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READER TIPS

Cardiology practice makes staff safety a priority

A Davenport, IA, cardiology practice with 40 providers faced a major challenge, one that had the potential to affect the safety of practice staff.
“Like most medical offices, we ask our patients to bring all their medications with them to the office and our rooming staff reconciles their medications at each office visit,” says Marcia Brunsvold, supervisor of patient services.
The problem, she explains, is that patients bring their medications in a variety of bags, boxes, and suitcases.
This meant staff had to rummage through these various carryalls…

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WORKING WITH PHYSICIANS

Best and worst states for doctors

Doctors are among the most highly paid, educated, and celebrated professions in the United States. The profession has also been undergoing intense change in recent years, with the Affordable Care Act, the rise of branded hospital networks, the impending retirement of baby boomers, and an increasingly litigious society all complicating the lives of doctors and providing pause to potential white-coats.
With that in mind, the personal finance website WalletHub has released a report, the Best & Worst States for Doctors I 2015. The report uses 12 key metrics, ranging from average annual wages and salary disparities to…

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TECHNOLOGY

Reports provide detailed analysis of telemedicine by state

The American Telemedicine Association (ATA), a leading international resource and advocate promoting the use of advanced remote medical technologies, recently released two state policy reports which identify gaps in coverage and reimbursement, and in physician practice standards and licensure.
These reports compare state policies on a report card, assigning each state grades ranging from A-to-F based on telemedicine reimbursement and physician practice standards. ATA has captured the complex policy landscape of 50 states with differing telemedicine policies and…

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INSIGHT

Think twice before going to court

By Steve M. Cohen  bio

One of the most difficult challenges I face can be helping office managers and owners resist an urge to “fight it out” in court.
There are times when it is necessary to take legal action or aggressively defend action against your organization. But in most cases, it should be your last resort.
First, going to court is a roll of the dice. You may feel certain of your position. You may believe that it will be easy to overpower your opponent with your company’s resources.
Don’t bet on it.
Going to court is always a gamble. No lawyer on earth can guarantee a…

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COMPLIANCE

Same-sex marriage ruling brings in new legal issues

Plus new emphasis on discrimination
Though it applies only to states where same-sex marriage is legal, the recent Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage warrants attention from managers in all states. For those in Washington, DC, and the 13 states where gay marriage is recognized, there are new employment law requirements. For those in all the other states, the ruling calls for increased emphasis on nondiscrimination.
A matter of two rulings
In a nutshell, the decision, which came down June 26, says that in states where same-sex marriage is recognized…

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HEALTH CARE REFORM

Health reform’s delay on the employer mandate raises lots of questions

There’s a new delay in health care reform.
It’s a one-year postponement of what’s known as the employer mandate of the Affordable Care Act.
That mandate says large employers, or those with 50 or more full-time employees, have to provide health insurance for their employees or pay a penalty. Originally, the requirement was supposed to take effect this coming January. Now the date is pushed back to 2015. That gives larger employers a year’s grace before they have to provide health insurance that meets government standards…

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