Practice Management
Calling it “an emerging threat,” the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging healthcare providers in all settings to “act now to better understand, contain, and stop the spread of” infection caused by drug-resistant Candida auris. CDC Director Tom Frieden, MD, MPH, notes that C auris can be fatal, making the new drug-resistant strain especially concerning. The CDC recently issued its first report of 13 cases in the United States (in …
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Changes in the way the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) pays for primary care will push roughly $140 million to providers next year—with provisions in a new rule bringing another $60 million for a total of $200 million above 2016 payments. There may be even more coming down the road, as CMS says several coding and payment changes could eventually lead to as much as $4 billion or more being funneled into care …
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We told you recently about an innovative, urgent care-centric program Boston Medical Center launched to get patients who are addicted to opioids the care they need as efficiently as possible. Now more hospitals are jumping on the bandwagon to fight the addiction epidemic. Patients who are treated for overdoses at SSM Health St. Mary Hospital in Madison, WI are invited to meet with “recovery coaches” on staff in the emergency room. Initiatives have even gone …
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Urgent care operators who have adopted digital radiography (DR) will tell you it’s cheaper to maintain, less cumbersome to operate, and overall just more efficient to use than old-school analog x-ray systems. Now you can add Medicare to DR’s proponents—and they’re putting your money where their mouth is. Come 2017, Medicare will start reducing payments for exams performed on analog x-ray systems by 20%. Starting in 2018, urgent care centers using computed radiography (CR) will …
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Last year’s relatively mild flu season is likely indicative of two things: The vaccine produced was a good match for the prevalent strains of influenza, and this year’s season could be a doozy. The latter point would be borne out by history, which shows that “good” flu seasons are most often followed by “bad” flu seasons. That’s why the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions continues to hammer home the message that early vaccination is …
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Like many insurers, Anthem says it’s had a hard time operating profitably in exchanges under the Affordable Care Act (ACA, or “Obamacare”). Unlike many insurers, it has stuck with its participation despite those woes. If the situation doesn’t improve, though, Anthem says it will probably switch gears and reconsider its offerings for 2018. The company, whose proposed merger with Cigna faces an antitrust challenge by the Justice Department, also says it would issue a request …
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Suneel Dhand, MD has seen the future—and it does not include small desktop gizmos that you have to scroll, click or otherwise manipulate at the risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome. Writing for the blog KevinMD, Dhand says the increasing popularity of devices with touchscreens (ie, smartphones and tablets), and even touch pads on laptop computers, could spell the demise of the traditional mouse. Why does a physician care? Here’s why: Dhand contends that the …
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Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolinas (BCBSNC) says the federal government is trying to run out on a bill that amounts to $147.5 million in overdue risk-corridor payments. The Justice Department counters that the suit—along with several others that revolve around the 3-year-old program—is premature because any payments wouldn’t be due until next year at the earliest. BCBSNC is eager to have its day in court though, and says the government’s defense is …
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Patients whose health is insured under marketplaces created via the Affordable Care Act (ACA, aka “Obamacare”) have become acutely cost conscious when it comes to their own care—to the extent that they may not be getting the care they need, according to a new survey. While that paints a picture of a dysfunctional system, urgent care may be reaping some rewards as patients seek out quality care that won’t cost them as much as a …
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“Surprise” bills are a common complaint among patients who’ve visited freestanding emergency departments (FSEDs). While that hasn’t stopped their growth, billing practices have become the subject of pending legislation around the country—and, now, one basis of a suit against Adeptus Health, the nation’s largest operator of FSEDs. The Oklahoma Law Enforcement Pension (OLEP) has initiated a class action lawsuit against Adeptus, its private equity firm, and its officers related to its secondary stock offering, claiming …
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