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	<title>Physicians News</title>
	<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com</link>
	<description></description>
	<lastBuildDate>Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:31:20 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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	<item>
		<title>Help Your Patients Get the Benefits They Deserve</title>
		<description><![CDATA[[caption id="attachment_4585" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Eric Shore"][/caption]

By Eric A. Shore, J.D. and Pia Horton

Everyday your patients trust you to care for their health. Many of your patients find themselves unemployed and therefore, uninsured. While some will find work eventually, those with physical and/or mental limitations may not. This is especially true for those approaching retirement age (50-65 years). You can help.

Patients who are unable to sustain work due to their health may be eligible for Social Security disability benefits, therefore making them eligible for Medicare or Medicaid. Although treating your patients ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/02/01/help-your-patients-get-the-benefits-they-deserve/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Dream Of A Medical ‘Price List’ Dies In Florida Legislature</title>
		<description><![CDATA[By Sarah Barr, Kaiser Health News

Imagine if finding out the cost of a particular treatment or procedure at a doctors’ office was as easy as locating the prices of entrees at a restaurant. The menu might read: school physicals – ; office visit for a cold – ; diabetes screening – 0. But to the dismay of some consumer advocates, this push for health care pricing transparency never made it out of the kitchen.

While a Florida state House committee approved legislation that would expand the state’s requirement that certain providers post the out-of-pocket ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/31/dream-of-a-medical-%e2%80%98price-list%e2%80%99-dies-in-florida-legislature/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Practical Implications of Telemedicine Credentialing</title>
		<description><![CDATA[By Lucia Francesca Bruno, J.D., LL.M., M.B.A.

For the past century, information technology has reinvented the familiar and revolutionized the art of medicine.  As health care professionals struggle to keep pace with an ever-changing and consolidating industry, traditional forms of health care have succumbed to modern technology and fiscal constraints.  No longer are patients and providers afforded the luxury of being in the same place at the same time.  Recent developments in patient-service delivery systems have transformed the doctor/patient relationship; paving the way for advances in telemedicine and the credentialing and privileging ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/30/practical-implications-of-telemedicine-credentialing/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>FAQ: The &#8216;Doc Fix&#8217; Dilemma</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/26/faq-the-doc-fix-dilemma/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Health Care Reform Debate: More Thought and Less Volume, Please</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/26/health-care-reform-debate-more-thought-and-less-volume-please/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Hospitals Seek To Attract Business With Patient Perks</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/24/hospitals-seek-to-attract-business-with-patient-perks/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Should Docs Use Email to Talk to Patients?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[[caption id="attachment_3626" align="alignleft" width="255" caption="."][/caption]

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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/23/should-docs-use-email-to-talk-to-patients/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Camden Coalition’s Model for High Needs Patients</title>
		<description><![CDATA[By Jen Abraczinskas and Jeffrey Brenner, MD

[caption id="attachment_4531" align="alignleft" width="100" caption="Jen Abraczinskas"][/caption]

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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/09/camden-coalition%e2%80%99s-model-for-high-needs-patients/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>A Challenging Road Ahead for America’s Physicians</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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.

[caption id="attachment_4511" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Louis J. Goodman, Ph.D."][/caption]

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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/05/a-challenging-road-ahead-for-america%e2%80%99s-physicians/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Twins Born in Different Years: What About Insurance?</title>
	<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com</link>
	<description></description>
	<lastBuildDate>Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:31:20 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<docs>http://backend.userland.com/rss092</docs>
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	<item>
		<title>Physicians News</title>
	<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com</link>
	<description></description>
	<lastBuildDate>Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:31:20 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<docs>http://backend.userland.com/rss092</docs>
	<language>en</language>
	<!-- generator="WordPress/3.2.1" -->

	<item>
		<title>Help Your Patients Get the Benefits They Deserve</title>
		<description><![CDATA[[caption id="attachment_4585" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Eric Shore"][/caption]

By Eric A. Shore, J.D. and Pia Horton

Everyday your patients trust you to care for their health. Many of your patients find themselves unemployed and therefore, uninsured. While some will find work eventually, those with physical and/or mental limitations may not. This is especially true for those approaching retirement age (50-65 years). You can help.

Patients who are unable to sustain work due to their health may be eligible for Social Security disability benefits, therefore making them eligible for Medicare or Medicaid. Although treating your patients ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/02/01/help-your-patients-get-the-benefits-they-deserve/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Dream Of A Medical ‘Price List’ Dies In Florida Legislature</title>
		<description><![CDATA[By Sarah Barr, Kaiser Health News

Imagine if finding out the cost of a particular treatment or procedure at a doctors’ office was as easy as locating the prices of entrees at a restaurant. The menu might read: school physicals – ; office visit for a cold – ; diabetes screening – 0. But to the dismay of some consumer advocates, this push for health care pricing transparency never made it out of the kitchen.

While a Florida state House committee approved legislation that would expand the state’s requirement that certain providers post the out-of-pocket ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/31/dream-of-a-medical-%e2%80%98price-list%e2%80%99-dies-in-florida-legislature/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Practical Implications of Telemedicine Credentialing</title>
		<description><![CDATA[By Lucia Francesca Bruno, J.D., LL.M., M.B.A.

For the past century, information technology has reinvented the familiar and revolutionized the art of medicine.  As health care professionals struggle to keep pace with an ever-changing and consolidating industry, traditional forms of health care have succumbed to modern technology and fiscal constraints.  No longer are patients and providers afforded the luxury of being in the same place at the same time.  Recent developments in patient-service delivery systems have transformed the doctor/patient relationship; paving the way for advances in telemedicine and the credentialing and privileging ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/30/practical-implications-of-telemedicine-credentialing/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>FAQ: The &#8216;Doc Fix&#8217; Dilemma</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/26/faq-the-doc-fix-dilemma/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Health Care Reform Debate: More Thought and Less Volume, Please</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/26/health-care-reform-debate-more-thought-and-less-volume-please/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Hospitals Seek To Attract Business With Patient Perks</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/24/hospitals-seek-to-attract-business-with-patient-perks/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Should Docs Use Email to Talk to Patients?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[[caption id="attachment_3626" align="alignleft" width="255" caption="."][/caption]

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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/23/should-docs-use-email-to-talk-to-patients/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Camden Coalition’s Model for High Needs Patients</title>
		<description><![CDATA[By Jen Abraczinskas and Jeffrey Brenner, MD

[caption id="attachment_4531" align="alignleft" width="100" caption="Jen Abraczinskas"][/caption]

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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/09/camden-coalition%e2%80%99s-model-for-high-needs-patients/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>A Challenging Road Ahead for America’s Physicians</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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.

[caption id="attachment_4511" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Louis J. Goodman, Ph.D."][/caption]

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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/05/a-challenging-road-ahead-for-america%e2%80%99s-physicians/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Twins Born in Different Years: What About Insurance?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[[caption id="attachment_4585" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Eric Shore"][/caption]

By Eric A. Shore, J.D. and Pia Horton

Everyday your patients trust you to care for their health. Many of your patients find themselves unemployed and therefore, uninsured. While some will find work eventually, those with physical and/or mental limitations may not. This is especially true for those approaching retirement age (50-65 years). You can help.

Patients who are unable to sustain work due to their health may be eligible for Social Security disability benefits, therefore making them eligible for Medicare or Medicaid. Although treating your patients ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/02/01/help-your-patients-get-the-benefits-they-deserve/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Physicians News</title>
	<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com</link>
	<description></description>
	<lastBuildDate>Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:31:20 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<docs>http://backend.userland.com/rss092</docs>
	<language>en</language>
	<!-- generator="WordPress/3.2.1" -->

	<item>
		<title>Help Your Patients Get the Benefits They Deserve</title>
		<description><![CDATA[[caption id="attachment_4585" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Eric Shore"][/caption]

By Eric A. Shore, J.D. and Pia Horton

Everyday your patients trust you to care for their health. Many of your patients find themselves unemployed and therefore, uninsured. While some will find work eventually, those with physical and/or mental limitations may not. This is especially true for those approaching retirement age (50-65 years). You can help.

Patients who are unable to sustain work due to their health may be eligible for Social Security disability benefits, therefore making them eligible for Medicare or Medicaid. Although treating your patients ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/02/01/help-your-patients-get-the-benefits-they-deserve/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Dream Of A Medical ‘Price List’ Dies In Florida Legislature</title>
		<description><![CDATA[By Sarah Barr, Kaiser Health News

Imagine if finding out the cost of a particular treatment or procedure at a doctors’ office was as easy as locating the prices of entrees at a restaurant. The menu might read: school physicals – ; office visit for a cold – ; diabetes screening – 0. But to the dismay of some consumer advocates, this push for health care pricing transparency never made it out of the kitchen.

While a Florida state House committee approved legislation that would expand the state’s requirement that certain providers post the out-of-pocket ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/31/dream-of-a-medical-%e2%80%98price-list%e2%80%99-dies-in-florida-legislature/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Practical Implications of Telemedicine Credentialing</title>
		<description><![CDATA[By Lucia Francesca Bruno, J.D., LL.M., M.B.A.

For the past century, information technology has reinvented the familiar and revolutionized the art of medicine.  As health care professionals struggle to keep pace with an ever-changing and consolidating industry, traditional forms of health care have succumbed to modern technology and fiscal constraints.  No longer are patients and providers afforded the luxury of being in the same place at the same time.  Recent developments in patient-service delivery systems have transformed the doctor/patient relationship; paving the way for advances in telemedicine and the credentialing and privileging ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/30/practical-implications-of-telemedicine-credentialing/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>FAQ: The &#8216;Doc Fix&#8217; Dilemma</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/26/faq-the-doc-fix-dilemma/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Health Care Reform Debate: More Thought and Less Volume, Please</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/26/health-care-reform-debate-more-thought-and-less-volume-please/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Hospitals Seek To Attract Business With Patient Perks</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/24/hospitals-seek-to-attract-business-with-patient-perks/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Should Docs Use Email to Talk to Patients?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[[caption id="attachment_3626" align="alignleft" width="255" caption="."][/caption]

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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/23/should-docs-use-email-to-talk-to-patients/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Camden Coalition’s Model for High Needs Patients</title>
		<description><![CDATA[By Jen Abraczinskas and Jeffrey Brenner, MD

[caption id="attachment_4531" align="alignleft" width="100" caption="Jen Abraczinskas"][/caption]

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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/09/camden-coalition%e2%80%99s-model-for-high-needs-patients/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>A Challenging Road Ahead for America’s Physicians</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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.

[caption id="attachment_4511" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Louis J. Goodman, Ph.D."][/caption]

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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/05/a-challenging-road-ahead-for-america%e2%80%99s-physicians/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Twins Born in Different Years: What About Insurance?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[By Sarah Barr, Kaiser Health News

Imagine if finding out the cost of a particular treatment or procedure at a doctors’ office was as easy as locating the prices of entrees at a restaurant. The menu might read: school physicals – $40; office visit for a cold – $80; diabetes screening – $200. But to the dismay of some consumer advocates, this push for health care pricing transparency never made it out of the kitchen.

While a Florida state House committee approved legislation that would expand the state’s requirement that certain providers post the out-of-pocket ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/31/dream-of-a-medical-%e2%80%98price-list%e2%80%99-dies-in-florida-legislature/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Physicians News</title>
	<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com</link>
	<description></description>
	<lastBuildDate>Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:31:20 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<docs>http://backend.userland.com/rss092</docs>
	<language>en</language>
	<!-- generator="WordPress/3.2.1" -->

	<item>
		<title>Help Your Patients Get the Benefits They Deserve</title>
		<description><![CDATA[[caption id="attachment_4585" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Eric Shore"][/caption]

By Eric A. Shore, J.D. and Pia Horton

Everyday your patients trust you to care for their health. Many of your patients find themselves unemployed and therefore, uninsured. While some will find work eventually, those with physical and/or mental limitations may not. This is especially true for those approaching retirement age (50-65 years). You can help.

Patients who are unable to sustain work due to their health may be eligible for Social Security disability benefits, therefore making them eligible for Medicare or Medicaid. Although treating your patients ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/02/01/help-your-patients-get-the-benefits-they-deserve/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Dream Of A Medical ‘Price List’ Dies In Florida Legislature</title>
		<description><![CDATA[By Sarah Barr, Kaiser Health News

Imagine if finding out the cost of a particular treatment or procedure at a doctors’ office was as easy as locating the prices of entrees at a restaurant. The menu might read: school physicals – ; office visit for a cold – ; diabetes screening – 0. But to the dismay of some consumer advocates, this push for health care pricing transparency never made it out of the kitchen.

While a Florida state House committee approved legislation that would expand the state’s requirement that certain providers post the out-of-pocket ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/31/dream-of-a-medical-%e2%80%98price-list%e2%80%99-dies-in-florida-legislature/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Practical Implications of Telemedicine Credentialing</title>
		<description><![CDATA[By Lucia Francesca Bruno, J.D., LL.M., M.B.A.

For the past century, information technology has reinvented the familiar and revolutionized the art of medicine.  As health care professionals struggle to keep pace with an ever-changing and consolidating industry, traditional forms of health care have succumbed to modern technology and fiscal constraints.  No longer are patients and providers afforded the luxury of being in the same place at the same time.  Recent developments in patient-service delivery systems have transformed the doctor/patient relationship; paving the way for advances in telemedicine and the credentialing and privileging ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/30/practical-implications-of-telemedicine-credentialing/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>FAQ: The &#8216;Doc Fix&#8217; Dilemma</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/26/faq-the-doc-fix-dilemma/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Health Care Reform Debate: More Thought and Less Volume, Please</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/26/health-care-reform-debate-more-thought-and-less-volume-please/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Hospitals Seek To Attract Business With Patient Perks</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/24/hospitals-seek-to-attract-business-with-patient-perks/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Should Docs Use Email to Talk to Patients?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[[caption id="attachment_3626" align="alignleft" width="255" caption="."][/caption]

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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/23/should-docs-use-email-to-talk-to-patients/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Camden Coalition’s Model for High Needs Patients</title>
		<description><![CDATA[By Jen Abraczinskas and Jeffrey Brenner, MD

[caption id="attachment_4531" align="alignleft" width="100" caption="Jen Abraczinskas"][/caption]

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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/09/camden-coalition%e2%80%99s-model-for-high-needs-patients/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>A Challenging Road Ahead for America’s Physicians</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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.

[caption id="attachment_4511" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Louis J. Goodman, Ph.D."][/caption]

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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/05/a-challenging-road-ahead-for-america%e2%80%99s-physicians/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Twins Born in Different Years: What About Insurance?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[By Lucia Francesca Bruno, J.D., LL.M., M.B.A.

For the past century, information technology has reinvented the familiar and revolutionized the art of medicine.  As health care professionals struggle to keep pace with an ever-changing and consolidating industry, traditional forms of health care have succumbed to modern technology and fiscal constraints.  No longer are patients and providers afforded the luxury of being in the same place at the same time.  Recent developments in patient-service delivery systems have transformed the doctor/patient relationship; paving the way for advances in telemedicine and the credentialing and privileging ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/30/practical-implications-of-telemedicine-credentialing/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Physicians News</title>
	<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com</link>
	<description></description>
	<lastBuildDate>Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:31:20 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<docs>http://backend.userland.com/rss092</docs>
	<language>en</language>
	<!-- generator="WordPress/3.2.1" -->

	<item>
		<title>Help Your Patients Get the Benefits They Deserve</title>
		<description><![CDATA[[caption id="attachment_4585" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Eric Shore"][/caption]

By Eric A. Shore, J.D. and Pia Horton

Everyday your patients trust you to care for their health. Many of your patients find themselves unemployed and therefore, uninsured. While some will find work eventually, those with physical and/or mental limitations may not. This is especially true for those approaching retirement age (50-65 years). You can help.

Patients who are unable to sustain work due to their health may be eligible for Social Security disability benefits, therefore making them eligible for Medicare or Medicaid. Although treating your patients ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/02/01/help-your-patients-get-the-benefits-they-deserve/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Dream Of A Medical ‘Price List’ Dies In Florida Legislature</title>
		<description><![CDATA[By Sarah Barr, Kaiser Health News

Imagine if finding out the cost of a particular treatment or procedure at a doctors’ office was as easy as locating the prices of entrees at a restaurant. The menu might read: school physicals – ; office visit for a cold – ; diabetes screening – 0. But to the dismay of some consumer advocates, this push for health care pricing transparency never made it out of the kitchen.

While a Florida state House committee approved legislation that would expand the state’s requirement that certain providers post the out-of-pocket ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/31/dream-of-a-medical-%e2%80%98price-list%e2%80%99-dies-in-florida-legislature/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Practical Implications of Telemedicine Credentialing</title>
		<description><![CDATA[By Lucia Francesca Bruno, J.D., LL.M., M.B.A.

For the past century, information technology has reinvented the familiar and revolutionized the art of medicine.  As health care professionals struggle to keep pace with an ever-changing and consolidating industry, traditional forms of health care have succumbed to modern technology and fiscal constraints.  No longer are patients and providers afforded the luxury of being in the same place at the same time.  Recent developments in patient-service delivery systems have transformed the doctor/patient relationship; paving the way for advances in telemedicine and the credentialing and privileging ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/30/practical-implications-of-telemedicine-credentialing/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>FAQ: The &#8216;Doc Fix&#8217; Dilemma</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/26/faq-the-doc-fix-dilemma/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Health Care Reform Debate: More Thought and Less Volume, Please</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/26/health-care-reform-debate-more-thought-and-less-volume-please/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Hospitals Seek To Attract Business With Patient Perks</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/24/hospitals-seek-to-attract-business-with-patient-perks/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Should Docs Use Email to Talk to Patients?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[[caption id="attachment_3626" align="alignleft" width="255" caption="."][/caption]

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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/23/should-docs-use-email-to-talk-to-patients/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Camden Coalition’s Model for High Needs Patients</title>
		<description><![CDATA[By Jen Abraczinskas and Jeffrey Brenner, MD

[caption id="attachment_4531" align="alignleft" width="100" caption="Jen Abraczinskas"][/caption]

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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/09/camden-coalition%e2%80%99s-model-for-high-needs-patients/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>A Challenging Road Ahead for America’s Physicians</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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.

[caption id="attachment_4511" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Louis J. Goodman, Ph.D."][/caption]

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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/05/a-challenging-road-ahead-for-america%e2%80%99s-physicians/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Twins Born in Different Years: What About Insurance?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/26/faq-the-doc-fix-dilemma/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Physicians News</title>
	<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com</link>
	<description></description>
	<lastBuildDate>Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:31:20 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<docs>http://backend.userland.com/rss092</docs>
	<language>en</language>
	<!-- generator="WordPress/3.2.1" -->

	<item>
		<title>Help Your Patients Get the Benefits They Deserve</title>
		<description><![CDATA[[caption id="attachment_4585" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Eric Shore"][/caption]

By Eric A. Shore, J.D. and Pia Horton

Everyday your patients trust you to care for their health. Many of your patients find themselves unemployed and therefore, uninsured. While some will find work eventually, those with physical and/or mental limitations may not. This is especially true for those approaching retirement age (50-65 years). You can help.

Patients who are unable to sustain work due to their health may be eligible for Social Security disability benefits, therefore making them eligible for Medicare or Medicaid. Although treating your patients ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/02/01/help-your-patients-get-the-benefits-they-deserve/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Dream Of A Medical ‘Price List’ Dies In Florida Legislature</title>
		<description><![CDATA[By Sarah Barr, Kaiser Health News

Imagine if finding out the cost of a particular treatment or procedure at a doctors’ office was as easy as locating the prices of entrees at a restaurant. The menu might read: school physicals – ; office visit for a cold – ; diabetes screening – 0. But to the dismay of some consumer advocates, this push for health care pricing transparency never made it out of the kitchen.

While a Florida state House committee approved legislation that would expand the state’s requirement that certain providers post the out-of-pocket ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/31/dream-of-a-medical-%e2%80%98price-list%e2%80%99-dies-in-florida-legislature/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Practical Implications of Telemedicine Credentialing</title>
		<description><![CDATA[By Lucia Francesca Bruno, J.D., LL.M., M.B.A.

For the past century, information technology has reinvented the familiar and revolutionized the art of medicine.  As health care professionals struggle to keep pace with an ever-changing and consolidating industry, traditional forms of health care have succumbed to modern technology and fiscal constraints.  No longer are patients and providers afforded the luxury of being in the same place at the same time.  Recent developments in patient-service delivery systems have transformed the doctor/patient relationship; paving the way for advances in telemedicine and the credentialing and privileging ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/30/practical-implications-of-telemedicine-credentialing/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>FAQ: The &#8216;Doc Fix&#8217; Dilemma</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/26/faq-the-doc-fix-dilemma/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Health Care Reform Debate: More Thought and Less Volume, Please</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/26/health-care-reform-debate-more-thought-and-less-volume-please/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Hospitals Seek To Attract Business With Patient Perks</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/24/hospitals-seek-to-attract-business-with-patient-perks/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Should Docs Use Email to Talk to Patients?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[[caption id="attachment_3626" align="alignleft" width="255" caption="."][/caption]

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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/23/should-docs-use-email-to-talk-to-patients/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Camden Coalition’s Model for High Needs Patients</title>
		<description><![CDATA[By Jen Abraczinskas and Jeffrey Brenner, MD

[caption id="attachment_4531" align="alignleft" width="100" caption="Jen Abraczinskas"][/caption]

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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/09/camden-coalition%e2%80%99s-model-for-high-needs-patients/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>A Challenging Road Ahead for America’s Physicians</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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.

[caption id="attachment_4511" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Louis J. Goodman, Ph.D."][/caption]

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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/05/a-challenging-road-ahead-for-america%e2%80%99s-physicians/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Twins Born in Different Years: What About Insurance?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/26/health-care-reform-debate-more-thought-and-less-volume-please/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Physicians News</title>
	<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com</link>
	<description></description>
	<lastBuildDate>Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:31:20 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<docs>http://backend.userland.com/rss092</docs>
	<language>en</language>
	<!-- generator="WordPress/3.2.1" -->

	<item>
		<title>Help Your Patients Get the Benefits They Deserve</title>
		<description><![CDATA[[caption id="attachment_4585" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Eric Shore"][/caption]

By Eric A. Shore, J.D. and Pia Horton

Everyday your patients trust you to care for their health. Many of your patients find themselves unemployed and therefore, uninsured. While some will find work eventually, those with physical and/or mental limitations may not. This is especially true for those approaching retirement age (50-65 years). You can help.

Patients who are unable to sustain work due to their health may be eligible for Social Security disability benefits, therefore making them eligible for Medicare or Medicaid. Although treating your patients ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/02/01/help-your-patients-get-the-benefits-they-deserve/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Dream Of A Medical ‘Price List’ Dies In Florida Legislature</title>
		<description><![CDATA[By Sarah Barr, Kaiser Health News

Imagine if finding out the cost of a particular treatment or procedure at a doctors’ office was as easy as locating the prices of entrees at a restaurant. The menu might read: school physicals – ; office visit for a cold – ; diabetes screening – 0. But to the dismay of some consumer advocates, this push for health care pricing transparency never made it out of the kitchen.

While a Florida state House committee approved legislation that would expand the state’s requirement that certain providers post the out-of-pocket ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/31/dream-of-a-medical-%e2%80%98price-list%e2%80%99-dies-in-florida-legislature/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Practical Implications of Telemedicine Credentialing</title>
		<description><![CDATA[By Lucia Francesca Bruno, J.D., LL.M., M.B.A.

For the past century, information technology has reinvented the familiar and revolutionized the art of medicine.  As health care professionals struggle to keep pace with an ever-changing and consolidating industry, traditional forms of health care have succumbed to modern technology and fiscal constraints.  No longer are patients and providers afforded the luxury of being in the same place at the same time.  Recent developments in patient-service delivery systems have transformed the doctor/patient relationship; paving the way for advances in telemedicine and the credentialing and privileging ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/30/practical-implications-of-telemedicine-credentialing/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>FAQ: The &#8216;Doc Fix&#8217; Dilemma</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/26/faq-the-doc-fix-dilemma/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Health Care Reform Debate: More Thought and Less Volume, Please</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/26/health-care-reform-debate-more-thought-and-less-volume-please/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Hospitals Seek To Attract Business With Patient Perks</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/24/hospitals-seek-to-attract-business-with-patient-perks/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Should Docs Use Email to Talk to Patients?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[[caption id="attachment_3626" align="alignleft" width="255" caption="."][/caption]

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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/23/should-docs-use-email-to-talk-to-patients/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Camden Coalition’s Model for High Needs Patients</title>
		<description><![CDATA[By Jen Abraczinskas and Jeffrey Brenner, MD

[caption id="attachment_4531" align="alignleft" width="100" caption="Jen Abraczinskas"][/caption]

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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/09/camden-coalition%e2%80%99s-model-for-high-needs-patients/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>A Challenging Road Ahead for America’s Physicians</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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.

[caption id="attachment_4511" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Louis J. Goodman, Ph.D."][/caption]

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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/05/a-challenging-road-ahead-for-america%e2%80%99s-physicians/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Twins Born in Different Years: What About Insurance?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/24/hospitals-seek-to-attract-business-with-patient-perks/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Physicians News</title>
	<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com</link>
	<description></description>
	<lastBuildDate>Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:31:20 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<docs>http://backend.userland.com/rss092</docs>
	<language>en</language>
	<!-- generator="WordPress/3.2.1" -->

	<item>
		<title>Help Your Patients Get the Benefits They Deserve</title>
		<description><![CDATA[[caption id="attachment_4585" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Eric Shore"][/caption]

By Eric A. Shore, J.D. and Pia Horton

Everyday your patients trust you to care for their health. Many of your patients find themselves unemployed and therefore, uninsured. While some will find work eventually, those with physical and/or mental limitations may not. This is especially true for those approaching retirement age (50-65 years). You can help.

Patients who are unable to sustain work due to their health may be eligible for Social Security disability benefits, therefore making them eligible for Medicare or Medicaid. Although treating your patients ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/02/01/help-your-patients-get-the-benefits-they-deserve/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Dream Of A Medical ‘Price List’ Dies In Florida Legislature</title>
		<description><![CDATA[By Sarah Barr, Kaiser Health News

Imagine if finding out the cost of a particular treatment or procedure at a doctors’ office was as easy as locating the prices of entrees at a restaurant. The menu might read: school physicals – ; office visit for a cold – ; diabetes screening – 0. But to the dismay of some consumer advocates, this push for health care pricing transparency never made it out of the kitchen.

While a Florida state House committee approved legislation that would expand the state’s requirement that certain providers post the out-of-pocket ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/31/dream-of-a-medical-%e2%80%98price-list%e2%80%99-dies-in-florida-legislature/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Practical Implications of Telemedicine Credentialing</title>
		<description><![CDATA[By Lucia Francesca Bruno, J.D., LL.M., M.B.A.

For the past century, information technology has reinvented the familiar and revolutionized the art of medicine.  As health care professionals struggle to keep pace with an ever-changing and consolidating industry, traditional forms of health care have succumbed to modern technology and fiscal constraints.  No longer are patients and providers afforded the luxury of being in the same place at the same time.  Recent developments in patient-service delivery systems have transformed the doctor/patient relationship; paving the way for advances in telemedicine and the credentialing and privileging ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/30/practical-implications-of-telemedicine-credentialing/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>FAQ: The &#8216;Doc Fix&#8217; Dilemma</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/26/faq-the-doc-fix-dilemma/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Health Care Reform Debate: More Thought and Less Volume, Please</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/26/health-care-reform-debate-more-thought-and-less-volume-please/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Hospitals Seek To Attract Business With Patient Perks</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/24/hospitals-seek-to-attract-business-with-patient-perks/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Should Docs Use Email to Talk to Patients?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[[caption id="attachment_3626" align="alignleft" width="255" caption="."][/caption]

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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/23/should-docs-use-email-to-talk-to-patients/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Camden Coalition’s Model for High Needs Patients</title>
		<description><![CDATA[By Jen Abraczinskas and Jeffrey Brenner, MD

[caption id="attachment_4531" align="alignleft" width="100" caption="Jen Abraczinskas"][/caption]

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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/09/camden-coalition%e2%80%99s-model-for-high-needs-patients/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>A Challenging Road Ahead for America’s Physicians</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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.

[caption id="attachment_4511" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Louis J. Goodman, Ph.D."][/caption]

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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/05/a-challenging-road-ahead-for-america%e2%80%99s-physicians/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Twins Born in Different Years: What About Insurance?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[[caption id="attachment_3626" align="alignleft" width="255" caption="."][/caption]

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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/23/should-docs-use-email-to-talk-to-patients/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Physicians News</title>
	<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com</link>
	<description></description>
	<lastBuildDate>Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:31:20 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<docs>http://backend.userland.com/rss092</docs>
	<language>en</language>
	<!-- generator="WordPress/3.2.1" -->

	<item>
		<title>Help Your Patients Get the Benefits They Deserve</title>
		<description><![CDATA[[caption id="attachment_4585" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Eric Shore"][/caption]

By Eric A. Shore, J.D. and Pia Horton

Everyday your patients trust you to care for their health. Many of your patients find themselves unemployed and therefore, uninsured. While some will find work eventually, those with physical and/or mental limitations may not. This is especially true for those approaching retirement age (50-65 years). You can help.

Patients who are unable to sustain work due to their health may be eligible for Social Security disability benefits, therefore making them eligible for Medicare or Medicaid. Although treating your patients ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/02/01/help-your-patients-get-the-benefits-they-deserve/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Dream Of A Medical ‘Price List’ Dies In Florida Legislature</title>
		<description><![CDATA[By Sarah Barr, Kaiser Health News

Imagine if finding out the cost of a particular treatment or procedure at a doctors’ office was as easy as locating the prices of entrees at a restaurant. The menu might read: school physicals – ; office visit for a cold – ; diabetes screening – 0. But to the dismay of some consumer advocates, this push for health care pricing transparency never made it out of the kitchen.

While a Florida state House committee approved legislation that would expand the state’s requirement that certain providers post the out-of-pocket ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/31/dream-of-a-medical-%e2%80%98price-list%e2%80%99-dies-in-florida-legislature/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Practical Implications of Telemedicine Credentialing</title>
		<description><![CDATA[By Lucia Francesca Bruno, J.D., LL.M., M.B.A.

For the past century, information technology has reinvented the familiar and revolutionized the art of medicine.  As health care professionals struggle to keep pace with an ever-changing and consolidating industry, traditional forms of health care have succumbed to modern technology and fiscal constraints.  No longer are patients and providers afforded the luxury of being in the same place at the same time.  Recent developments in patient-service delivery systems have transformed the doctor/patient relationship; paving the way for advances in telemedicine and the credentialing and privileging ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/30/practical-implications-of-telemedicine-credentialing/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>FAQ: The &#8216;Doc Fix&#8217; Dilemma</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/26/faq-the-doc-fix-dilemma/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Health Care Reform Debate: More Thought and Less Volume, Please</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/26/health-care-reform-debate-more-thought-and-less-volume-please/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Hospitals Seek To Attract Business With Patient Perks</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/24/hospitals-seek-to-attract-business-with-patient-perks/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Should Docs Use Email to Talk to Patients?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[[caption id="attachment_3626" align="alignleft" width="255" caption="."][/caption]

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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/23/should-docs-use-email-to-talk-to-patients/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Camden Coalition’s Model for High Needs Patients</title>
		<description><![CDATA[By Jen Abraczinskas and Jeffrey Brenner, MD

[caption id="attachment_4531" align="alignleft" width="100" caption="Jen Abraczinskas"][/caption]

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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/09/camden-coalition%e2%80%99s-model-for-high-needs-patients/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>A Challenging Road Ahead for America’s Physicians</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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.

[caption id="attachment_4511" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Louis J. Goodman, Ph.D."][/caption]

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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/05/a-challenging-road-ahead-for-america%e2%80%99s-physicians/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Twins Born in Different Years: What About Insurance?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[By Jen Abraczinskas and Jeffrey Brenner, MD

[caption id="attachment_4531" align="alignleft" width="100" caption="Jen Abraczinskas"][/caption]

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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/09/camden-coalition%e2%80%99s-model-for-high-needs-patients/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Physicians News</title>
	<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com</link>
	<description></description>
	<lastBuildDate>Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:31:20 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<docs>http://backend.userland.com/rss092</docs>
	<language>en</language>
	<!-- generator="WordPress/3.2.1" -->

	<item>
		<title>Help Your Patients Get the Benefits They Deserve</title>
		<description><![CDATA[[caption id="attachment_4585" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Eric Shore"][/caption]

By Eric A. Shore, J.D. and Pia Horton

Everyday your patients trust you to care for their health. Many of your patients find themselves unemployed and therefore, uninsured. While some will find work eventually, those with physical and/or mental limitations may not. This is especially true for those approaching retirement age (50-65 years). You can help.

Patients who are unable to sustain work due to their health may be eligible for Social Security disability benefits, therefore making them eligible for Medicare or Medicaid. Although treating your patients ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/02/01/help-your-patients-get-the-benefits-they-deserve/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Dream Of A Medical ‘Price List’ Dies In Florida Legislature</title>
		<description><![CDATA[By Sarah Barr, Kaiser Health News

Imagine if finding out the cost of a particular treatment or procedure at a doctors’ office was as easy as locating the prices of entrees at a restaurant. The menu might read: school physicals – ; office visit for a cold – ; diabetes screening – 0. But to the dismay of some consumer advocates, this push for health care pricing transparency never made it out of the kitchen.

While a Florida state House committee approved legislation that would expand the state’s requirement that certain providers post the out-of-pocket ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/31/dream-of-a-medical-%e2%80%98price-list%e2%80%99-dies-in-florida-legislature/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Practical Implications of Telemedicine Credentialing</title>
		<description><![CDATA[By Lucia Francesca Bruno, J.D., LL.M., M.B.A.

For the past century, information technology has reinvented the familiar and revolutionized the art of medicine.  As health care professionals struggle to keep pace with an ever-changing and consolidating industry, traditional forms of health care have succumbed to modern technology and fiscal constraints.  No longer are patients and providers afforded the luxury of being in the same place at the same time.  Recent developments in patient-service delivery systems have transformed the doctor/patient relationship; paving the way for advances in telemedicine and the credentialing and privileging ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/30/practical-implications-of-telemedicine-credentialing/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>FAQ: The &#8216;Doc Fix&#8217; Dilemma</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/26/faq-the-doc-fix-dilemma/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Health Care Reform Debate: More Thought and Less Volume, Please</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/26/health-care-reform-debate-more-thought-and-less-volume-please/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Hospitals Seek To Attract Business With Patient Perks</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/24/hospitals-seek-to-attract-business-with-patient-perks/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Should Docs Use Email to Talk to Patients?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[[caption id="attachment_3626" align="alignleft" width="255" caption="."][/caption]

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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/23/should-docs-use-email-to-talk-to-patients/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Camden Coalition’s Model for High Needs Patients</title>
		<description><![CDATA[By Jen Abraczinskas and Jeffrey Brenner, MD

[caption id="attachment_4531" align="alignleft" width="100" caption="Jen Abraczinskas"][/caption]

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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/09/camden-coalition%e2%80%99s-model-for-high-needs-patients/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>A Challenging Road Ahead for America’s Physicians</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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.

[caption id="attachment_4511" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Louis J. Goodman, Ph.D."][/caption]

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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/05/a-challenging-road-ahead-for-america%e2%80%99s-physicians/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Twins Born in Different Years: What About Insurance?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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.

[caption id="attachment_4511" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Louis J. Goodman, Ph.D."][/caption]

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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/05/a-challenging-road-ahead-for-america%e2%80%99s-physicians/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Physicians News</title>
	<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com</link>
	<description></description>
	<lastBuildDate>Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:31:20 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<docs>http://backend.userland.com/rss092</docs>
	<language>en</language>
	<!-- generator="WordPress/3.2.1" -->

	<item>
		<title>Help Your Patients Get the Benefits They Deserve</title>
		<description><![CDATA[[caption id="attachment_4585" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Eric Shore"][/caption]

By Eric A. Shore, J.D. and Pia Horton

Everyday your patients trust you to care for their health. Many of your patients find themselves unemployed and therefore, uninsured. While some will find work eventually, those with physical and/or mental limitations may not. This is especially true for those approaching retirement age (50-65 years). You can help.

Patients who are unable to sustain work due to their health may be eligible for Social Security disability benefits, therefore making them eligible for Medicare or Medicaid. Although treating your patients ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/02/01/help-your-patients-get-the-benefits-they-deserve/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Dream Of A Medical ‘Price List’ Dies In Florida Legislature</title>
		<description><![CDATA[By Sarah Barr, Kaiser Health News

Imagine if finding out the cost of a particular treatment or procedure at a doctors’ office was as easy as locating the prices of entrees at a restaurant. The menu might read: school physicals – ; office visit for a cold – ; diabetes screening – 0. But to the dismay of some consumer advocates, this push for health care pricing transparency never made it out of the kitchen.

While a Florida state House committee approved legislation that would expand the state’s requirement that certain providers post the out-of-pocket ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/31/dream-of-a-medical-%e2%80%98price-list%e2%80%99-dies-in-florida-legislature/</link>
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		<title>Practical Implications of Telemedicine Credentialing</title>
		<description><![CDATA[By Lucia Francesca Bruno, J.D., LL.M., M.B.A.

For the past century, information technology has reinvented the familiar and revolutionized the art of medicine.  As health care professionals struggle to keep pace with an ever-changing and consolidating industry, traditional forms of health care have succumbed to modern technology and fiscal constraints.  No longer are patients and providers afforded the luxury of being in the same place at the same time.  Recent developments in patient-service delivery systems have transformed the doctor/patient relationship; paving the way for advances in telemedicine and the credentialing and privileging ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/30/practical-implications-of-telemedicine-credentialing/</link>
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		<title>FAQ: The &#8216;Doc Fix&#8217; Dilemma</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/26/faq-the-doc-fix-dilemma/</link>
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		<title>Health Care Reform Debate: More Thought and Less Volume, Please</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/26/health-care-reform-debate-more-thought-and-less-volume-please/</link>
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		<title>Hospitals Seek To Attract Business With Patient Perks</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/24/hospitals-seek-to-attract-business-with-patient-perks/</link>
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		<title>Should Docs Use Email to Talk to Patients?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[[caption id="attachment_3626" align="alignleft" width="255" caption="."][/caption]

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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/23/should-docs-use-email-to-talk-to-patients/</link>
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		<title>Camden Coalition’s Model for High Needs Patients</title>
		<description><![CDATA[By Jen Abraczinskas and Jeffrey Brenner, MD

[caption id="attachment_4531" align="alignleft" width="100" caption="Jen Abraczinskas"][/caption]

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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/09/camden-coalition%e2%80%99s-model-for-high-needs-patients/</link>
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		<title>A Challenging Road Ahead for America’s Physicians</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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.

[caption id="attachment_4511" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Louis J. Goodman, Ph.D."][/caption]

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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/05/a-challenging-road-ahead-for-america%e2%80%99s-physicians/</link>
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		<title>Twins Born in Different Years: What About Insurance?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.physiciansnews.com/2012/01/04/twins-born-in-different-years-what-about-insurance/</link>
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