March 24th 2023
Study examines effects of law that makes records available to patients.
February 27th 2023
PRACTICE MANAGEMENT "IN THE TRENCHES": PART 2 - Thriving in a managed-care world
April 1st 2006How do you get the best terms on an HMO or PPO contract? Should you merge with another practice to gain more negotiating clout? Do you need a specialty lawyer or consultant? These are just a few of the questions answered in Part 2 of our series.
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Contraceptive insurance coverage gets boost in two states
March 1st 2006New Jersey is now the 24th state to pass a law providing contraceptive insurance equity. The new law, A.B. 292, requires most insurers in the state to provide coverage of prescription contraceptive drugs and devices. The law provides an exemption for qualifying religious employers if contraceptive coverage conflicts with the employer's "bona fide religious beliefs and practices," according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (Government Relations Newsletter, 1/13/2006).
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President Bush highlights liability crisis in ob/gyn
March 1st 2006President Bush used his State of the Union address to once again urge Congress to pass medical liability reform, specifically citing the crisis in obstetrics and gynecology. He said, "And because lawsuits are driving many good doctors out of practice?leaving women in nearly 1,500 American counties without a single ob/gyn?I ask the Congress to pass medical liability this year."
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Contraceptive insurance coverage gets boost in two states
March 1st 2006New Jersey is now the 24th state to pass a law providing contraceptive insurance equity. The new law, A.B. 292, requires most insurers in the state to provide coverage of prescription contraceptive drugs and devices. The law provides an exemption for qualifying religious employers if contraceptive coverage conflicts with the employer's "bona fide religious beliefs and practices," according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (Government Relations Newsletter, 1/13/2006).
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PRACTICE MANAGEMENT "IN THE TRENCHES": PART 1 - Fundamentals of practice finance
February 1st 2006You may not have been trained as a CEO, but unless you sharpen your business skills, your clinical skills may be all for naught. In the first of our 3-part series, a seasoned physician executive outlines the tools needed to manage people, profits, and policies.
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Health plans offer free technology to MDs: What's the catch?
February 1st 2006More and more health plans are taking up the onus of getting information technology into physicians' practices. They are offering free or subsidized e-prescribing or electronic medical record (EMR) systems to physicians in the hopes that the effort will ultimately save money and improve quality of care.
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Are you using a PDA in your practice?
December 1st 2005If so, you are not alone. More than 50% of doctors younger than 35 in developed countries use a personal digital assistant, according to a review in The Lancet (10/1/05). The review stated that physicians used PDAs in daily clinical practice most often for drug reference (80%). They also used it for scheduling (67%), medical calculations (61%), prescription writing (8%), and billing (4%).
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Malpractice payouts not to blame for premium hikes?
August 1st 2005A recent study on closed malpractice claims in Texas found that "insurance market dynamics"—not increasing payouts in lawsuits—were to blame for rising insurance premiums, according to Medical Liability Monitor (April 2005). The study, authored by three law professors, was promptly criticized by medical groups and insurers.
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Editorial: Who will follow in our footsteps?
June 1st 2005As I write this I am post-call, which may account for the tone of my meandering discourse. At my age, the problem is not so much taking call but surviving the next day. While tackling clinical challenges can be exciting, what I find most stimulating is the chance to teach and learn from my residents.
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New coalition offers solution to rising medical liability costs
May 1st 2005A coalition of patients, attorneys, physicians, and hospital administrators is promoting an alternative way to control medical liability costs, in lieu of tort reform. And all it requires is an apology and an offer of fair compensation to the patient if a medical error occurred.
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Case Studies in Coding: Coding for colpopexy
May 1st 2005Each year CPT introduces new codes and makes revisions to existingcodes to better reflect current medical practices. CPT 2005 is nodifferent. This month, we'll look at changes in coding for vaginalcolpopexy. The 2005 CPT codes reflect the expansion and improvementof surgical techniques in the area of female reconstructive surgery
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Editorial: Preventing VTE: Part 1, hormonal therapy
March 1st 2005Venous thromboembolism (VTE), a leading cause of death and disability in women, principally manifests as deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and acute pulmonary embolism (PE). Every year, as many as 600,000 patients develop a PE in the United States, resulting in up to 200,000 deaths.
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Last May, it was my privilege to address fellows of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and guests at the annual ACOG convocation in Philadelphia. I proposed a Women's Health Bill of Rights. Most of these 10 "rights" related to equity and equality in access to, coverage of, and treatment in our health-care system. The tenth item on my list was quite different and reflects thoughts on a paradigm shift in health care.
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Editorial: The criminalization of medicine
February 1st 2005Last night you were on call and delivered three babies, managed a patient with severe preeclampsia, treated a case of uterine atony, and readmitted a woman with a post-hysterectomy wound infection. Yesterday you covered the hospital's Women's Health Clinic; it's a twice-monthly pro bono service you provide to the community. And this morning, you're facing a waiting room full of patients and two assistant U.S. attorneys. The grave-looking men in dark suits say they are investigating you for up-coding of Medicare and Medicaid claims and private insurance reimbursement. You're facing possible federal criminal prosecution, but you're not alone because the hospital also is being investigated.
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PMS has been a legitimate diagnosis for several decades, but there are no FDA-approved therapies for it. Off-label use of medications that are FDA-approved for PMDD is common in clinical practice. For patients taking daily SSRIs for anxiety or mood symptoms, premenstrual dose adjustment offers a novel management strategy.
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