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 a challenge when patients are enrolled in Medicaid or live in rural areas where specialists are in...
View ArticlePractices may miss opportunities with direct messaging technology
Direct messaging between physicians and patients has become more common in the past few years, thanks in large part to electronic health record (EHR) meaningful use requirements that have mandated...
View ArticleOnline referral programs expand specialties, locations
Following the rollout of a successful online consult program for primary care physicians and specialists in Los Angeles County, the organization that headed the initiative has launched another online...
View ArticleReaching difficult patients requires finding middle ground
Physicians have been dealing with noncompliant patients for centuries. Even Hippocrates took note of the difficulty of treating patients that didn’t follow his advice, stating that “it is more...
View ArticlePhysician burnout studies show more of the same
Several recent studies have found that physician burnout is linked to multiple causes, with excessive administrative work related to electronic health records (EHR) and to quality reporting leading the...
View ArticlePhysician burnout rates not getting any better
Though physician burnout rates appear to be leveling off, the percentage of physicians reporting symptoms of burnout is still higher than 50% in most studies. While it may not be getting worse, the...
View ArticleICD-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 transition was fairly smooth but that, in most cases, the codes are not being put to their intended use.
View ArticlePhysician Practice Perspective, August 2017
Physician Practice Perspective, August 2017
View ArticlePhysicians want change in prior authorization policies
The growing demands of administrative work are a major pain point for most physician practices. These tasks include the daily grind of filing prior authorization (PA) requests for basic things like...
View ArticleAMA pushes for prior authorization changes
The AMA has unveiled a new position statement and a list of 21 suggested guidelines for how prior authorization (PA) protocols should be changed, a statement that’s gathered support from more than 100...
View ArticleDetails are key in negotiating better rates with payers
Negotiating reimbursement rates with payers can be an uphill battle for small practices that have little leverage with large insurers, but those practices can improve their chances and show that they...
View ArticleStudy says physician rating websites not useful to consumers
A new study has found that physician rating websites are popular with consumers but offer little clinical value to help prospective patients choose the highest-quality physician.
View ArticleYelp plugs gaps in rating websites
Websites that provide patient ratings of physicians and hospitals are often criticized for not providing enough clinical information on physicians, but a recent study and blog post suggest the “Yelp”...
View ArticleMIPS: The next frontier in health information technology
Health information technology is a troublesome area for many physicians, but not to the degree it was several years ago when meeting meaningful use standards for electronic health records (EHR) was a...
View ArticleStudy shows few Medicare patients use online portals
A new study from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has found that nearly nine in 10 physician practices in the U.S. offer access to medical data through online portals, but less than one-third...
View ArticlePhysicians do an about-face on pain medications
Treating patients with chronic pain is an ongoing problem for physicians in an era where millions of U.S. residents have opioid-addiction problems. And the issue is prompting physicians to offer...
View ArticlePhysician Practice Perspectives, September 2017
Physician Practice Perspectives, September 2017
View ArticlePhysicians need to tread carefully into mergers
Selling a practice or merging with another practice can be a good strategic move for a physician, but such mvoes can be fraught with unforeseen problems that include loss of autonomy and adapting to a...
View ArticleSurvey: MIPS is top regulatory concern of physicians
Challenges related to Medicare’s Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) top the list of concerns for regulatory-related burdens to physician practices in 2017 and beyond, according to a new survey...
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