Practice Management

“Our time with patients is very truncated. EMRs actually get in the way of good care. They consume huge amounts of time," says one urologist.

"I'm not opposed to making a profit, and certainly businesses that take the risk to develop new technology should be financially rewarded for bringing that technology to market. But should life-changing technology be limited to those who can pay?" ponders Dr. Rosevear.

In his latest blog post, Rick Rutherford, CMPE, discusses the effects of recent major changes in the method that Medicare reimburses in-office clinical lab services.

Selling a bond prior to maturity may require offering a discount, according to Jeff Witz, CFP.

"If a high percentage of the radicals are billed with urethral suspension, then it is likely to be bundled in the future and it is possible that it will be tagged with an indicator that will not allow unbundling," write Ray Painter, MD, and Mark Painter.

Here’s what to do when a patient disregards medical advice.

“I don’t expect appreciation... But I believe patients do appreciate what we do, and it’s nice to receive thanks," says one urologist.

"In an Ohio medical malpractice claim, the plaintiff must prove by a preponderance of the evidence the existence of a standard of care within the medical community, a breach of that standard of care by the defendants, and proximate cause between the medical negligence and the injury sustained," writes Acacia Brush Perko, Esq.

The popular approach offers ‘hands-off’ investing for retirement, according to Jeff Witz, CFP, and David Zemon.

"If the rule changes proposed by Medicare for 2019 are passed, they may very well change the way you practice," write Ray Painter, MD, and Mark Painter.

Practical strategies are available to help you collaborate, not compete.

Choices include playing the MIPS game or qualifying as an advanced APM.

"At trial, the urology expert testified that the defendant urologist failed to offer the patient alternative treatments before proceeding with the drastic option of removing the testicle," writes Dawn Collins, JD.

“I think the main thing is being able to empathize with your patients-simply because a lot of these patients become patients we end up having a pretty long relationship with," says one urologist.

Advanced-practice providers can report services incident to an MD under a few circumstances.

Urologists can easily miss or disregard these important aspects of contracts, which could come back to haunt them.

Start saving and investing early in order to achieve your financial goals.

"EPCS is now live in all states, available through most EHR vendors, and probably cost effective in your practice," writes Robert A. Dowling, MD.

CMS’ Quality and Resource Use Report can help you understand your practice’s costs, says Robert A. Dowling, MD.

The programs present an opportunity for urologists to evaluate how they practice.

“As many other practices have found, [advanced practice providers] help us to improve access, increase capacity, keep our costs low, and just as important, they allow our urologists to focus on more complex functions,” writes Barry A. Kogan, MD.

The plaintiff claimed that the urologist should have performed TURP.

Clear policies and compliance training will help keep harassment from happening.

Be prepared to supply supporting clinical reasons as part of your appeal to the payer.