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Medical Industry News
E-mail, Intimacy, and Concierge MedicineE-mail is not for every physician. Legal concerns and HIPAA compliance are perceived barriers to using e-mail. They are excuses. There are, however, practical reasons that prevent most docs from considering e-mail.
Michael Douglas and Missed DiagnosisThe wife of actor Michael Douglas recently said she was “furious” that doctors did not locate and treat her husband’s throat cancer earlier, indicating it would have improved his chance of survival. The Oscar-winner’s diagnosis shocked many, both because of who he is and because what was initially thought to be a sore throat turned out to be something far worse.
The Ghost WarAs I looked out on my audience of uniformed physicians and nurses, the stories of destroyed lives and war ran through my mind and I thought, “Does anybody besides the military remember that we are fighting two wars?”
Labeling CrayonsWhy do I do these things? Honestly, the reason why is that it is the path of least resistance. I don’t want my kids to be singled out in school for having (gasp!) unlabeled crayons and I don’t want to be singled out by the nursing staff as a difficult or unsafe doctor. So, I go with the flow.
Using Social Networking as a Marketing ToolToday doctors are competing for patients in a radically changed marketplace. One of the most important emerging technologies in that space is Internet-based social networking.
Best States to Practice 2010Trying to decide which state to practice in? Our guide to state-level conditions affecting physicians’ wallets will help you choose wisely.
Docs Dialing In to “Mobile Health” MovementThe addition of a camera to cell phones years ago changed the devices completely and now they could change the way some doctors diagnose their patients’ maladies.
‘What I Didn’t Learn in Residency’Pediatrician Sandy L. Chung on getting schooled in the business of medicine during her first year of practice.
Coding: Reducing Duplicate Documentation; ‘Detailed Exam’ Debate; Pinpointing Profile InformationHere are your latest coding questions, answered by coding expert Bill Dacey.
The Prescription Responsibility DebateWhen a doctor writes a prescription for pain medications or other narcotics, does his or her responsibility stop once their signature is complete? A California physician thinks so and is defending herself against a criminal investigation alleging her of improperly dispensing the drugs, which in some cases led to overdose deaths of some of her patients.
This Week's PeevesWasn’t it about a month ago that I was carrying on about howI felt disrespected? Wasn’t it just a week or two ago that I said that life is good and that I shouldn’t complain? And now here I am with this week’s list of things that just plain irked me.
6 Not-So-Obvious Roles Docs PlayDisaster relief worker, community health promoter, patient advocate? Being a doctor affords you the opportunity to make a difference in your patients’ lives in a number of other ways.
EMR MythbustersWill "EMR" spell financial disaster for my practice? Will it destroy relationships with my patients? In this free podcast, two technology gurus and practicing physicians address these and other common EMR rumors to arm you with valuable information before you make the transition to a paperless (or, at least, less-papered) office. This podcast is brought to you by Nuesoft Technologies and NueMD, Internet-based practice management software and electronic health records. Nuesoft has an established U.S. customer base of more than 15,000 users in 49 states.
2010 Tech Survey: Selecting the Right Practice Management SystemJust like a Swiss Army knife, your practice management system should do everything you need it to do in one central location to guarantee your office’s survival. However, much like the valued outdoor utility tool, there are so many different options in terms of tools, gadgets, and styles that choosing the right one can be difficult.
The Part-time PuzzleEmbracing part-time and work-at-home schedules to help fit the right employee pieces into place.
Tools to "Unteach"I hate when I have to “unteach” a patient. It’s very difficult to get a patient to unlearn something that is wrong. Whether they heard it from a friend, family member, or on the Internet, if it doesn’t jibe with your message, your job as an educator just gets harder.
Refining EHR UsageEHR adoption doesn’t end when your system is installed; you have to continue to improve your use of the product.
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What Matters
ALN's BlogMusings on the NFL and e-BooksLike the running back with the big contract who is now a little slow, assets become liabilities very fast. Barnes and Noble stores were the secret to selling books just a few years ago. nNw that Amazon sells more Kindle e-reader downloads than hardcover books, the technology advantage is only accelerating. Technology is an incredibly disruptive force once it gathers steam. So what does this mean in healthcare?
When Does the Law Kick In?We all remember Econ 101. If demand goes up and supply is short, prices go…? Up, right? Wrong, in this case. Prices are down. My equity analyst friend said, ‘Prices eventually have to find their rightful level.’ - That is the bigger question for physicians. If demand is growing, and the supply is not, when will physicians act to force pricing to move to its rightful level?
Twenty Year PerspectiveManufacturing has been investing in IT longer than most any sector, and not surprisingly, saw its productivity grow almost 60% faster over the past 20 years than the economy as a whole. I am not an economist, but as a healthcare guy, finding myself again right at the beginning stage of an IT investment boom, I would suggest there are some long view lessons we can learn from our industry brethren who went 20 years before us. The idea that healthcare IT can, and will, lower costs makes too much logical sense.
Two Way StreetsOne of the consequences of patients paying more and more of the bill is that they are becoming more active consumers. As patients become prudent consumers, providers that fall short of the standard are going to get punished. However, If you are good, really good and not just a legend in your own mind, it presents a great opportunity.
Left TacklesOn one play in 1985, Lawrence Taylor came unseen from the quarterback's blind side and literally snapped in half the leg of quarterback Joe Thiesmann, ending his career. Taylor, and those like him, changed the game and changed life for the offensive left tackles. A similar change has happened for physicians and it is becoming very obvious which practices have discovered the value of a good left tackle and which are still exposed to the hit from the blind side.
Resources
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