The article about Pediatric Associates in CA has a nugget with a potentially outsized impact: the implication that VFC vaccines…
News 11/6/12
The number of US physicians in independent practices is expected to drop to 36 percent by 2013; a third of those providers are predicted to offer subscription-based services such as telemedicine or online consults. The vast majority (87 percent) of doctors cite financial concerns as a chief reason for leaving private practice and 53 percent point to EMR requirements as the top reason for joining health systems.
CMS announces a seven percent increase in Medicare payments for family physicians in 2013 and a three to five percent increase for other primary care providers.
First Choice Health Centers (CT) chooses eClinicalWorks EHR for its six-location community health center organization.
A shout-out to occasional HIStalk Practice contributor Lyle Berkowitz, MD who earned a spot on the list of Top 25 Clinical Informaticists.
Diagnostic Radiology (OH) contracts with Comprehensive Medical Practice Management for billing and PM services.
athenahealth ranks number 24 in the large company category for the 2012 Top Places to Work in Massachusetts.
The Raleigh, NC newspaper covers local EHR efforts, beginning with a local physician’s displeasure at the recent Allscripts announcement to discontinue the MyWay product. Almost three-fourths of the state’s physicians use EHRs; 50 percent of those say EHRs have not improved the quality of treatment, or have decreased quality, or are not worth the expense.
An analysis of CMS data reveals the most commonly deferred Stage 1 menu objectives: providing a summary of care to patients at transitions to other physicians or hospitals (84 percent), using the EHR to send reminders (80 percent), and sending information to public health agencies (68 percent). The least deferred tasks were checking drug formularies and generating patient lists. In general, all the Stage 1 menu items will be required core measures for Stage 2.
AMA News takes a look at how some physicians are using smartphone apps to increase patient compliance and education. Advocates point to the convenience of online tools since most patients already have their smartphones close at hand.
The 27-clinic Hometown Urgent Care (OH) selects DocuTAP for EMR and practice management.
A Rand Corporation study finds that physicians with fewer than 10 years of experience account for 13.2 percent higher overall costs than physicians with forty or more years of experience.
The American Academy of Pediatrics issues a policy statement calling for additional privacy protection in EHRs for adolescent patients. Key recommendations include developing criteria for who has access and control of the medical record; allowing adolescents to record consent for care; building options to shield the release of certain diagnoses, tests, and prescriptions; developing billing systems to suppress protected information.
Physician offices added 11,200 of healthcare’s 30,500 new jobs in October.
In case you didn’t get your fill of MGMA commentary a couple weeks ago, check out Dodge Communication’s summary of the best and not-so-best of the trade show floor. Their write-up is fun and they even posted a picture of a pair of the cool green Converse tennis shoes adorn by the Pulse crowd. By the way, I am still hoping someone at Pulse to send me a pair.
