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Medicare Initiatives Improve Hospital Care, Patient Safety
July 6, 2015
[caption id="attachment_10401" align="alignright" width="291"] Image Credit: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM[/caption] As a hospitalist myself, I have seen firsthand the need for a healthcare system that provides better care, spends dollars more wisely, and keeps people healthier.
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Medicare Rankings Favor Small, For-Profit Hospitals
July 6, 2015
[caption id="attachment_10345" align="alignright" width="256"] Image Credit: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM[/caption] In April, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) publicly revealed for the first time which hospitals achieved five stars and which had room for improvement based on patient exper
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SGR Repeal: What It Means for Hospitalists
July 6, 2015
On April 16, President Obama signed into law a bipartisan, bicameral piece of legislation that not only fully repealed the sustainable growth rate (SGR) but also permanently eliminated the recurring threat of physician payment cuts in Medicare. Along with the SGR repeal, the Medicare Access and C
Audio
LISTEN NOW: UCSF’s Christopher Moriates, MD, discusses waste-reduction efforts in hospitals
June 9, 2015
CHRISTOPHER MORIATES, MD, assistant clinical professor in the Division of Hospital Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, talks about the change in focus and priorities needed for medicine to make progress in waste-reduction efforts. [audio mp3="http://www.the-hospitalist.org/wp
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Medicare Develops Next Generation Accountable Care Organization Model
May 5, 2015
ACO aims to provide more efficient, less costly coordinated care for patients
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Hospitalists Raise Healthcare Issues on Capitol Hill
May 5, 2015
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md.—Armed with blue folders chockablock with agendas, talking points, and fact sheets, about 100 hospitalists boarded three charter buses and descended on Capitol Hill last month like a swarm of erudite high schoolers on a class trip. Clad in state-themed ties, suits, and dresses
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What the SGR Repeal Means for Hospitalists
April 22, 2015
The long awaited permanent repeal of the poorly designed Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) came just in time to avert the 21.2% Medicare physician payment cut that would have taken effect on April 1st, 2015.
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Implementing Physician Value-Based Purchasing in Your Practice: HM15 Session Analysis
April 9, 2015
HM15 Session: Putting Your Nickel Down: The What, Why, and How of Implementing Physician Value-Based Purchasing in Your Practice Presenters: Stephen Besch, Simone Karp RPh, Patrick Torcson MD MMM SFHM, Gregory Seymann MD SFHM Summation: HHS has set a goal of tying increasing percentages of Med
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Hot Topics in Practice Management; HM15 Session Analysis
April 9, 2015
HM15 Session RAPID FIRE PANEL: Hot Topics in Practice Management Updates on Key Issues, Including the Key Characteristics of an Effective HMG HM15 Presenters: Roy Sittig MD SFHM, Jeffrey Frank MD MBA, Jodi Braun Summation: Speakers covered timely topics regarding the Accountable Care Act, nam
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Medicare Standard Practical Solution to Medical Coding Complexity
April 4, 2015
In the article “Common Coding Mistakes Hospitalists Should Avoid” in the August 2014 issue of The Hospitalist, the author states: “For inpatient care, an established problem is defined as one in which a care plan has been generated by the physician (or same specialty group practice member) during