News
New Medicare Rule Will Reimburse Physicians for Advance Care Planning
- Nancy K. Zeitoun, MD, FHM
November 5, 2015
Hospitalists care for patients with the most serious, chronic, and complex illnesses. As a result, they are often faced with the daunting task of counseling their patients to help them clearly define their end-of-life wishes.
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News
Hospitalist David Weidig, MD, Witnessed the Field Grow During His Decades-long Career
November 4, 2015
David Weidig, MD, was there at the beginning. He was one of the first internal medicine-trained physicians to adopt hospital-based practice. He was one of the first to proudly call himself a hospitalist.
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News
Policy Changes Hospitalists May See in 2016
November 4, 2015
The year 2015 brought the repeal of the sustainable growth rate (SGR) and new rules for advanced care planning reimbursement.
News
ED Lung Ultrasound Useful for Differentiating Cardiogenic from Noncardiogenic Dyspnea
- Alan Hathcock, MD;
- David Kitchell, MD;
- Frank Wharton, MD;
- Jeremiah Newsom, MD;
- Steven Deitelzweig, MD, SFHM;
- William Carter, MD
November 4, 2015
Clinical question: Is lung ultrasound a useful tool for helping to diagnose acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF)?
Background: Lung ultrasound is an emerging bedside tool that has been promoted to help evaluate lung water content to help clinicians differentiate ADHF from other causes of dyspn
News
Risk Adjusting Readmissions: Coming Soon?
November 4, 2015
Nearly three-quarters of hospitals will be receiving penalties from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in 2016 for excess readmissions, having failed to prevent enough patients from returning to the hospital 30 days post-discharge.
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News
Medicare’s Readmission Reduction Program Cuts $420M to U.S. Hospitals This Year
November 4, 2015
It’s that time of year again … the time when hospitals around the country are being notified of their 30-day readmission penalties from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
News
Which Hospitalist Should Bill for Inpatient Stays with Multiple Providers?
November 4, 2015
[caption id="attachment_8354" align="alignleft" width="100"] amane kaneko[/caption]
During a facility stay, a patient could be attended to by more than one hospitalist.
News
CMS Releases Updated Two-Midnight Rule for 2016
- Amanda Trask, MBA, MHA, FACHE, CMPE, SFHM
November 2, 2015
On November 13, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is scheduled to publish its final OPPS rule for 2016. One of the biggest impacts for hospitalists is the update to the two-midnight rule. Here are six areas of interest to hospitalists:
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News
Billing, Coding Documentation to Support Services, Minimize Risks
October 6, 2015
[caption id="attachment_11470" align="alignright" width="295"] Image Credit: ILLUSTRATION/PAUL JUESTRICH; PHOTOs shutterstock.com[/caption]
The electronic health record (EHR) has many benefits:
Improved patient care;
Improved care coordination;
Improved diagnostics and patient outcomes;
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News
Hospitalists Support Medicare’s Plan to Reimburse Advance Care Planning
October 6, 2015
[caption id="attachment_11434" align="alignright" width="295"] SHM has joined 65 medical specialty and professional societies in signing a letter to HHS asking for end-of-life care codes to be formalized in CY 2016.Image Credit: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM[/caption]
On July 8, following on the heels of the