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MD News Magazine

Published in major markets throughout the United States, MD News is America's leading business and practice management magazine about physicians...from physicians...for physicians.

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Peer Perspective

• Physician Reimbursement Sunshine Laws“This whole situation underscores how poorly represented practicing physicians have been in dealing with the push to reform us, given how unethical and scrupulous so many of us must be to merit this specific oversight... The real issues here start with the fact that physicians and their relationship with industry are not at all unique, however unjustified. These abuses occur in every industry.”Steven B. Leichter, MD
  Source: MD News Article Comment

• Insurance-Funded, Patient-Centered Medical Research“Our goal, our hope, is that over time, by involving patients in research, two things will happen. One is that we will start asking questions in a more practical fashion, so the results would speak more consistently to questions that patients want to know the answers to. And two is that, by our example of involving patients in the research, trust will rise.”Joe V. Selby, M.D., M.P.H., Executive Director of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute
  Source: Source: The Washington Post

• Prescription Costs“If a patient can’t afford their medication, that’s something his or her doctor needs to know. But to find out, doctors have to ask. Doctors should think of themselves as stewards of their patient’s care and that includes considering their patient’s ability to pay for treatment.”John Santa, M.D., Director of the Consumer Reports Health Ratings Center
  Source: ConsumerReports.org

• Congressional Inaction for Medicare Reimbursement Cuts“If legislators do not act before the end of the year, it's conceivable that Congress could address the SGR [sustainable growth rate formula] retroactively in 2012. This possibility presents an impossible situation for physicians. We are actively communicating to Congress — which doesn't reconvene after the holidays until January 17 — that this is not a reasonable or viable approach.” — Glen Stream, MD, MBI, AAFP President
  Source: AAFP Leader Voices Forum

• Prostate Cancer Screening Recommendations“The bottom line is that the tPSA blood test is far from perfect and clearly is not specific enough to justify its continued use as a routine wholesale screening agent, however, in the case where it does successfully identify low volume or low risk cancer, there are a number of men who are uncomfortable and unwilling to take the course of active surveillance and want a more definitive treatment and resolution to their disease.” — Bert Vorstman, M.D., a Florida Urologist
  Source: HIFU RX Press Release

• ICD-10 Opposition“The implementation of ICD-10 will create significant burdens on the practice of medicine with no direct benefit to individual patients' care.”Peter W. Carmel, MD, American Medical Association President
  Source: AMA Press Release

• HPV Vaccine Recommendation“Some things don’t work if you wait until you know they’re having sex … It’s not going to work as well if you wait for a risk-based strategy. This is a universal recommendation now. The hope is we will see a big drop [in HPV infections].”Ross DeHovitz, MD
  Source: Los Altos Town Crier

• A Doctor's Duty?“It isn’t fashionable (and certainly isn’t politically correct) to criticize ‘work-life balance’ or part-time employment options. How can anyone deny people the right to change their minds about a career path and choose to spend more time with their families? I have great respect for stay-at-home parents, and I think it’s fine if journalists or chefs or lawyers choose to work part time or quit their jobs altogether. But it’s different for doctors. Someone needs to take care of the patients.”Karen S. Sibert, M.D., Anesthesiologist
  Source: The New York Times

• Physician Assistants: Important Medical Team Members“It is vitally important for all members of the health care team—physicians, PAs, nurses and others—to work together to help our patients live longer, healthier lives by providing preventive care. Because they graduate with a medical generalist education, PAs are uniquely positioned to identify symptoms and lifestyle challenges that lead to chronic illnesses or cause existing conditions to worsen, no matter the specialty they choose.”Robert Wooten, PA-C, American Academy of Physician Assistants President
  Source: PRNewswire

• Medicare Enforcement of Equal Visitation Rights“Couples take a vow to be with each other in sickness and in health and it is unacceptable that...some same-sex partners were denied the right to visit their loved ones... We are releasing guidance for enforcing new rules that give all patients, including those with same-sex partners, the right to choose who can visit them in the hospital as well as enhancing existing guidance regarding the right to choose who will help make medical decisions on their behalf.”Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
  Source: HHS Press Release

• Importance of Medical Interpreters“It makes people very nervous when someone comes in the room and starts speaking a different language that he or she doesn't understand. Imagine you're in the hospital, you're sick, you don't know what's wrong with you, and you can't understand what anyone is saying. How would you feel?”Sherry Mazer, Regulatory Officer, Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA
  Source: StrategiesForNurseManagers.com

• Keeping Perspective on HIT Adoption“If you go back five or seven years...there was a lot of work…to show that the folks who bear the cost of implementing IT don’t actually receive all the financial benefits of it. So, if you think about those savings from unnecessary repeat tests, that’s not actually a benefit that the person who has to purchase and install and use the technology receives…I think we’ve lost a little bit of that perspective as the policy has unfolded. This is meant to be support for adoption over time.”Chantal Worzala, Director of Policy, American Hospital Association
  Source: HIT Exchange Media – Video: "Government Role in Fostering HIT"

• Vaccination Decision“In my personal experience — and I have only fired a couple of patients in my entire career — the decision not to vaccinate is one of several differences in opinion, and I am not able to adequately provide care for a patient when their parent clearly does not respect my medical advice.” Dr. Ari Brown, Pediatrician, Austin, TX
  Source: “Should Pediatricians 'Fire' Patients Whose Parents Don't Vaccinate?” – From an article on Time Healthland’s website

• Health Information Technology“Ten years ago, who would have thought that Best Buy or Dell or even Salesforce.com might have substantial commitments to HIT? Would you have guessed that on your next visit to Costco you could buy a year’s worth of toilet paper, a stadium-sized vat of ketchup and a subscription to the Allscripts EMR? In my opinion, it is telling that 38 of the 2011 Fortune 50 companies are in the health care business in some significant way.”Lisa Suennen, Psilos Group Founder
  Source: Healthcare Musings Blog, Gibson-consultants.com

• Affordable Care Act“Over and over again, we have seen that improving how care is delivered to patients is key to reducing the growth in health care spending. When we improve the coordination of care between providers, reduce duplication of services and avoid medical errors, we can get better outcomes for patients at less cost. The Affordable Care Act has given us the tools to achieve these goals.”Donald M. Berwick, M.D., M.P.P., Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
  Source: LATimes.com

• Free Preventative Care for Women“We are saying hello to an era where decisions about preventive care and screenings are made by a woman and her doctor — not by an insurance company, members of Congress, or a stranger — and women are guaranteed preventive screenings and care with no additional co-pays or deductibles.”Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), in response to IOM’s recommendation that women receive free preventative health care.
  Source: mikulski.senate.gov

• Medical Claims Payments“About 23% of claims are paid at a rate of zero…for a number of reasons, but that means that the physician practice has to sort out those reasons, resubmit those claims, find out why they were denied; and if we had a fair and transparent process, we wouldn’t have to be spending health care resources tracking payments that are owed to the physicians who perform the services.”Barbara McAneny, M.D., American Medical Associations Board of Trustees
  Source: MD News Network Video

• Handheld Technology Adoption“My residents make rounds either with a small [electronic] pad or with a smart phone. In that smart phone is an entire pharmacopeia. There’s every drug, every drug interaction. When they order a drug on a patient, they check it before they write the order. It’s far safer than when I was ordering the drugs.”Peter Carmel, M.D., AMA President, Neurological Surgery Professor, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
  

• Physician Burnout“A very significant number of physicians experience burnout. The good news is in the intervention studies that have been done, it shows we are pretty reparable, that we can come back. Mostly because we're smart people, we ... want to do better ... and generally, we're psychologically healthy. So, coming back is not difficult, but it takes some significant work and intention to do so.”Lee Lipsenthal, M.D.; Author, Finding Balance in a Medical Life; Past President, American Board of Holistic Medicine
  

• Health Care Reform“It’s very important, from a physician’s standpoint, to be actively involved legislatively…for both state and national issues. Whether you agree or disagree with the affordable care act…health care reform really is upon us, even without the law.”Don Stumpp, American Health Network, President of Indiana Medical Group Management Association
  

• HIE Government Funding“The [government] funding model has always been very questionable from the vantage point of the long-term viability of the health information exchange. I think this may be one-time funding that never comes again. And the question is: Can HIEs be supported without state or federal intervention? I think that is debatable on both sides.”Andrew VanZee, Statewide Health IT Director, State of Indiana
  Source: HIT Exchange Magazine

• Meaningful Use“Everything we've done in meaningful use has not been about the technology but about improving quality. Quite consciously, we need to be aligning and coordinating our work in the service of the broader national health goals.”Farzad Mostashari, MD, ScM, National Coordinator, Health Information Technology
  Source: Excerpted from New ONC Head Mostashari Outlines His Priorities" at ModernHealthcare.com

• Primary Health Care Today“Part of me is fulfilled by being needed, loved, and respected by my patients. ... Another part of me sees that what I do is increasingly devalued by forces outside the exam room — those who pay for health care, those who question the 'medical necessity' of each test I order or drug I prescribe, and those in medicine who are more likely to know a procedure’s CPT code than a patient’s name.”— Paul Fischer, M.D., Primary Care Provider
  Source: Excerpted from "Why Primary Care Parity Matters" at The Health Care Blog

• Affordable Care Act Outcomes“The law is actually delivering benefits. ... Those people who are saying that the bill actually is hurting them are confusing what’s happening in health care overall — [such as] rising premiums — with what the bill did.” — Neera Tanden, COO, Center for American Progress
  Source: ABC News Video

• Affordable Care Act“The Affordable Care Act contains many provisions that make health insurance more accessible, more affordable, and more dependable. For example, small businesses can receive tax credits that represent up to 35 percent of the cost of providing insurance coverage to their employers.”Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE)
  Source: Huffington Post, "Lesson Learned From the Affordable Care Act"

• Health Information Exchange“As a physician, I'm the number one beneficiary of the HIE [health information exchange], as well as my patients. It just transforms the ability to take care of patients at the time and place of service, whether it's the office, the emergency room, or whether I'm...at a conference...I can access information, make decisions, and improve patient care in that way.”Tom Deas, MD, Gastroenterologist, Chief Medical Officer, Sandlot
  Source: HIT Exchange Media Interview

• Using Electronic Health Records“The VA hospital computer system is absolutely phenomenal. I believe it’s one of the best [EHRs] in the country. It simplifies our job within the VA and allows us to access information from any VA in the country to be able to better take care of our patients. That really cuts down on the risk of missing diagnoses, drug interactions, or failing to get necessary information to properly care for patients.”Aimée Garcia, M.D., Director, Wound Clinic and Consult Service, Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center
  

• Health Care Reform Law“The emphasis is on seeing more patients and spending less time with them. Overheads increase, revenues decrease — this is something I think all offices are seeing. If those margins decrease further, I've spoken to many physicians who tell me they're not going to be able to see Medicare patients.”Gerald M. Aronoff, M.D., Pain Management Specialist, DABPM, FAAEP
  

• Health Care Reform Repeal Vote“As a practicing physician for nearly two decades...I’ve seen first-hand the failures of a government run health care model. ObamaCare takes the problems ...and expands them to the national level. Voting...to repeal this unnecessary, unwanted health care bill is an important first step in stopping the creation of a massive government entitlement program that we did not ask for, we do not need and we simply cannot afford.”Rep. Scott DesJarlais, M.D. (R-TN)
  Source: GOP Doctors Caucus Statement

• Health System Reform“I don’t think it’s common that Americans are denied care due to lack of insurance. What happens is they keep themselves away until their situation becomes so dire that they present with late-stage problems… . From a system perspective, it’s a terribly inefficient way to do it. If you’re going to take care of them when the problem is huge, why not take care of them when the problem is small, curable and less expensive to treat?”Richard Roberts, M.D.; JD; President, World Organization of Family Doctors
  

• Pain Management“Is there a risk prescribing certain controlled substances to patients? If the patient has a pulse, there’s a risk. The next question to ask is can that risk be managed, and in the overwhelming majority of cases, that risk can be managed with good communication and patient-centered care.”Howard A. Heit, M.D., FACP, FASAM
  Source: "Q&A with Howard Heit, M.D."

• Health Care Technology"There’s so much pressure on physicians today. I emphasize with them — keeping up with regulations, technology and reimbursement when, really, they went to medical school to practice medicine and improve patient care. That’s our biggest challenge in the whole health care technology industry — getting back to core competencies and helping physicians succeed. If they don’t succeed, we all fail."Scott Monson, Territory VP, McKesson Revenue Management Solutions
  

• Electronic Health RecordOur EHR has been helpful, not just from the clinical side, but also in terms of our quality maintenance program because it allows us to document when we have built consensus around a particular guideline or treatment path. We're able to show that our physicians are meeting those targets and report back, through our data warehouse, how they're doing and where there may be areas for improvement.Dan Murrey, MD, CEO of OrthoCarolina
  

• Personal Health Record“As patients move through the ecosystem [of care], the data moves with them. It actually gets us very close to the vision of the always-available, truly transportable personal health record that we’ve been talking about for many years. I think it’s the model that’s going to take hold.”Bill Crounse, M.D., Senior Director for Worldwide Health, Microsoft Corporation
  

• Physician Work/Life Balance“Emotions are contagious. Physicians who are engaged in work they enjoy and who work with people they like tend to come home in better moods and generate more positive connections with loved ones.”Wayne Sotile, Ph.D., Co-author of The Resilient Physician
  

• Managing Stress“Develop an action plan to handle stress ahead of time. Different people need different things — whether it’s meditation, artful expression, time with family and friends, social networking or a vacation.”Liana Lianov, M.D., MPH
  

• Hospital Environment & Physician Satisfaction“It’s not just about numbers or revenue, although that’s what drives a business. Where employees feel better is where, at the end of the day, they feel like they can communicate, and they feel respected. Without communication, people are burnt out, and all the results go downhill from there.”Jerry Bridge, Program Director, LifeWorks Education
  Source: SHSHMD Conference, 2010

• Health Care Marketing & Social Media"Social media is something that has taken off in the world of marketing. It is a necessity; you have to be involved in the conversation. We want to be on the forefront of everything we do — whether it’s medicine, technology or marketing — so that we can reach as many patients as possible and help improve their lives.”Daniel Bliley, Referral Development, Carilion Clinic
  

• Electronic Health Records“If the right system is not out there that interconnects, is affordable, is reliable, and the company sustainable, then it does not matter who pays for it...it is still a bad buy! Buying and implementing the wrong system is way worse than no system at all, even if it costs 1 to 2% penalty from Medicare.”Anthony Johnson, M.D., President and Managing Partner, Jervey Eye Group, P.A., Greenville, SC
  Source: See Dr. Johnson's entire statement in the “Peer Perspective” section of “Physician Conflict of Interests.”

• Electronic Health Records“Patients are not enamored with the idea that while they’re in a room talking to their doctor, their doctor is not looking at them; he’s typing on a computer screen. But if he doesn’t do it while he’s with the patient, it adds too many hours on to his day in order to get his work done.”Jay J. Falk, Chief Academic Medical Officer, Orlando Health
  

• Electronic Health Records“The myth behind EMR is that people think it will make hospitals more efficient. It’s very time consuming. It interrupts productivity and efficiency until providers, nurses and physicians get used to the system...The value of the technology is that it improves patient safety and enhances quality — long term.”Jim Diegel, President and CEO, St. Charles Health System
  

• Electronic Health Records“We’re asking people to completely change the way they work and adopt a new technology. I think the technology needs to start with version one. Let’s meet the clinicians where they’re at, get them addicted to these technologies, and then grow from there.”Justin Lanning, President and CEO, CredenceHealth
  

• Electronic Health Records“I don’t believe they’re going to be the panacea the federal government believes they will be. I do believe EHRs will standardize data, but I don’t think they will decrease workflow. I think a real danger, from a clinical perspective, is more time will be spent on the electronic record than on patient care.”Linda Holyfield, President and CEO, P&S Surgical Hospital
  

• Health Care Reform “Medicare works relatively well. Why not extend it to everybody? Where will the money come from? From the savings after getting rid of the Insurance Carriers. How come Blue Cross worked well when it was a not-for-profit insurance company?”Francisco Tausk, M.D., Professor, University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry, Rochester, NY
  Source: See Dr. Tausk's entire statement in "Taking the Temperature: Physician Career Satisfaction"

• Health Care Reform“The main thrust of the Healthcare Bill is insurance reform, which is 50 years overdue and is an essential reform if we are to begin to solve our healthcare problems.”Charles Acher, M.D., Professor of Surgery, University of Wisconsin, Madison
  Source: See Dr. Acher's entire statement in "Taking the Temperature: Physician Career Satisfaction"

• Health Care Reform“As new health care reform laws drive us away from focusing on volume and more toward achieving greater value, physicians will have renewed opportunity to practice medicine as a science and art. Physician expertise will be vital to setting and achieving higher standards of care and in squeezing out redundant or unnecessary costs.”Tom DeSanto, Tom DeSanto Strategy and Communications
  

• Most Pressing Practice Issue“The ability to care for and see patients and still allow my primary focus to be caring for the patients rather than having to deal with the layers and layers of bureaucracy surrounding billing and reimbursement.”Berry Campbell, M.D., Maternal/Fetal Medicine Department Chair at The Women's Hospital at Saint Joseph East
  

• Sports-Related Concussions“We need to do a better job of teaching parents, coaches, athletes and some physicians that concussion is much more than just a loss of consciousness and vomiting.” Jeffery S. Kutcher, M.D., Michigan NeuroSport Program Director, University of Michigan Neurology Department Associate Professor
  Source: The Detroit News

• Medicare Reimbursement“There are two issues — one is fix the SGR; the other is cut wasteful programs within the federal government to pay for it. Rather than take a half trillion dollars out of Medicare and create another entitlement program, if we've got to take money out of Medicare, let's take to take care of the doctors that are caring for the Medicare patients now.”Tom Coburn, M.D., U.S. Senator (R-OK)
  Source: YouTube.com

• Sports-Related Concussions“There is a concern that I have that the possibility of serious, long-term consequences [due to repetitive concussions experienced by some football players] are being overemphasized without clear evidence. It could turn out correct. It could turn out incorrect. We don’t know.”Constantine G. Lyketsos, M.D., M.H.S., Vice Chairman, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The Johns Hopkins Hospital
  Source: The New York Times

• Medicare Reimbursement“The biggest challenge from the SGR from the physician perspective is that if individual physicians or practices meet spending targets for that given year but our colleagues don’t, the SGR gets applied across the board. It was a flawed formula from the beginning.” Valerie Arkoosh, National Physician’s Alliance President
  Source: HealthBeatBlog.org

• Medicare Reimbursement“The baby boomers begin entering Medicare in six months, and if the physician payment problem isn’t fixed, these new Medicare patients won’t be able to find a doctor to treat them.” Cecil B. Wilson, M.D., President, American Medical Association
  Source: AMA-assn.org

• Hydrocodone-Based Painkillers“You’ve got a person on your product for life, and a doctor’s got a patient who’s never going to miss an appointment, because if they did and they didn’t get their prescription, they would feel very sick. It’s a terrific business model, and that’s what these companies want to get in on.”— Andrew Kolodny, President, Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing
  Source: Healthland.Time.Com