The Journal of medical practice management : MPM最新文献

Physician burnout rates have increased across most specialties betweer 2011 and 2014, and there may be an association with financial metrics. WE examined the ordinal ranking of operating margins for each physician spe. cialty from the University of Vermont Medical Center and the correspond. ing physician burnout ranking according to previously published data Physician specialties were categorized into one of four groups accordinc to high or low operating margin and burnout. Radiology, dermatology, otolaryngology, emergency medicine, family medicine, anesthesia, anc neurology were consistently categorized by high operating margin and high burnout rank. Our study provides a framework to explore the impaci of financial metrics on specialty-specific satisfaction and burnout. This information is relevant to the way hospital administrators guide revenue streams, medical students select specialties, and the extent to which physicians pursue their careers.

Telehealth, the delivery of health-related services and information via digital communication technologies, is a rapidly emerging, innovative, cost-effective and efficient way to deliver healthcare. There are three main types of telehealth: store and forward; remote monitoring; and real-time interactive services. Smartphone applications, or apps, that connect a provider with a patient, known as "connective health apps," fall under this umbrella of telehealth and can function in all three of the categories. As the Affordable Care Act legislates to improve quality, lower costs, and expand coverage, connective health apps are an important aspect of the Act. This article addresses to what extent the Affordable Care Act and private insurers cover and promote connective health apps and discusses the potential limitations and benefits of these apps and the best ways to integrate them in the future.

In recent decades, the number of small medical practices has decreased, allowing for larger conglomerates to form. Although the literature includes several studies looking at physician productivity in small practices as opposed to larger groups, almost none have been performed in recent years. This study looks at a consolidated urology practice that has combined many physicians from many smaller groups, and how it is performing in terms of physician productivity. Productivity measures from each physician's initial years in the larger practice were analyzed, demonstrating that the physicians in the larger practice become significantly more productive during their time in the practice. This productivity can be attributed to a variety of factors, including strong physician leadership, a superior management team, a steadfast support staff, and well-equipped facilities.

A well-planned and focused daily huddle meeting with your employees can greatly impact your medical practice team's ability to work cohesively, create a seamless flow, increase efficiency, reduce stress, and provide exceptional patient care. This article explores these and other benefits of morning huddles, including how medical practice managers can use morning huddles to build and foster team morale. It offers 12 practical tips for creating and using morning huddles, including a sample huddle agenda and recommended logistics for holding a huddle meeting. It also describes nine benefits of morning huddles and four practice management goals for huddles. Finally, this article also offers eight fun ideas to keep morning huddles interesting and three strategies for getting team buy-in for morning huddles.

This article discusses the dichotomy between the need for physician leaders and the need for alternative pathways for medical licensure for nonpracticing physicians who seek leadership roles, including the possibility of a national solution to the problem. Currently, no nationwide licensing standards or requirements exist for clinically inactive physician leaders, and states have different requirements and procedures for licensure. In many states, physician leaders who no longer practice medicine may be held to the same standards of medical licensure as practicing physicians, which may require board recertification or enrollment in formal "reentry" programs and other activities that may seem unreasonable or irrelevant to the roles and responsibilities of physicians in leadership positions. Physicians interested in leaving practice for leadership opportunities in industry and other sectors of medicine should always maintain an active medical license. Those seeking employment in a state other than the one(s) in which they are currently licensed should not make any job commitments based on expectation of licensure until they are actually licensed.

Many physicians experience stress and anxiety when they are asked to testify in court or be an expert witness. Handling a barrage of attorney questions under oath can be challenging. And although testifying against a patient who has sued for malpractice is, of course, difficult, testifying against a colleague-for example, in an impairment or patient safety case-can be even worse. This article addresses some of the key reasons that cause physicians to resist testifying, and suggests ways for physicians to deliver their testimony in a way that is effective and can be understood by a jury.

Physicians practicing medicine in today's ever-shifting and advancing medical world are at risk for malpractice liability. The introduction of a vast array of telecommunication media into the physician world is creating a growing area of malpractice risk for physicians. This article explores the new malpractice considerations facing physicians in our constantly evolving digital world. Although they are novel and just on the horizon, these risks are real, and it is prudent for every practicing physician to consider them carefully.

Physician practices have historically had difficulty benchmarking their services because there are limits to the transfer of payment information among healthcare providers. Using standard analysis tools (e.g., Microsoft Excel) and data from CMS, we outline and provide a detailed example of how a physician practice can benchmark one revenue stream within its local geographic market. The data cover patients serviced under original Medicare from 2012 to 2014. In today's healthcare environment, with changing payment methodologies, understanding the revenue streams for a physician practice is essential to a practice's overall financial health.

Care management targets the most medically compiex patients in a practice in an attempt to reduce hospitalizations and improve health outcomes for those patients. Care management and care coordination have been shown to reduce costs to the healthcare system and are increasingly seen in practices following the patient-centered medical home model. This article defines 10 lessons we have learned over the last four years as we integrated RN-driven care management in our practice.

The message is clear-the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 represents a complete paradigm shift in our healthcare system, and its implementation will span several years. Consider it the shift from paying doctors using a traditional fee-for-service reimbursement model to one that pays according to the value that they provide to their patients, where "value" is defined by participation in several health IT and quality reporting programs. For many providers, this shift in thinking and their way of practicing medicine will be one of the greatest challenges of their career. The best thing you can do is to proactively prepare for the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System now. Your future self will thank you.