By AuntMinnie.com staff writers
June 22, 2010
House Democratic leaders said yesterday they will not vote on the Senate’s six-month fix to the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula until the Senate passes jobs legislation, according to the Congressional Quarterly.
Share
SENATE UNABLE TO PASS 6-MONTH MEDICARE PAYMENT PROVISION; CMS TO NOW BEGIN PROCESSING HELD CLAIMS AT -21.3%
The Senate was unable to pass the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act (H.R. 4213) late Thursday night, despite reducing the length of the Medicare physician payment provision from 19 months to 6 months in order to reduce the overall cost of the bill. Read the rest of this entry »
What would you think if your doctor told you he was now charging you an annual fee to be his patient? Read the rest of this entry »
An HNA interview with Michael Manere, founder and VP of Total Compliance Solutions
To provide it’s members with the latest information on compliance in the medical practice, HNA interviewed known compliance expert, Michael Manere, VP and founder of Total Compliance Solutions, Inc. Mr. Manere has been at the forefront of the movement to outsource physician’s office regulatory compliance. Read the rest of this entry »
Share
It’s comparable to not participating in your company’s 401k to get the match. It is simply money left on the table. That’s how you need to look at point-of-service drug dispensing. It’s easy, with low investment, and your competitors just might be jumping on the bandwagon faster than you are. Read the rest of this entry »
Do you have the right patient mix?
Patient Mix is a tricky road to navigate. Many practices just assume the more patients it sees, the more money it makes! Well, what if you could see different patients and make more? What is patient Mix? Patient Mix is the equation that leads to all the patients you see in your practice. Simply put: How many PPO patients, HMO patients, cash patients, and Medicare patients do I have? For example a typical General Practitioner runs about 85-90% on the large HMO patient mix structure. Meaning you are contracted with the top 5-10 HMO/PPO in your area because they control a large patient base. You contract with them and they fill your waiting room with patients. But are the reimbursements what you want? Usually not. You may think you make up for less money with more volume but this approach is a formula for disaster.
Share
It’s reality folks: in the world of healthcare, going it alone is virtually impossible these days. As a stand-alone, multi-physician practice or sole practitioner, the myriad of requirements and obligations involved in healthcare have made being a small player a real challenge. Hospital chains, both for profit and nonprofit, have become negotiating powerhouses - and their clout guarantees preferential payer contracts. But that leaves the rest of the health care market at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to negotiating contracts, saving money, increasing revenue and fighting the battle of the ever-shrinking profit margin. Read the rest of this entry »
The Medical Home, AKA Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH), is defined as an approach to providing comprehensive primary care that facilitates partnerships between individual patients, and their personal providers, and when appropriate, the patient’s family. The goal of the Medical Home is provide better healthcare for the patient, a less stressful environment for the Doctor, and at less cost to everyone.
The concept of the Medical Home has been in existence since 1967 when it was introduced by the American Academy of Pediatricians to provide better healthcare for children with severe medical problems. The whole idea of providing better healthcare at a low cost is very attractive politically, especially now that the Healthcare Reform Bill has passed. But is the actuality of a Medical Home the same as its theoretical goal? Read the rest of this entry »
Share
Merriam Webster defines Alternative Medicine as “any of various systems of healing or treating disease (as chiropractic, homeopathy, or faith healing) not included in the traditional medical curricula taught in the United States and Britain.” If you’re not well versed in what this term encompasses, it would be in your best interest to get up to speed. Read the rest of this entry »
The last few years have seen a rise in office co-pays, with some going as high as $40. Patients silently express their frustration with this by bucking the system and self-diagnosing their illnesses. They take the $40 in healthcare dollars that they would have spent at a physician’s office and hand it over to Walgreen’s and other drugstores with the hopes that the over-the-counter “weekly special” will cure them.
How can you get your patients to transfer those dollars back to you? Read the rest of this entry »
Share
