By Mark Crockett, MD

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

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

By Katie Matlack

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

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

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

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

A new Deloitte study reveals physicians are skeptical about core promises associated with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.  Only 27 percent of physicians surveyed believe the PPACA is likely to reduce costs by increasing efficiency, and only 33 percent feel it is likely to decrease disparities.  Moreover, half say access to health care will decrease because of hospital closures that result from the law.

The report, “Physician Perspectives about Health Care Reform and the Future of the Medical Profession,” also shows that the majority of doctors (73 percent) are …

By Michelle Andrews

As obesity among young people continues to rise, a growing number of clinicians and researchers say that weight-loss surgery may be their best chance to take off significant weight and either correct or avoid conditions like diabetes and heart disease, which often go hand-in-hand with obesity. But although health plans frequently cover bariatric surgery in adults, insurance coverage for the procedure in patients under age 18 is spotty.

Experts in pediatric obesity say that caution is warranted and that insurers shouldn’t just rubber-stamp such surgery in adolescents. But they …

By Michael Kline, CPA

As the year draws to a close, it is time for medical practices and medical professionals to review the current year’s financial activity and determine if any tax planning opportunities are available to help reduce their overall tax burden. Below are some tax planning tips that can be utilized before year-end that can greatly reduce your tax burden.

Depreciation

The biggest and easiest 2011 tax-saving opportunity is the accelerated depreciation available until the end of 2011. For many physicians, the purchasing of new …

As the New Year approaches and the future of health reform hangs in the balance, The Physicians Foundation – a nonprofit organization that seeks to advance the work of practicing physicians and improve the quality of healthcare for all Americans – has identified five key areas that will impact the practice of medicine in the year ahead. The Physicians Watch List for 2012 is based on research the Foundation released earlier this year, including the 2010 Health Reform Research Study and 2011 Roadmap for Physicians to Healthcare Reform Paper.

Changing nature of medical practices. Many physicians are …

By Deborah B. Miller, Esq.
From a personal perspective, prenuptial agreements are not very appealing, but from a common sense and legal point of view, they can be essential.

Getting married is the biggest financial decision in most people’s lives, but many do not consider the financial entanglements that marriage creates.  Just ask anyone who has lost a house or retirement plan in a divorce.

Despite reading articles about the importance of using a prenuptial agreement as a tool for planning, plenty of people feel uncomfortable with prenuptial agreements.  Luckily, there are secondary …

By David Green

Last June, Andemarian T. Beyene, 36-year-old man with tracheal cancer received a special gift:  a brand new trachea, made from a synthetic scaffold seeded with his own stem cells.  Following this surgery—the first of its kind—he made a full recovery and was discharged from the hospital four weeks later.  The procedure made international headlines, and shone a much-needed spotlight on two important problems that it might help in part to resolve:  long wait times for organ transplants, and immune rejection of implanted organs.  In what follows, we offer …

By Patricia A. Costante

Every time I speak with physicians, I get the sense that they are feeling a loss of control and even a loss of status. Physicians in small practices don’t see a long-term solution for continuing to function in their current structure, and many are considering selling to hospitals or giving up their practices. More often than not, physicians indicate that they do not recommend their sons and daughters to follow their footsteps into a medical career. Clearly, this is an anxious time for physicians, filled with much …