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Medical Environment Update Physician Practice Perspective

Physician Practice Perspective subscribers can find the archive of issues on the Part B News website.
Find more information in this letter.
Issue 9, September 14, 2017 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE
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MIPS: The next frontier in health information technology
Health information technology is a troublesome area for many physicians, but not to the degree it... -
Study shows few Medicare patients use online portals
A new study from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has found that nearly nine in 10... -
Physicians do an about-face on pain medications
Treating patients with chronic pain is an ongoing problem for physicians in an era where millions... -
Physicians need to tread carefully into mergers
Selling a practice or merging with another practice can be a good strategic move for a physician... -
Survey: MIPS is top regulatory concern of physicians
Challenges related to Medicare’s Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) top the list of...
Issue 8, July 24, 2017 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE
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Physicians want change in prior authorization policies
The growing demands of administrative work are a major pain point for most physician practices... -
AMA pushes for prior authorization changes
The AMA has unveiled a new position statement and a list of 21 suggested guidelines for how prior... -
Details are key in negotiating better rates with payers
Negotiating reimbursement rates with payers can be an uphill battle for small practices that have... -
Study says physician rating websites not useful to consumers
A new study has found that physician rating websites are popular with consumers but offer little... -
Yelp plugs gaps in rating websites
Websites that provide patient ratings of physicians and hospitals are often criticized for not...
Issue 7, July 17, 2017 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE
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Physician burnout rates not getting any better
Though physician burnout rates appear to be leveling off, the percentage of physicians reporting... -
Physician burnout studies show more of the same
Several recent studies have found that physician burnout is linked to multiple causes, with... -
Reaching difficult patients requires finding middle ground
Physicians have been dealing with noncompliant patients for centuries. Even Hippocrates took note... -
ICD-10 coding not being put to optimal use
In nearly two years since practices adopted the ICD-10 code set, billing and coding experts say the...
Issue 6, June 8, 2017 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE
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Patient-centered medical homes generate results but can increase costs
Physician practices that transition to patient-centered medical homes (PCMH) are reaping benefits... -
Studies of medical homes find results tough to measure
Two new studies have found that while patient-centered medical homes (PCMH) do help improve patient... -
Use technology when patient has delay in scheduling specialist appointment
Referring patients to specialists is fairly routine for most primary care practices, but it can be... -
Online referral programs expand specialties, locations
Following the rollout of a successful online consult program for primary care physicians and... -
Practices may miss opportunities with direct messaging technology
Direct messaging between physicians and patients has become more common in the past few years...
Issue 5, May 19, 2017 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE
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Reducing long wait times a challenge
Keeping wait times for appointments to a minimum is a cardinal rule for medical practices, but one... -
Study: Physician visit wait times increase
The time it takes for a new patient to see a physician is on the rise, according to a study... -
Retail clinics redefine their roles
As retail clinics expand in number and in scope of services, they could emerge as a threat to some... -
Retail clinics expanding their footprint
The number of retail health clinics in the U.S. continues to increase at a rapid clip along with... -
More states expanding roles of NPs and PAs
Lawmakers in a half-dozen states are considering bills that would expand the scope of practice for... -
Study says NP care equal to that of physicians
A new study suggests that care provided by nurse practitioners (NP) and physician assistants (PA...
Issue 4, April 5, 2017 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE
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Telemedicine still struggles to gain traction
Telemedicine is still a niche business for physician practices and one that’s been slow to... -
Study says telemedicine increases health costs
While proponents promote telemedicine as a way to reduce costs, a new study suggests telemedicine... -
Outsourcing work now a norm for physician practices
The rapid pace of change in healthcare has made it difficult for many practices to keep up with... -
Marketing a practice requires a mix of old and new
Promoting a medical practice used to be a matter of posting an ad in the Yellow Pages® and...
Issue 3, March 2, 2017 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE
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Engaging patients online raises new issues
Physicians say communicating with patients online is still a challenge but that patients are... -
ACI standards streamlined but still a challenge
Physician practices are working with a new set of rules when it comes to engaging patients online... -
Concierge medicine model continues to grow
Concierge medicine is still a niche industry, but in an era of decreasing reimbursements and... -
For some physicians, consolidation has its perks
The number of solo and small practices continues to dwindle in the U.S., and the pace of...
Issue 2, February 6, 2017 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE
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New report says e-cigarettes not a remedy for smoking cessation
For years, physicians have had little clear guidance for patients with questions about... -
California adopts tough restrictions on e-cigarettes
Nearly a dozen states in the U.S. have approved laws that treat e-cigarettes the same way as... -
ACA repeal would put more pressure on practices
While most analysts agree that any substantial changes to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are... -
MIPS revised rules retain some old problems
The start of 2017 marked the beginning of a transitional period for the Merit-Based Incentive... -
Interoperability of EHRs still an issue for CHIME
Healthcare information technology (IT) associations have endorsed some aspects of the federal...
Issue 1, January 6, 2017 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE
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States take action against MOC rules
At least two U.S. states are considering laws that would modify Maintenance of Certification (MOC... -
Oklahoma MOC law evolved under the radar
With Senate Bill (SB) 1148 now in effect in Oklahoma, the state has become a testing ground for... -
Physicians optimistic about digital health
Physicians are showing more of an interest in digital health technologies, but they are still on... -
MACRA final rules draw mixed response
The release of the final rules for the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015... -
Study shows physician practices consolidating
A new survey from Merritt Hawkins shows that while more physicians are joining practices owned by...