Practice Management

If automation can enhance efficiency and reduce provider dissatisfaction while improving patient health, there’s a strong case for introducing automation into the mix, writes industry expert Eric Demers.

"When we think about what burnout does to our workforce, the ramifications are significant," says Andrew M. Harris, MD.

Urologists should watch early adopters of MVPs to know what to expect.

"Working on interstate licensing agreements and compacts is another long-term sustainable solution to ensure that telehealth remains robust and viable for both our patients and our practices," says Kevin Koo, MD, MPH.

“[The ability of] remote patient monitoring to provide targeted clinical information to physicians and elevate critical information for review and earlier intervention is enhancing patient communication and care delivery,” said Jim Brown, MD.

"Increasing regulation, excess bureaucracy, decreasing autonomy, declining reimbursement, and increased administrative burdens are all increasing the risk of burnout," says Andrew M. Harris, MD.

Telemedicine risks can be managed by staying informed and educated.

"Another benefit of owning an HSA is that you may keep your HSA open and continue to enjoy tax-free growth and tax-free withdrawals even if you are no longer eligible to make contributions," writes Jeff Witz, CFP.

Prior authorizations are a paperwork burden that takes up physicians’ and staff time while delaying care for patients, according to 93% of doctors surveyed by the AMA.

“I truly believe that if we don't take care of ourselves, we just can't take care of other people,” says Michelle Pearlman, MD.

"If I had to boil down the advice, I would say that the most important thing that I did not know, that I've learned over time, is that you have to be prepared," says Stephanie Dukhovny, MD.

Patient communication is key when implementing new policy.

Based on 5- and 10-year study periods, physicians with single or multiple paid medical malpractice claims “were shown to have a greatly elevated risk of having additional paid claims during a future period,” the authors wrote.

"We will add this question to the continuing saga and changing world of CPT coding," write Jonathan Rubenstein, MD, and Mark Painter.

One factor is whether dissection was performed for staging or for therapeutic purposes.

“HIFU also has gone up in its APC, so there's a higher reimbursement for the facility fees for hospital or ASC setting,” says Jonathan Rubenstein, MD.

The study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, investigated whether ascribing racial differences in health to genetics or culture rather than social conditions is associated with race-based practice.

“Lack of budget, remotely shared personal data between patients and hospital systems, and outdated software all point to avenues for hackers to infiltrate and gain access to health-related sensitive data,” the report stated.

"Before you even start your contract negotiation, I think it's really important to have a negotiation with yourself and understand what's important to you," says Siobhan M. Hartigan, MD.

"It wasn't just about the salary number, but what other things are within the contract that could make a huge difference on your practice and your life," says Siobhan M. Hartigan, MD.

"I gave a summary of what we have developed in our program in Houston at Baylor College of Medicine using what we designated as a resident wellness curriculum," said Jennifer M. Taylor, MD, MPH.

"You have to manage and maintain the other parts of yourself that are not answering all those needs from work," says Jennifer M. Taylor, MD, MPH.

"It’s hard for me to believe urology’s the most stressful job, although it’s very stressful," says Aaron Bayne, MD.

Key benefit to expansion of telehealth lies in expanded access.

Nearly three-fourths of physicians doing contract work reported experiencing little to no burnout.

"The interesting thing that's come out of the research that Dr. Lebares has done is that burnout can be countered by mindfulness," said Jennifer M. Taylor, MD, MPH.

“These are add-on codes that need to be added on to the evaluation and management service that's done on that patient on that day,” says Jonathan Rubenstein, MD.

Research has shown that follow-up text messages are more effective than telephone calls at reducing hospital readmissions or emergency department visits following hospital discharge.

“In medicine, we're not taught the business of medicine, but the day that you become faculty at an institution or private practice, you learn that it is a business, but yet nowhere in our training are we taught that,” says Michelle Pearlman, MD.

Researchers compared survey responses from patients who had in-person visits and those who used telehealth consultations at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.