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Anesthesia Management: End to Global Payments a ‘Nightmare,’ Surgeons Say

A new Medicare rule that will eliminate global surgical payments in two phases beginning in 2017 will be “an administrative burden for surgeons” and “a nightmare to track,” says the American College of Surgeons. A new Medicare rule that unbundles global surgeons’ fees for thousands of procedures not only bucks a national trend toward episode-based […]

Anesthesia Management: Computer-assisted coding market ‘ripe’ for growth as ICD-10 looms

As practices prepare to transition from ICD-9 to ICD-10 coding by October 2015, computer-assisted coding (CAC) tools will become increasingly important, so much so that, according to a new HIMSS Analytics report, they have the highest growth potential out of 25 support service applications. For the report, the fall 2014 edition of the Essentials of […]

Anesthesia Management: Malpractice reform doesn’t stop physicians from practicing defensive medicine

Medical malpractice reform has been supported by many experts who argue it lowers healthcare costs by reducing the amount of defensive medicine practiced by physicians, but according to a recent RAND Corporation study, that argument may not be based in fact. For the study, researchers examined the behavior of emergency physicians in Georgia, Texas and […]

Anesthesia Management: What puts the most pressure on hospitals? 6 top factors

This is for our readers who practice in hospitals. Pressure on hospitals is shifting from simple cost-cutting issues to increased attention on healthcare reform initiatives focused on value and outcomes, according to Ernst & Young’s 2014 report, “Pulse of the industry: Differentiating differently.” Ernst & Young surveyed 162 healthcare workers, 85 in clinical roles and […]

Anesthesia Management: 5 key hospital finance trends to watch

I included this since the majority of our readers practice in hospitals. The three main credit rating agencies —Fitch Ratings, Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s Investors Services —have recently released their annual hospital median reports providing insight into how the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is affecting the industry. The following trends stand out […]

Anesthesia Management: Only 6% of Hospitals Well Prepared for Ebola, Poll Finds

I know this isn’t about our specialty but I thought our followers would like to read it. Infection prevention experts say only 6% of US hospitals are deemed well-prepared to receive a patient with Ebola, according to a survey by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC). The survey findings, released October […]

Anesthesia Management: No Drop in Malpractice Payments When Caps Rise to $500K

Putting in place noneconomic damage caps appears to reduce payouts more than not having caps, but when caps increased to $500,000, the effect on payments was neutralized, new research shows. Specifically, any cap trimmed average payments by 15% ($42,980) compared with no cap, and a $250,000 cap reduced average payments by 20% ($59,331), researchers report […]

Anesthesia Management: Harvey Mackay: 9 ways to maintain motivation

Motivation must come from within. You have to ignite your own passion. Otherwise, how do you explain that in a roomful of people who hear the same message, some will just go back to the office, grateful for the break, while others go on to accomplish great things. I am fascinated with the science of […]

Anesthesia Management: Investing in outpatient surgery centers

Surgery centers can be highly profitable businesses if they attract top physicians, deliver quality care and are efficiently operated. A report last year by Moody’s Investors Service predicted continued strong revenue growth for surgery centers, noting that they “provide care without the high-cost infrastructures associated with hospitals.” In fact, a number of hospitals are getting […]

This is another article not about our specialty but something that can effect our practice. Although preventing infections should be at the top of a hospital’s to-do list, a rapidly approaching penalty will soon give them a financial incentive to do so. A program which started at the beginning of the 2015 fiscal year, hospitals […]