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Wanted: Entrepreneurial Business Models for Doctors

May 19, 2013 by David E Williams
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My perception is that doctors in previous generations were more likely to devote their entire lives (professional and “personal” time) to the practice of medicine. Today’s doctors are more likely to consider lifestyle and not automatically put everything into doctoring.[read more]

Hospital Chargemasters and Open Data from CMS -- The Conversation Continues

May 19, 2013 by David Harlow
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I can accept the proposition that data will be valued differently by different parties. However, I want to throw something else into the mix: We are collectively trying to move away from fee-for-service medicine. As the saying goes: the future is already here; it just isn't evenly distributed. Some are further down the path than others. I think that our time and effort is better spent on ensuring that value-based purchasing systems are up and running, rather than on improving the pricing transparency of FFS medicine.[read more]

America Spends More on Emergency Medicine Than Previously Thought. Good or Bad?

May 19, 2013 by Brad Wright
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With 130 million visits, 28% of all acute-care visits, and accounting for nearly half of all admissions, emergency medicine should be expected to represent a large share of health care spending….More attention should be devoted to quantifying the value of specific aspects of emergency care.[read more]

There’s No Such Thing as Schizophrenia? Really?

May 19, 2013 by Rhona Finkel
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On Monday, the Division of Clinical Psychology (DCP) is going public with their statement about mental illness (which is a wee bit confusing, as I already know what they’re going to say, and if I know it, it’s fair to say at least a few other people do, making it no longer private, but there you have it. . .). The DCP is a professional group of over 9500 clinical psychologists in England.[read more]

Obamacare Won't Cause Fast Food Shortage

May 18, 2013 by David E Williams
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fast food / shutterstock

Mid-sized, low wage companies will feel the effect of Affordable Care Act (ACA) implementation. Opponents of the law have been making a big deal out of how it will harm businesses and stop their growth plans. But if you learn more, you’ll see there’s little to fear.[read more]

Workers' Compensation and ICD-10

May 18, 2013 by Andy Salmen
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workers' comp / freedigitalphotos.net

ICD-9 coding to ICD-10 as mandated by the Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPPA). Workers’ compensation commercial insurers are non-covered entities under HIPPA and therefore exempt from the mandate to convert their billing practices to ICD-10.[read more]

Handling New Patient Leads: When to Call a Lead

May 18, 2013 by Chuck Malcomson
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Patient leads (Photo: Alan Cleaver)

People are increasingly relying on the Internet to find the answers they need when it comes to services, especially with healthcare and medical services. This is why it is so important for medical offices to have a strong process set up that gets people landing on their website.[read more]

Medical Devices or Medtech? (Yes, There's a Difference)

May 18, 2013 by Patrick Driscoll
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Medical technology / shutterstock

Conventional wisdom has it that investment in medical technology is down. I don’t buy it. I have seen the emergence of so many new medtech companies, even since the Great Recession of 2008. I have witnessed hundreds of millions of dollars flow into medtech.[read more]

Angelina Jolie, BRCA1, Public Health and Patent Law

May 18, 2013 by David Harlow
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The questions that came to mind immediately for me when I first heard about the Angelina Jolie story included: Isn't BRCA1 the gene that was patented? Isn't that test incredibly expensive and probably not accessible to most women? How is this story relevant to most women?[read more]

Medicare's "Blue Button" Can Help You Track Care

May 18, 2013 by Anthony Cirillo
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Medicare's blue button

Medicare's Blue Button provides you an easy way to download your personal health information to a file. You can download the file of your personal data and save the file on your own personal computer. The Blue Button is safe, secure, reliable, and easy to use.[read more]

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5 Top iPhone Apps To Track Your Health

May 18, 2013 by Aaron Casselman
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mobile health apps / photo credit

How to find the fitness app that best suits your needs? We compared features, user ratings, and affordability to bring you the top five iPhone apps for tracking your health—because we think seeing your progress makes it easier to stick to your goals.[read more]

New CMS Chief Confirmed by Senate

May 18, 2013 by Michael Douglas
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Marilyn Tavenner / Reuters

One would think that that news of the first Senate-confirmed CMS head in 7 years would get some media play. This week, the U.S. Senate confirmed Marilyn Tavenner to the post. Prior to this installment, Tavenner worked as a healthcare exec for HCA for a quarter century.[read more]

Vermont Poised to Pass End of Life Legislation

May 17, 2013 by Michael Douglas
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End of life legislation in VT / shutterstock

Vermont becomes the fourth state to legalize a physician’s ability to prescribe lethal medication to the terminally ill patient. The act is significant in this state because it is the result of legislative action. Three other states have had similar measures approved by either referendum or judicial action.[read more]

Why Ignoring ICD-10 Won't Make It Go Away

May 17, 2013 by Andy Salmen
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ICD-10 is coming / freedigitalphotos.net

The US Dept. of Health and Human Services has directed the supplanting of the ICD-9-CM code sets, those currently utilized by physicians, medical billers and coders to report healthcare procedures and diagnoses, with ICD-10 codes. Implementation is to be effected on October 1, 2014.[read more]

GMO: Proteins and Frankenfoods

May 17, 2013 by Terry Simpson
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GMO: Frankenfood and chimeras?

The knowledge that humans have manipulated genes in plants for at least 11,000 years gives some perspective. Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) are neither the Frankenstein chimera that some suggest, nor are they the magic bullet for feeding the world and saving the environment.[read more]