Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear announced Friday that the state will exempt hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers from the federal requirement that certified nurse anesthetists must be supervised by a physician when administering anesthesia. The change is a necessary step in improving access to care in rural and underserved areas of the state, Mr. Beshear said… Continue reading »
Medscape asked U.S. physicians how happy they were with their lives outside of medicine and to rate their level of happiness on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being the least happy and 5 being the happiest. Anesthesiologists had an average happiness score of 4.0, which was higher than the average physician response… Continue reading »
It can be difficult to determine which payor is the best payor because physicians often find benefits and drawbacks from each company. According to Medscape’s Insurer Ratings Report 2011, 54 percent of physicians say the level of payment is the most important factor in making a payor their best payor. Other important factors include that… Continue reading »
The HIPAA mega-rule has reached its final hurdle and is expected to be released in June 2012. The mega-rule will include: Changes to privacy and security rules the HITECH Act mandates Requirements for new enforcement and higher penalties Final regulations of HITECH Act’s breach notification rule Changes to HIPAA to incorporate Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act Just as… Continue reading »
When the subject of accountable care organizations first comes to mind, the common context is that of the ACO as a Medicare payment mechanism introduced as an element of Obamacare. However, to fully understand the economics of an ACO, you need to appreciate the fact that the model is not designed to be constrained to the Medicare arena. And, in fact, the economics of the creation of a functional ACO dictate that it must focus on a larger market.
