Dermatologists can provide value in the era of healthcare reform by realistically gauging the cost-effectiveness of many treatment strategies, according to an expert who spoke at the 71st annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology in Miami Beach, Fla.
A letter comes across your office fax machine indicating that your practice has been scheduled for an audit and site visit from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, a Medicare administrative contractor, or a zone program integrity contractor the next morning at 8 a.m. Sound far-fetched? This exact scenario is likely if your practice is scheduled for such a visit from the federal government or a government contractor. The timing is intended to give you little chance to prepare.
No matter how long you have been in practice, chances are you have encountered a toxic employee who poisoned the atmosphere of your workplace. If you don’t take action fast, such an employee can threaten your relationships with your patients and your staff, affecting your income in many ways.
E-prescribing has increased dramatically since 2008, according to a recent data brief from the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology.
A patient has melanoma in situ removed from her face and develops sepsis. She sues her doctor, claiming he should have explained that infection could lead to sepsis and death. Was his warning about the risk of infection enough? What is he required to disclose during his informed consent with his patient?
Electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) increases patient safety, experts say. This tool not only eliminates interpretation errors from handwritten prescriptions, it creates a communications bridge between the physician, pharmacist and patient.
Federal regulators are more closely scrutinizing some dermatologic surgery codes, including those that are considered the “bread and butter” for skin cancer repairs. And codes that are deemed misvalued could be cut by as much as one-third by Medicare. Commercial carriers could follow suit.
Many dermatologists are either implementing or considering implementing electronic medical records systems (EMRs) in their practices. Having just done this for my practice, I wanted to share a few thoughts that may be helpful for those who decide to join the “paperless” ranks in the next year or so.
Patients find physicians more approachable when they are wearing “business casual” dress, according to the results of a patient questionnaire. Respondents still prefer the hallmark white coat, however.
In an ethical attempt to limit the numbered of required patient visits, Dr. Smith often will treat 20 to 30 solar keratoses in one visit. Dr. Smith has taken courses on proper coding and codes in a recognized, honest and ethical manner. Unfortunately, several of his carriers inform him that only 15 actinic keratoses can be treated at each visit, and only four such visits are allowed during a year for each patient.
Dermatologists have become extremely reluctant to participate in hospital activities such as evaluating in-patients as consultants, serving on hospital committees, and participating in educational activities in the hospital. the most troubling is our resistance to see patients at the hospital bedside. There are a number of apparently legitimate excuses for the failure of dermatologists to visit the hospital wards.
An online service based in western Pennsylvania aims to get more patient cases in front of dermatologists faster.
Less than 50 percent of dermatologists pursue written informed consent, and procedure type appears to heavily influence the practice, say researchers from Emory University.
Dermatologists can make small changes in their practices to improve the doctor-patient experience, according to Ranella Hirsch, M.D., a Boston dermatologist in private practice. By placing themselves in the position of the patient, physicians can evaluate the user experience and then make adjustments accordingly.
A patient’s experience has been shown to impact treatment adherence and outcome, says Charles Ellis, M.D., William B. Taylor professor and associate chairman, department of dermatology, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor. Therefore, it’s in the patient’s best interest for dermatologists to measure patient satisfaction.
James A. Zalla, M.D., has affected the lives of countless patients during his 43 years of practice as a dermatologist and dermatopathologist. But what many dermatologists might not know is that Dr. Zalla has influenced their practices, too, by working for decades to help ensure fair payment for the specialty’s services.
You can take action to leverage social media in your practice without running afoul of HIPAA and hospital PHI policies.
At first, dermatologists seemed unlikely to be the subject of audits, but that is no longer the case. And it’s not only Medicare and Medicaid trying to recoup funds and find fraud - commercial carriers are as well. It’s a perfect storm for increasing medical audits at all types of physician practices - including dermatology.
Accurately billing for dermatopathology services requires understanding the nuances of current procedural technology (CPT) codes, says David A. Mehregan, M.D. For starters, global pathology charge codes encompass the basic duties of a dermatopathologist, from receiving specimens and processing tissue to making slides and rendering a diagnosis.
As dermatologists face growing pressure to maximize revenues while cutting costs, the appeal of patient loyalty programs and group purchasing organizations (GPOs) is growing, experts say. In both areas, however, they advise choosing carefully.
Documentation of your Evaluation and Management (E/M) service is one of the most challenging parts of the provider's day. It is, after all, one of the bread-and-butter services. Hopefully, many of you reading this are already on a quality electronic medical record (EMR) or getting prepared to transition to one soon.
A government crackdown on healthcare fraud could trigger new waves of physician audits, financial experts warn. Fraud costs the U.S. healthcare system some $65 billion a year from Medicare alone, and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) gives the government greater authority to identify and prosecute fraud and abuse.
With the presidential election behind us and myriad changes about to hit healthcare, dermatologists need to anticipate cuts in reimbursement by not only government, but also private, insurers. And if dermatologists are to combat the impact these declining reimbursements may have on their practices, they need to start implementing more aggressive patient education and retention efforts now.
Dermatologists and other eligible professionals (EPs), eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals (CAHs) can now review the upcoming meaningful use stage 2 requirements, now that the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services has announced its "final rule" for attestation of meaningful use (MU) stage 2.
If you're shopping for an electronic health record (EHR) system, tread carefully during the selection process, especially when it comes to signing the purchase contract. After all the sweat and stress involved with finding the "right" EHR solution, it's easy to let down one's guard as the selection process reaches conclusion.
