Accountable Care Organizations are cropping up nationwide. With over 10 million patients covered by Obamacare, the pressure is on for hospitals to acquire ACO status. Accountable Care Organizations were a hot topic of conversation at the beginning of the year, 15 million patients had coverage under an ACO in the U.S. Now, midyear, a new report shows that the number has jumped up to over 20.5 million.
I don’t know if you are familiar with The Doctor’s Channel or not, but The Doctor’s Channel offers free video CME, medical news, and physician education. Featuring insights and opinions from experts in over 50 specialties, as well as community and lifestyle features that help doctors stay on top of the latest news, ideas and information. The time-saving site includes short one- to two-minute streaming video clips designed to get to the point, and allows doctors to learn from each other – fast.
The U.S. Healthare System is moving toward unifying physician compensation methods, but we’re not there yet. If you’ve ever tried to understand all the various methods by which doctors are paid in the U.S. and found yourself completely and utterly baffled, you’re not alone. Here’s a handy guide to help you understand the various methods by which physicians can be paid.
One of the greatest challenges in healthcare currently is not so much a matter of practice, but definition. How has ‘value’ been defined and do we need to alter our definition to reflect the ongoing evolution of our healthcare system?
What's one thing you never see Grey’s Anatomy? A doctor sitting down at 3 am to dictate on a patient. Or write a note in their chart. I don’t even remember seeing a doctor on that show even look at a patient’s chart, let alone glean any valuable information from it. No one becomes a doctor because they love to document.
This week the New York Times ran an article about the top earners in healthcare- and perhaps a surprise to none, doctors did not top that list: administrators did.
What do the ACA, ACO, FFS, DHS, and QHP all have in common? They are healthcare acronyms and most are related to the Affordable Care Act. The healthcare industry is not unlike any other industry or almost any aspect of our lives these days, especially with the advent of texting. There is always a shorter way to say something i.e. “BFF” – best friends forever or one of my favorites “*$” - Starbucks. By the way, the title “FFOF” is Fun Facts on Friday. The ACA, which is part of the “PPACA” - Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, is regulated by “HHS” - the division of Health and Human Services, the “DOL” – Department of Labor and the “IRS” – Internal Revenue Service. HHS designates many responsibilities to “CMS” – the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
What are the latest trends with concierge medicine? What are the pros and cons associated from both a patient and physician perspective? How does the ACA play into concierge medicine? How are healthcare trends affecting the future of healthcare? Is concierge medicine the answer? It is no secret that the physician shortage is growing in leaps and bounds, especially in terms of primary care. The creation of the Affordable Care Act has amplified the issue, adding more insured to the mix. The supply and demand ratio is completely unbalanced. As a result, both physicians and patients are looking for alternatives.
What’s better than knowing you can connect a provider with a patient even when that patient lives in the most rural of places? Telemedicine is an innovative and resourceful communication tool that integrates communications with modern day electronics allowing for the provider and patient to be in different locations during scheduled appointments. Products such as real time audio/video, email and smart phones are just some of the products being used in this delivery of services. The term telehealth which also encompasses telemedicine is a broader definition of remote healthcare that can include non clinical usage such as continuing education and training for providers to support healthcare services.
Summary: Are you ready for a shift in risk from payer to provider? Will you be ready for value-based purchasing when it becomes required? Are you utilizing other reimbursement models such as bundled payments, Accountable Care Organizations, and Population Health Management? From a provider perspective, healthcare reform is aimed at tightening the purse strings, working more efficiently, reducing waste, and improving quality. The shift of risk has begun which will transform healthcare from a fee-for-service to fee-for-value. When the ultimate transformation ends, is still uncertain. As such, fee-for-service is still being utilized and providers are still generating profits and revenue based on the volume mentality while simultaneously trying to transition to a volume and quantity mentality. Juggling the opposite ends of the spectrum is no easy task.