News
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
News
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.
News
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
News
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
News
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
Opinion
The Biggest Thing in Hospital Medicine Since Patient Safety?
April 4, 2015
Editor’s note: First of a two-part series examining bundled payments and hospital medicine. Additionally, Dr.
News
Medicare’s Patient-Centered Medical Homes Return Mixed Results
April 3, 2015
In late January, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the early results of two multi-year innovation projects focused on the creation of patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs). Although PCMH models have been lauded as a way to achieve CMS’ triple aim —better quality patie
News
Data Show Medicare Readmission Penalties Unfair
April 3, 2015
Hospital groups claim federal program failed to adjust for socioeconomic risk factors
News
Hospital Readmissions Rates, Medicare Penalty Analysis
April 3, 2015
A widely cited statistic in the national readmissions debate holds that one in five acute hospital discharges will lead to a readmission within 30 days.1 Associated costs are estimated at $17.5 billion, although that figure encapsulates significant variation across diagnoses, regions, and hospital m
News
Technology May Offer Solutions to Hospitalists’ Readmissions Exposure
April 3, 2015
Almost weekly, a white paper, report, journal article, or press release touts a new program, software, or technology system offering to help hospitals improve their readmissions avoidance processes and penalty exposure.