Category Archives: All

Do you think frivolous malpractice lawsuits are the major issue physicians should be concerned about? What about the increase in compliance issues and government regulations on physicians?

As physicians, what are your opinions on healthcare reform and how the government is wrestling its way in our lives? Does the government have a right to impose new healthcare regulations upon the people in the name of imparting universal health care to all its citizens? Throughout this long debate on healthcare, physicians have been on one side of the fence or the other.

The right way to have a medical malpractice case reviewed is by another physician who is a neutral party and has only the goal of improved quality medical care and the safety of the patient in mind. This is peer review with a noble cause. Sham peer review is when a physician reviews a medical malpractice case with bad intentions to cause damage to the defendant physician’s character and this peer reviewer does not have improved quality of medical care in mind.

Unscrupulous physicians can utilize sham peer review to try to remove good, quality physicians (whom they deem as competition) from their own way towards advancement. Hospitals are even striking out against diligent physicians who are “whistleblowers” (uncovering the truth about medical malpractice) and using sham peer review to end their medical careers.

Primary Care is a medical field that is very appealing to medical students, but will financial issues keep them from progressing into this field? Check out this article for more information on this trend in the medical field. Primary Care More Appealing but Debt Keeps Docs Out

Will you still be practicing medicine by the time the healthcare Reform Bill takes effect? Many physicians are unsure where they will be by the time 2014 rolls around. Where will you be? What will the state of your medical practice be in?

The Affordable Care Act was signed into law in March 2010. This act provides physicians with a “year-by-year series of initiatives impacting their patients and their practice.” Do you know what these initiatives are and how prepared are you for them?

Doctor’s story—what’s your story?  Dr. Jennifer Frank shares her “unexpected” and “important role” as an “intermediary.”  Are you curious yet… Check out her story from this Physicians Practice article My Unexpected, Important Role: Intermediary  

E.R. and psychiatric wards of hospitals are usually a place where hospital employees need to be vigilant and brace for some dangerous situations. However, according to news reports, a disturbing trend of violence in hospitals is on the rise. “Nearly 40 % of emergency room employees in California have been physically assaulted on the job, [...]

Does averting the financial default bode well for physicians who see Medicare patients in their practices and hospitals? The proposed deal would “call for immediate spending cuts of almost $1 trillion over a decade. The part that would affect physicians is that a 12-member Congressional committee is going come up with recommendations for deficit reductions [...]

Are you interested in finding out how utilizing online social media can assist you in marketing your practice?  Do you have a facebook page for your practice…what about a twitter page?  How do you use them for your advantage? You can listen to this podcast for more information, Podcast: Social Media Opportunities for Practice-based Physicians

Through the current recession, how has your practice fared?  As the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act passed in 2010, has your practice struggled to deal with the changes taking place? Check out this 2011 staff salary survey, 2011 Staff Salary Survey  

For 60 years, the Feres Doctrine has shielded military medical personnel from malpractice lawsuits.  Veterans and military families have opposed this law. A recent medical malpractice incident where an Air Force Sergeant died during a routine appendectomy has brought this law to be challenged.  If you’d like to read more about this case, check out [...]

A ruling last week from a federal judge threw out the challenge brought by a man in his 60’s who claimed that healthcare reform would make him lose coverage from Medicare Advantage.  The federal judge threw this challenge out, ruling that the plaintiff did not have “standing to challenge the healthcare reform law.” For more [...]

The Affordable Care Act has been enacted in Washington. Now the debate has turned to each individual state as they try to “implement the new health insurance reforms effectively and efficiently.” The struggle will be that the states ensure that all health benefits “flow seamlessly and affordable access is established.”

One in ten dollars will be spent (within the health care system) utilized on defensive medicine and frivolous lawsuits. “This is due in part to investors and hedge funds seizing on medical liability lawsuits in order to reap the rewards that should be going directly to injured patients.”

Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), expanding Medicaid will add costs to states of at least $118 billion (through 2023). This is a higher estimate of costs than what was originally estimated. These new estimates were recently released in a report from House and Senate Republicans. Who is covered by Medicaid? At this present time, almost 54 million Americans.

Representative Gingrey is currently sponsoring a Congressional Bill aimed at drastically cutting medical malpractice awards. He has introduced previous versions of this bill and is a strong advocate against frivolous lawsuits.

Republicans in the House are claiming that they will keep their campaign promises to repeal the health care law. They plan to do this before President Obama’s State of the Union address in January. What happens if their plans fail, Rep. Fred Upton of Michigan claims the GOP Leaders will “go after the bill piece by piece…we will look at these individual pieces to see if we can’t have the thing crumble.”

The courts spoke out about the Constitutionality or lack thereof of the health care mandate. The debate begins all over again as supporters of a health care plan to cover all Americans spring into action and those that don’t support this issue are at odds with them. Is it possible to have health care reform without the mandate?

Recently, Senators have criticized mini-med health policies because they claim they are limited in benefits to the insured’s. According to a FierceHealthcare article, “More than one million Americans hold such policies.” Senator Barbara Boxer has called these policies, “Sham policies.”

In the Michigan federal court, the legitimacy of the health care reform law has been sustained. However, a Florida federal court judge has advised that the 20 state lawsuit can move forward. The lawsuit has been brought because these states oppose the government mandate that by 2014, every American must purchase medical insurance or pay a fine. These states maintain that this is a violation of their civil rights.

Now that health care reform has been passed do you know what to do and how this will affect your medical practice? Are you prepared for the provisions that are already being implemented and the aspects of this law which you will see applied in the years to come?

Various challengers of Virginia’s healthcare reform law have been called extremist and that “killing the legislation would hurt Americans.” Should the Government be allowed to pass legislation requiring Americans to purchase health insurance? If this is enforced, would they easily pass further legislation to require Americans to purchase other products?

If hospitals are struggling financially and have to declare bankruptcy, is there a way out for them? If these hospitals file Chapter 11 they have a chance to come out the other side with a renewed chance at making their facility work. If they file Chapter 7, their assets will be liquidated and they will be shut down, with no chance at revitalization.

One of the reasons that this institute did such a study is because with the full advent of health care reform, millions more Americans will become patients and their thought process is that nurses should not be prevented from “practicing to the full extent of their education and training.” Even if nurses have masters or doctoral degrees, the scope of their practice depends on the state regulations they have to abide by. Some consider that nurse practitioners will have to take an advanced role to fill the shoes of the missing primary care physicians.

It’s no secret that hospital cafeterias do not serve the best food, but there is a growing trend that hospitals are beginning to start serving more nutritious food. In Wisconsin, two ThedaCare hospitals are taking the lead in putting healthier food on their menus. After banning the deep fryer, bacon and donuts are no longer an option; neither are “super-sized meals and drinks.” Canned fruit and frozen vegetables have been replaced with fresh produce.