Among the issues on Congress’ must-do list is the “doc fix” – finding billions of dollars needed to avert drastic rate cuts for physicians who treat Medicare’s 48 million beneficiaries.

For doctors, the nail-biter has become a familiar but frustrating rite. Lawmakers invariably defer the cuts prescribed by a 1997 reimbursement formula, which everyone agrees is broken beyond repair. But the deferrals are temporary, and the doc fix has become increasingly difficult to push through a divided and deficit-wary Congress. In 2010, Congress delayed scheduled cuts five times, with the longest …

By Erika Stewart

Health care reform will make huge changes in the way insurance companies do business, but most of that will not go into effect right away. Provisions that will help most Americans in 2012 affect policies that were purchased after March 13, 2010.

Under the new laws, health insurance companies cannot:

Refuse to cover children under age 19 who have a pre-existing condition
Impose a lifetime limit
Cancel a policy unless they can prove fraudulent information was given
Fail to provide an appeal process for denied claims

New insurance policies must now include reasonable preventive …

By Michelle Andrews

Credit card companies, airlines and hotels all have customer loyalty programs. Maybe it was only a matter of time before hospitals got in on the act.

A growing number of hospitals are seeking to attract new patients and keep existing one by offering them an array of perks, from free parking and gift-shop discounts to wellness seminars and health screenings. Some of the most popular programs are social mixers that have nothing to do with health care. Field trip to a casino, anyone?

It’s all part of a changing competitive …

The Wall Street Journal today features a discussion about whether docs should use email to communicate with patients.  There are many issues to consider including privacy, liability, exchange of accurate information, ability to “read” the patient, etc.  WSJ featured two opposing views on the matter.  The full article can be read here.

Dr. Joseph Kvedar — founder and director of the Center for Connected Health in Boston, which promotes the use of information technology to improve health care — is a proponent of email: “Sure, privacy is …

By Jen Abraczinskas and Jeffrey Brenner, MD

There is a lot of buzz about reducing hospital readmissions.  But what does a readmission look like?  And what will it take to provide the care needed to avoid readmissions?

We arrived at the ICU to find our patient sedated and intubated. Yet only 10 days earlier Mrs. P was strong enough to navigate the halls in her wheel chair, had her diabetes and COPD under control and was taking her medications for bipolar disorder. Mrs. P was discharged with …

By  Louis J. Goodman and Timothy B. Norbeck 

This year promises to be a watershed year for healthcare in general, and for patients and physicians, in particular.  No matter how the U.S. Supreme Court determines the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), 2012 will be a crucial turning point in the delivery of healthcare.

During the Congressional passage of the PPACA, White House advisors acknowledged that the economic forces in the legislation would accelerate physician employment by hospitals and larger physician …

By Sarah Barr

By the time newborn Freya Humenny joined her twin brother Beckett this past weekend, the calendar already had turned from 2011 to 2012. That means the twins always will have their own birthdays—but will they share an insurance statement?

The twin’s mother, Stephanie Peterson, gave birth to Beckett at 6:40 p.m. on Dec. 31, 2011,  at the Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, but Freya did not follow until 12:26 a.m on Jan. 1. And so after we ooh-ed and ahh-ed over the adorable pair, we had to ask: What could a case …

By Mark Crockett, MD

In the era of accountable care, you’ll notice that many hospitals and health systems are already driving towards more collaborative workflow. The integrated delivery network (IDN) is changing significantly, and for the better. But in high-acuity care areas, like the emergency department (ED), the challenge of treating patients more holistically in what is already a fast-paced environment is concerning for physicians evaluating the pay-for-performance model.

In today’s ED, patients may enter with a chronic condition that could be better managed by a primary care physician (PCP), but because …

By Katie Matlack

Over on the Software Advice blog, we discussed ways doctors can use social media for a variety of purposes. A recent study reported over half of all doctors use social media because of the benefit it can add for marketing and business development purposes. Beyond this marketing utility, however, some research has shown that getting information from a doctor after an in-person consultation can make patients more likely to take medicine properly and follow their physician’s instructions.

If you’re ready to get social–social networking, that is–you should prioritize knowing …

Temple University Health System and Fox Chase Cancer Center this week signed an Affiliation Agreement that moves both institutions closer to bringing Fox Chase Cancer Center into the Temple family – marking a major milestone for two celebrated Philadelphia institutions that will enhance cancer research and patient care in the region, both immediately and for years to come.
“Temple is proud and privileged to welcome Fox Chase Cancer Center into its family of academic researchers and clinicians,” said Ann Weaver Hart, PhD, President of Temple University.

“This bold, visionary relationship immediately establishes Temple’s …