tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088775658944647818Sun, 31 Jul 2011 09:06:24 +0000physician rating sitestechnologyARRAclinical practiceTrendspotterpodcastmedicare reimbursementfinancetort reformhospitalistsEHRprimary-care physicianemergency medicineMelissa Youngwork-life balancesafetysolo practicesurgerylifestyleCongresstaxesmeaningful useblog warRACAMAcharityRandall WongfluObamamalpracticepatient relationsphysician groupsStarkhospitalsDon McDanielJennifer FrankstimulusEMRH1N1CMEcomputer-assisted codingMedicareInternetGerald O'MalleystressICD-10staffKen Terrywhat obama thinks of doctorssmall practicesPQRIguest bloggermedical schoolpharmaMGMAbillingcertificationFTCHIPAARed Flags ruleHHSCCHITinsuranceCMScodingreligionlaboratory testsqualitycommunity health centerspaymentcareersocial mediagroup practicemedical homepayershealthcare reformCommentary and news on practice management and healthcare policyhttp://physicianspractice.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Sara Michael)Blogger299125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088775658944647818.post-8590603211270501227Thu, 29 Apr 2010 14:18:00 +00002010-04-29T10:19:25.306-04:00You will be automatically redirected to our new site.http://physicianspractice.blogspot.com/2010/04/weve-moved-visit-us-at.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sara Michael)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088775658944647818.post-9164315329897026843Tue, 27 Apr 2010 13:39:00 +00002010-04-27T09:43:51.332-04:00Jennifer Frankwork-life balancelifestyleguest bloggerstressI recently took an online quiz to assess my vulnerability to stress. I was anxious to identify those areas that I needed to improve in order to lower my cortisol-induced stress haze. I scored a perfect score of invulnerability. Seriously – I didn’t even fudge any of the answers. The questions were things like “Do you get regular dental care?” and “Do you get seven to eight hours of sleep at leasthttp://physicianspractice.blogspot.com/2010/04/jennifer-frank-md-vulnerable-to-stress.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Guest Blogger)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088775658944647818.post-1870169245490686027Mon, 26 Apr 2010 14:05:00 +00002010-04-26T10:12:16.643-04:00I shouldn’t complain. Venturing out on my own has not been the financial disaster my former senior partner predicted despite the often miserable reimbursements. I have a steady stream of patients and the schedule is reasonably busy. After six months of practice, the current wait for a new patient is six weeks. For the coveted late afternoon slots, it’s about two months.Read more So, yes, life is http://physicianspractice.blogspot.com/2010/04/melissa-young-md-i-need-36-hours-in-day.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Bob Keaveney)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088775658944647818.post-9068785729639092093Thu, 22 Apr 2010 15:02:00 +00002010-04-22T11:12:45.071-04:00technologysocial mediaRandall WongLast week, I introduced the concept of SEO (search engine optimization) and how it can be used for marketing. Good SEO is matching the content of your web page with the keywords used for an organic search (i.e., the words you type into "Google" or another search engine).My Web site has become more visible on the Internet due to improved rankings on search pages. This is a result of my own SEO http://physicianspractice.blogspot.com/2010/04/randall-wong-md-tools-for-seo.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Guest Blogger)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088775658944647818.post-1746400681590830875Wed, 21 Apr 2010 18:21:00 +00002010-04-21T14:24:29.877-04:00guest bloggerGerald O'MalleyMy father-in-law passed away on Saturday. Sadao Nagakuni was born in 1942 in Katsurahama, Kochi Prefecture on Shikoku, the smallest and least populated island in Japan. He lived through the occupation of Japan following World War II but he was too young to remember much of it. He loved to swim in the ocean when he was a child, even though it was prohibited because of the rough surf. He put http://physicianspractice.blogspot.com/2010/04/gerald-omalley-do-sadao.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Guest Blogger)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088775658944647818.post-4078080673818728654Wed, 21 Apr 2010 12:39:00 +00002010-04-21T08:46:11.774-04:00Physicians Practice LIVE, our first ever virtual practice management conference opens this morning. It's just like a physician conference, complete with an exhibit hall stocked with booths, an auditorium with presentations from the experts on everything from HITECH dollars to work flow fixes, and a networking lounge to chat with other attendees. Well, except that it all is happening online. So, http://physicianspractice.blogspot.com/2010/04/physicians-practice-live-is-live.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sara Michael)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088775658944647818.post-6083182447943555258Wed, 21 Apr 2010 12:00:00 +00002010-04-21T08:47:33.178-04:00physician groupsKen TerryTrendspotterICD-10computer-assisted codingEHRBy Ken TerryAre you ready for computer-assisted coding (CAC)? So far, it’s being used mainly in hospital outpatient departments, emergency rooms, imaging centers, and ambulatory surgery centers. But it’s starting to move into inpatient settings and ambulatory-care clinics, as well. So you might soon be receiving solicitations from CAC vendors such as CodeRyte, A-Life Medical, AMI and 3M http://physicianspractice.blogspot.com/2010/04/trendspotter-computer-assisted-coding.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (KenTerry)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088775658944647818.post-5960675481483316004Tue, 20 Apr 2010 14:21:00 +00002010-04-20T10:22:29.348-04:00Jennifer Frankwork-life balancelifestyleguest bloggerI am sure you can relate to the sense of being crazy busy – not just rushing from this thing to that but feeling completely overwhelmed with the multiple professional and personal commitments that line up, seemingly endlessly, before you. I am living this, and it’s not a comfortable place to be.About six months ago, I was invited to speak at a conference occurring this past weekend. I http://physicianspractice.blogspot.com/2010/04/jennifer-frank-md-crazy-busy.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Guest Blogger)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088775658944647818.post-7912416097397025584Mon, 19 Apr 2010 14:16:00 +00002010-04-19T10:27:54.127-04:00technologyprimary-care physicianVirginia has become the 12th state to require health insurers cover telemedicine services. This includes interactive audio, video, and other electronic media used for diagnosis, consultation, and treatment, according to American Medical News.The American Telemedicine Association estimates that all 50 states will begin paying physicians for telemedicine services within the next few years. http://physicianspractice.blogspot.com/2010/04/telemedicine-catching-on.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sara Michael)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088775658944647818.post-7790839695284079094Fri, 16 Apr 2010 17:35:00 +00002010-04-16T13:36:23.578-04:00CongressMedicaremedicare reimbursementLast night, Congress passed legislation staving off the 21 percent Medicare cuts until June 1 — another temporary fix to the SGR-based payment formula.This vote was the latest of several moves to push back the cuts. Twice this year, CMS has had to step in and tell contractors to hold claims for 10 business days until Congress can pass a fix. The most recent period ended this week.And once that http://physicianspractice.blogspot.com/2010/04/congress-passes-another-temporary.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sara Michael)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088775658944647818.post-3245145576829312185Fri, 16 Apr 2010 12:55:00 +00002010-04-16T08:57:15.180-04:00Don McDanielHHStechnologyObamaguest bloggerCMSstimulusEHREMRMany of the readers of Practice Notes are members of or affiliated with small physician practices — physician organizations of 10 physicians or less. As you are now undoubtedly aware, the U.S. government is making a significant investment, as a major component of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, to support the adoption of electronic health records. EHR adoption is still very low in thehttp://physicianspractice.blogspot.com/2010/04/don-mcdaniel-recs-to-rescue.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Guest Blogger)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088775658944647818.post-5133789375524174313Thu, 15 Apr 2010 13:05:00 +00002010-04-15T09:12:39.377-04:00technologyguest bloggerInternetRandall WongSearch engine optimization (SEO) is a type of marketing strategy used to maximize the placement of your Web site on a search list. It is based upon the relevance of your site, and its content, to the keywords used to generate a search. It is the basis upon which search engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo) rank your web page on a search list.It is not paid advertising - it's free.The actual content of myhttp://physicianspractice.blogspot.com/2010/04/randall-wong-md-what-is-seo.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Guest Blogger)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088775658944647818.post-4780252901974034004Wed, 14 Apr 2010 21:19:00 +00002010-04-14T17:23:42.954-04:00emergency medicineguest bloggerGerald O'MalleyThe other night my wife was working the overnight and I was tired of reading, so I took a break and bought and downloaded the movie “Precious” from the On Demand channel. Since the kids came along I rarely go to the theater — unless the movie has Hannah Montana or a talking fish, I’m usually watching it on my couch. I watched about half the film but I couldn’t finish it. There is only so much http://physicianspractice.blogspot.com/2010/04/gerald-omalley-do-on-precious.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Guest Blogger)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088775658944647818.post-3654161989268646505Wed, 14 Apr 2010 12:00:00 +00002010-04-14T09:07:02.777-04:00Ken Terryemergency medicineprimary-care physicianTrendspotterBy Ken TerryIn Voltaire’s book “Candide,” he lampooned a contemporary philosopher’s assertion that “this is the best of all possible worlds.” Now a pair of emergency department physicians argue in a Slate article that we don’t need to reform our system of emergency care because most ED visits are necessary and, besides, they don’t cost that much. Apparently, these doctors never read “Candide.”http://physicianspractice.blogspot.com/2010/04/trendspotter-many-ed-visits-reflect.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (KenTerry)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088775658944647818.post-8243764231997755026Tue, 13 Apr 2010 19:18:00 +00002010-04-13T15:21:47.092-04:00pharmapaymentThere has been a lot of discussion lately about physicians receiving gifts or payments from drug companies or others in the medical industry. And part of the healthcare reform law includes a so-called “sunshine provision” requiring docs to disclose the payment on a public Web site.Now, a poll finds that about a third of physicians have been paid by pharmaceutical companies to attend meetings, http://physicianspractice.blogspot.com/2010/04/poll-13-of-docs-paid-by-drug-companies.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sara Michael)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088775658944647818.post-703514051660229312Tue, 13 Apr 2010 12:48:00 +00002010-04-13T08:48:00.162-04:00Jennifer Frankwork-life balanceguest bloggerpatient relationsI recently had to readmit a patient to the hospital for pneumonia. A lovely and delightful woman, she happens to have severe COPD exacerbated by continued smoking. She knows she shouldn’t smoke. I know she shouldn’t smoke. I know that she knows that she shouldn’t smoke. We have been over this countless times. Speaking to the pulmonologist about her care, I was informed that she needs to http://physicianspractice.blogspot.com/2010/04/jennifer-frank-md-reflection-on-me.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Guest Blogger)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088775658944647818.post-397861914900043899Mon, 12 Apr 2010 13:04:00 +00002010-04-12T09:05:01.577-04:00guest bloggerstaffMelissa Youngpatient relationsSeveral times a day, I hear patients complain that they can’t stand the staff at other doctors’ offices: “I like my doctor, but his staff is rude.” “The people over there don’t know what they’re doing.” Even some patients from my old practice tell me, “I’m so glad you left that office. I couldn’t stand so and so.”I also hear complaints from my staff all the time that they called another doctor’s http://physicianspractice.blogspot.com/2010/04/melissa-young-md-voice-and-face-of-my.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Guest Blogger)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088775658944647818.post-1001686162368462946Fri, 09 Apr 2010 13:54:00 +00002010-04-09T09:55:43.195-04:00Internetpatient relationsHave you ever Googled a patient? Should you? It’s a question physician blogger Kevin MD raises, and it seems like an interesting consideration in the ever-changing Internet/social media world.Of course patients Google their physicians all the time. But how often do doctors research their patients online? Maybe there are some contexts in which that would make sense (Kevin MD notes that primary http://physicianspractice.blogspot.com/2010/04/googling-your-patients.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sara Michael)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088775658944647818.post-6433122075793738474Thu, 08 Apr 2010 13:18:00 +00002010-04-08T09:19:59.562-04:00social mediaguest bloggerInternetRandall WongThe Internet saved the sight in my patient's only eye! Using my blog about retinal disease as a tool for patient education and communication via e-mail, we saved his vision.NOTE: Retinal tears, or retinal holes, cause retinal detachments. The most common symptoms of a retinal tear include flashes and floaters.My patient was referred to me with a retinal detachment of the right eye. He is almost http://physicianspractice.blogspot.com/2010/04/randall-wong-md-blog-saves-vision.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Guest Blogger)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088775658944647818.post-4762049477118012367Wed, 07 Apr 2010 16:15:00 +00002010-04-07T12:15:00.301-04:00lifestyleguest bloggerGerald O'MalleyLike most ER docs, my diet is atrocious. Shiftwork, the scheduling demands of raising two elementary school-age kids with a working wife and the unpredictable nature of the job conspire to interfere with a normal three-well-balanced-meals-a-day nutritional game plan. My friends and colleagues that I work with all have the same excuses. Fried cafeteria crap for breakfast, lunch and dinner and fasthttp://physicianspractice.blogspot.com/2010/04/gerald-omalley-do-diet.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Guest Blogger)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088775658944647818.post-3389920822396402443Wed, 07 Apr 2010 12:00:00 +00002010-04-07T10:06:10.847-04:00qualityhospitalsKen TerryTrendspottersurgerysafetyBy Ken TerrySafety and quality checklists can save lives in hospitals, as a new British Medical Journal study reiterates. Yet only a fraction of U.S. hospitals are using the World Health Organization (WHO) surgical safety checklist, which was introduced here 15 months ago. And the Leapfrog Group, a public-private consortium that presses for quality improvement in hospitals, has found that a http://physicianspractice.blogspot.com/2010/04/trendspotter-safety-procedures-known-to.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (KenTerry)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088775658944647818.post-3494388862789869952Tue, 06 Apr 2010 13:00:00 +00002010-04-06T09:00:00.794-04:00Jennifer Frankwork-life balanceguest bloggerpatient relationsWhile swimming this morning, I entertained self-congratulatory thoughts about my dedications and discipline. I got up this morning early to go to the pool before work. Okay, in all honesty, I slept through my alarm and was awoken by my youngest one’s cry to be rescued from his crib. Because I didn’t go back to bed like I wanted to, I count this as a plus in the discipline column. I thought http://physicianspractice.blogspot.com/2010/04/jennifer-frank-md-discipline.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Guest Blogger)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088775658944647818.post-6103983394553710145Mon, 05 Apr 2010 12:57:00 +00002010-04-05T09:00:23.419-04:00guest bloggerMelissa Younglaboratory testsclinical practicesolo practiceAs an endocrinologist, I do fingerstick blood glucose readings in the office. I use the same glucometer a patient might use at home, courtesy of one of the companies that leaves me sample meters and strips. I charge for the service, and am paid anywhere from nothing to about $10. Not a substantial amount, won’t change my bank account by much, and I’d probably do it even if wasn’t reimbursed sincehttp://physicianspractice.blogspot.com/2010/04/melissa-young-md-in-house-or-not-that.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Guest Blogger)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088775658944647818.post-7388998751911496859Fri, 02 Apr 2010 13:49:00 +00002010-04-02T09:55:45.631-04:00technologyprimary-care physicianpatient relationsThe healthcare reform debate, not to mention the rising costs and increasing demands, has forced many physicians to consider the future of their profession. So for the April issue, we considered what the job of the private practice physician would look like in 10 or 20 years. I spoke with a host of innovative thinkers and practitioners who shared their views on how the profession would http://physicianspractice.blogspot.com/2010/04/what-will-future-of-healthcare-look.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sara Michael)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088775658944647818.post-3551988788330512713Thu, 01 Apr 2010 16:00:00 +00002010-04-01T12:00:03.226-04:00technologyguest bloggerInternetRandall WongThe success of any Web site is the content of that site. No matter what the nature of the content (i.e. health information, practice information, etc.), good content will increase the popularity of the site. Here are a few tips about writing good content to keep your readers happy and to maximize your SEO (search engine optimization).Remember, Google and your patients like relevant and fresh http://physicianspractice.blogspot.com/2010/04/randall-wong-md-content-is-king.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Guest Blogger)0