are considering a 3% tax on physicians' revenues to help pay for a...

Issue 10, March 7, 2007

• Turnover rate reflects changing physician demographics

  The average rate of physician turnover remained relatively stagnant between 2005 and 2006...

• Time spent with physician is strongest predictor of patient satisfaction

  The amount of time a patient spends with his or her primary care physician is the strongest...

• Physicians support pay for performance but oppose public reporting

  Three out of four primary care physicians support the use of financial rewards as an incentive for...

Issue 9, February 28, 2007

• Income gap between primary care, specialties threatens healthcare

  The income gap between primary care and medical specialties is discouraging medical school...

• Study shows success in treating impaired physicians

  Physicians with mental and behavioral health problems have a rehabilitation rate similar to that...

• Patients consider EHRs when choosing physicians

  Two-thirds of patients in a recent survey said that an electronic health record (EHR) was at least...

Issue 8, February 21, 2007

• CMS to provide physician performance information

  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that it will make physician...

• Practices use denial-management services to handle payment disputes

  Tensions between insurers and physicians about claims payments has spawned a new and growing...

• Physician satisfaction linked to patient satisfaction

  Researchers have found a link between patient satisfaction and physician satisfaction, according to...

Issue 7, February 14, 2007

• Moral considerations influence some physicians' treatment

  Moral considerations influence the treatment options some physicians present to patients, according...

• Social networking Web site aids physician collaboration

  Sermo, a new social networking Web site exclusively for physicians, allows doctors to get advice...

• Physicians quit med staff to avoid unpaid ED call

  Thirteen gastroenterologists quit the medical staff of the Loxahatchee, FL, Palms West Hospital in...

Issue 6, February 7, 2007

• Comparison shopping is limited in self-pay markets

  When patients pay the full cost of medical care out of pocket, they often rely on word-of-mouth...

• Coalition offers free electronic prescribing software for physicians

  Physicians who want to explore electronic prescribing but haven’t yet invested in an...

• Providers have until February 14 to enroll in Medicare

  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has extended the Medicare enrollment deadline...

Issue 5, January 31, 2007

• Pay for performance leads to modest quality improvements

  A Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) pay-for-performance pilot project that rewards...

• County, unionized physicians settle benefits dispute

  The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has agreed to pay physicians employed by the county...

Issue 2, January 10, 2007

• Physicians face 10% reduction in Medicare payments in 2008

  After narrowly escaping a cut to Medicare payments for 2007, physicians will now face a potential...

• Physicians face 10% reduction in Medicare payments in 2008

  After narrowly escaping a cut to Medicare payments for 2007, physicians will now face a potential...

• AMA releases 2007 advocacy agenda

  The American Medical Association (AMA) has released its 2007 advocacy agenda, which includes an...

• Groups increasingly base physician compensation on quality

  Roughly 20% of group practices used quality measures to help determine physician compensation in...

Issue 1, January 3, 2007

• Database to detail doctor records

  Under legislation passed by the city council, Washington, DC, doctors will soon be required to...

• Doctors join Blue Cross lawsuit

  The California Medical Association, the state's largest physician organization, has asked to a join...

• CDC focuses flu vaccine drive on healthcare workers

  The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare...