Many doctors are disturbed they will be paid less — often a lot less — to care for the millions of patients projected to buy coverage through the health law’s new insurance marketplaces. Kaiser Health News
Tag: Family Medicine/Primary Care
Don’t Freeze Medicare Rates, Docs Tell Congress
A proposal to repeal the SGR formula would freeze Medicare FFS rates for 10 years and phase in pay-for-performance. No, no, no, says organized medicine. It’s time for an FFS rate hike. Medscape Medical News
Report Lists Best Healthcare Apps for Consumers
Clinicians may routinely prescribe such mobile apps to patients, provided some barriers disappear. Medscape Medical News
New Bipartisan Plan to Repeal SGR Faces Tight Schedule
The proposal from Senate Democrats and House Republicans needs to piggyback onto a bigger bill, such as the one a special budget committee wants to produce by December 13. Medscape Medical News
Congress Reopens Government, Averts Default, Eases Doc Fears
The bill approved by contentious lawmakers reboots public health agencies and avoids Medicare and Medicaid payment delays, but it sets the stage for more fiscal standoffs around the corner. Medscape Medical News
Deadline to Avoid PQRS Penalty Extended to Oct. 18
Today had been the original deadline for physicians to ask CMS to calculate their PQRS scores from 2013 Medicare claims, which would spare them a 1.5% pay cut in 2015. Medscape Medical News
Debt Default Could Delay Medicare/Medicaid Pay
Treasury Secretary Jack Lew last week warned that failure to raise the debt ceiling, and a subsequent default, would threaten ‘timely’ provider reimbursement. Medscape Medical News
Implementing the ACA — What Clinicians Should Expect
Our newest update offers highlights from Medscape’s recent articles on how the ACA may affect clinical practice. Medscape Family Medicine
Do Your EHR Manners Turn Patients Off?
Having an EHR in the exam room sometimes interferes with the doctor-patient relationship; patients feel that they have less of the doctor’s attention than in the past. Here’s how to manage that. Medscape Business of Medicine
Is HIPAA Creating More Problems Than It’s Preventing?
HIPAA creates its share of issues, although some of those problems are due to overzealous risk managers bending over backward to avoid infractions. Medscape Business of Medicine
Cost of Doc-Fix Bill 26% Higher Than Previous Estimate
The Congressional Budget Office upped its estimate because legislation repealing the SGR formula raises Medicare rates, as opposed to freezing them for 10 years. Medscape Medical News
What Could Make Your Medical Devices Go Haywire?
As more and more devices get attached to networks, there’s a greater chance that computer viruses could infect everyday medical equipment. How do you prevent this? Medscape Business of Medicine
What Could Make Your Medical Devices Go Haywire?
As more and more devices get attached to networks, there’s a greater chance that computer viruses could infect everyday medical equipment. How do you prevent this? Medscape Business of Medicine
How Should CMS Disclose Individual Physician Pay?
The public has until September 4 to advise CMS on when and how it should reveal the reimbursement that individual physicians receive from Medicare. Medscape Medical News
Five Things to Know About Obamacare Premiums
Consumers are understandably confused after weeks of conflicting pronouncements about the expected cost of plans, for individuals and small groups, to be sold in new online insurance marketplaces under the federal health law beginning Oct. 1. Kaiser …
Injectables, HRT Products Recalled for Sterility Concerns
All lots of 135 sterile injectables and hormone replacement therapy products from Beacon Hill Medical Pharmacy, dba Rxtra Solutions, are being recalled because of concerns about sterility assurance. News Alerts
How Insurance Exchanges Will Affect Doctors’ Income
Will health insurance exchanges benefit patients at doctors’ expense? There are some early warning signs. Medscape Business of Medicine
Can Health Apps Help Patients Change Their Behavior?
The answer is yes, a top expert maintains, but not the way they are being designed right now. Medscape Business of Medicine
Medicare Enhances Doctor-Rating Website
Medicare Thursday added new features to its Physician Compare website as it prepares to start including quality data on thousands of doctors. Kaiser Health News
Topol Asks Sebelius 5 ACA Questions
Medscape Editor-in-Chief Eric J. Topol, MD, interviews HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on the eve of the 1-year anniversary of Supreme Court’s ACA ruling. Medscape Family Medicine