Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell recently announced $685 million in awards to 39 national and regional health care networks and supporting organizations to help equip more than 140,000 clinicians with the tools and support needed to improve quality of care, increase patients' access to information, and reduce costs. The Transforming Clinical Practice … [Read more...] about HHS announces $685 million to support clinicians delivering high quality, patient-centered care
Working with physicians
Model Policy: Workplace bullying
Why you need this policy: Workplace bullying is a serious and common occurrence, and your practice has a responsibility to make sure it does everything possible to prevent it. How this policy helps you: This policy helps define workplace bullying, and provides guidelines for what will not be tolerated. How to use this policy: Customize this policy for your medical … [Read more...] about Model Policy: Workplace bullying
Despite health care changes, physicians remain happy
Even with ICD-10 creating challenges, the rules governing "meaningful use" of EHRs in a state of flux, and the shift in reimbursement from volume to value, U.S. physicians are still happy in their careers. That's according to the 2015 Great American Physician Survey, sponsored by medical billing software provider Kareo and conducted by Physicians Practice, a publication of … [Read more...] about Despite health care changes, physicians remain happy
Medical professions dominate list of highest paying jobs
Skilled health care professions dominate CareerCast's 2015 list of the highest paying jobs, with surgeon, psychiatrist, and physician rounding out the top three. Other medical careers that landed in the Top 10 are dentist, orthodontist, and pharmacist. Corporate executives, petroleum engineers, and data scientists were the only careers outside of medicine to make the Top 10 … [Read more...] about Medical professions dominate list of highest paying jobs
Survey finds support for the Affordable Care Act among physician leaders
Results of a comprehensive survey show widespread support for the U.S. Affordable Care Act (ACA) among physicians nationwide. Fifty-five (55) percent of survey respondents say they agree or strongly agree that the controversial law passed in 2010 has "more good than bad" in it. The survey was conducted in spring 2015 by the American Association for Physician Leadership, a … [Read more...] about Survey finds support for the Affordable Care Act among physician leaders
Doctors say Affordable Care Act increasing costs
Even as a major U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholds the Affordable Care Act (ACA), a recent survey of American physicians finds doctors believe it is driving up the cost of healthcare. Sixty-one percent of physicians report an increase in overhead costs for items such as electronic medical records and administrative costs to comply with the ACA. And physicians report it is … [Read more...] about Doctors say Affordable Care Act increasing costs
How to get paid for filling out patient forms
To charge or not to charge? Medical offices don't value their time as much as they ought, according to the office manager for a family practice in Pennsylvania. And one area that's woefully undervalued is the time spent filling out patient forms for things such as disability verification and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). That's time consuming for both doctors and … [Read more...] about How to get paid for filling out patient forms
Telemedicine: staying current amid ongoing changes
The American Telemedicine Association (ATA) defines telemedicine, also known as telehealth, as the remote delivery of healthcare services and clinical information using telecommunications technology. This includes a wide array of clinical services using Internet, wireless, satellite, and telephone media. Although telemedicine is often associated with remote consultations, … [Read more...] about Telemedicine: staying current amid ongoing changes
Does your office need a ‘medical scribe’?
In an effort to focus more on patient care and less on the clerical aspects of the job, physicians are increasingly turning to medical scribes. If you're not familiar with the term "medical scribe," you'll definitely want to read on. In many ways, a medical scribe is a new spin on a longtime position. For decades, physicians have dictated notes into a tape recorder, relying on … [Read more...] about Does your office need a ‘medical scribe’?
How to manage personal cell phone use in the workplace
"Like many offices, we have had problems with employees using cell phones for personal calls, texts, etc. during business hours," says Beverly Bragg, administrator at San Antonio Preventive & Diagnostic Medicine. It hasn't been an easy problem to resolve. "Although we've talked about this issue on a routine basis at our monthly staff meetings, employees continued to use … [Read more...] about How to manage personal cell phone use in the workplace