By:  Michael G. Calahan, PA, MBA
Physician practices are inundated with requests for medical information of every nature: encounter note copies, health and life insurance authorizations, managed care referrals, handicap parking certificates – forms to sign, forms to copy, forms to mail out … it is a never-ending stream of administrative requests all based on medical record (MR) documentation.  Documentation, whether paper-based or in electronic form, is critical to the long-established and far-reaching responsibilities of the modern physician practice.
It is also from documentation that oversight entities for federal and state programs …

By Karen Wolk Feinstein, PhD
Americans are exposed to more preventable medical errors than patients in other industrialized nations. Each year, 1.7 million infections occur in U.S. hospitals, associated with upwards of 100,000 deaths. It is estimated that preventable errors cost the United States $17-$29 billion per year in healthcare expenses, lost worker productivity, and disability. And as healthcare expenditures grow at more than seven percent each year, patient safety is improving by no more than one percent per year.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius recently had the unhappy duty …

By Alan Lyndon
Physicians News
Telemedicine as a technology is advancing so rapidly that it seems like something you might have seen on Star Trek.
Telemedicine as policy has become an integral part of the law as $27 billion was earmarked for health care information technology as part of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) stimulus plan.
But telemedicine as a successful practice or an everyday tool for physicians and patients has remained a mystery.  Until now.
Physicians will ask: How do I squeeze telemedicine in between my daily 35 – 40 patient …

By Michelle Andrews
Kaiser Health News

For most people, picking a doctor is hardly a scientific process. They ask friends or family members to pass along names of doctors they like and trust, or rely on another doctor’s referral.
Increasingly, health plans and independent groups are making physician information available online to help consumers make these choices more methodically. But experts caution that most doctor-rating systems are still rudimentary, and a four-star rating or other high-performance designation may not reliably reflect a doctor’s abilities. While ratings can provide helpful information, consumers still need to …

By Patricia A. Costante
In recent months, there have been several reports published that have forecasted dramatic physician shortages in New Jersey. The New Jersey Physician Workforce Task Force Report published by the New Jersey Council of Teaching Hospitals projects a shortfall of more than 2,800 physicians by the year 2020. Even more alarming is the fact that the 2009 report of the Resident Exit Survey (an annual report prepared by New Jersey Council of Teaching Hospitals) shows a precipitous decline in the number of graduating medical residents who are choosing …

by William C. Mohlenbrock, M.D. and Thomas M. Kish
The economic challenges of the past decade have placed hospitals under unrelenting pressures to reduce costs while maintaining quality.  With most of the stray dollars already found, any further cost cutting initiatives will likely bring with them the danger of compromised quality of care.
What healthcare organizations need to successfully respond to these challenges are new tools and new thinking with which they can maintain or increase their clinical quality and efficiencies.  And more than ever before, physicians are the key.  The next …

By Chris Sullivan
Many small and midsize healthcare providers are interested in the advantages offered by information technology, but find it difficult to move forward with actual deployment. Some fear they don’t have the in-house expertise to implement and manage the technology on an ongoing basis. Others believe they do not have the time or money to make such projects happen. But small healthcare offices can significantly grow their practice, ease workflow and improve the patient experience by adopting solutions, like electronic medical records or a server designed specifically for small …

By Michael R. Kubik
Don’t apply the latest grocery shopping trend to making one of the most important purchasing decisions in your practice of medicine. Buying locally grown lettuce may make sense, but using the same wisdom for selecting an insurance company for medical professional liability insurance may not be your best choice. While local companies may promote their proximity as an advantage, similar resources, knowledge and services for protecting you and your practice may be found with a reputable regional medical professional liability insurance company and at a better value. …

By Christopher Weaver
Kaiser Health News
When Bill Rose broke his leg in a motorcycle accident, he knew he’d end up paying for surgery himself– he was temporarily uninsured. So he asked the hospital for an estimate and negotiated a 30 percent discount, bringing the price down to $8,260 in exchange for paying up front.
But a month after the operation, the hospital told Rose, an insurance salesman from Defiance, Ohio, that the price had soared: He owed $10,000 more. One reason for the bigger bill was his surgeon’s decision to use a …

By Steven H. Snyder, Esq.
The first challenge that faces intended parents in third-party reproduction is finding someone willing to act as a surrogate.  There are, however, several sources that intended parents can use to find an appropriate and reliable surrogate.
The first source is relatives, friends, or co-workers who are aware of the parents’ situation and volunteer to assist them.  One of the advantages of finding a surrogate with whom the parents have an existing relationship is that it maximizes the initial feeling of comfort and trust among the parties.  This initial …