If you are working to build your practice, a practice Web site can be an excellent, and possibly indispensable, marketing tool. Even if you just put up information about your office hours and your specialties.
Medical Economics has published a number of stories on the topic. In one of them, My website transformed my practice, the author, Washing DC-based physician Howard Stark, MD, tells of how he lets his patients make and reschedule appointments. continues…
The Associated Press reports that the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance fined Aetna Health Inc. almost $9.5 million for underpaying some out-of-network doctors, such as ER doctors. New Jersey regulators also ordered the insurer to pay the doctors’ fees in full. continues…
A pair of recent studies has found that the computerization of medical practice doesn’t necessarily lead to better care.
An Archives of Internal Medicine study (Linder, et al.) looked at a cross-section of patient visits in 2003 and 2004, focusing on 17 quality indicators. On 14 of those measures, the researchers found, “there was no significant difference between visits with vs. without EHR use.” On two of the other indicators, performance of practices with EHR was better, and on one metric — prescribing of statins to patients with hypercholesterolemia — EHR users did significantly worse. continues…
Joseph Zebley, an FP in the Baltimore region, switched his practice to a retainer model where he charges patients an upfront, annual fee of $1,500. He also downsized his practice from 1,500 to 600. He encourages other doctors to do the same, as it has increased his income and allows him to spend more time with patients.
“If all doctors did this, it would be fantastic,” he said.
The Washington Post has an article profiling a number of doctors who were the victims of data errors and other problems with P4P systems.
One doctor fighting ratings systems is Seattle internist Michael Schiesser… When Regence cut him from its network and patients had to pay out-of-pocket to see him or go elsewhere, he pressed to see his report. He said he discovered that he had been penalized because of errors in data-gathering.
The story is a good overview of how the bugs have yet to be worked out of various P4P systems and how this is hurting doctors and patients.
A report in the July 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine says that Older adults who cannot read and understand basic health information appear to have higher mortality rates than those with adequate health literacy. continues…
The AP speculates that the recent terrorist plot in Britain will contribute to the shortage of doctors in the US, making it harder for foreign-born doctors to get through the screening process. continues…
New York Post columnist Jacob Sullum wrote a good summing up of trial of Dr. William Hurwitz of McLean, Va., recently sentenced to five years in federal prison for prescribing painkillers for patients who turned out to be addicts or drug dealers. Sullum calls upon doctors to be brave in the face of an overzealous DEA. continues…
Medication errors and ICU use in cases handled by residents and interns at Yale-New Haven Hospital went down after work rule changes went into effect in 2003, says a study in the July 17 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. (The changes limit residents’ and interns’ hours to 80 a week and no more than 24 consecutively.) Admission rates to the ICU dropped by 2 percent and pharmacist interventions to prevent drug errors were reduced by 1.92 interventions per 100 patient-days. What’s more, discharges to home or rehab centers (as opposed to inpatient deaths or transfers) increased by 5 percent. The study compared outcomes for patients treated by the teaching staff and those treated by hospitalists.
Here’s a collection of robots sighting in hospitals, courtesy of YouTube, although these don’t seem to be doctor replacements. If you work with something like this, let us know what it’s like.
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