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Will Doctors Fade Into Oblivion? The Survival Guide For Newyork Physicians !

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Can I Meet A Physician ?

The answer would most probably be “no” in a few years time. It is going to get increasingly hard to find a physician in New York. The State University of New York center (SUNY) has predicted that there will be severe physician shortage in New York by 2030. The study further reveals that the average age of physicians in New York is alarmingly high.

Medical-Billing-Newyork

I Have An Insurance Number, But Not Medical Care…

The huge physician deficit can leave millions of newly insured patients, under Obama-care  have insurance numbers. But it is no guarantee they will get to meet a doctor. The physician workforce is slowly dwindling and finding a doctor can be the biggest challenge, in the years to come.

The problem is steadily getting worse and it is not just the healthcare law that is to be blamed. Proprietary and complicated EHRs and ambiguous reimbursement models are driving physicians out of the business.

84% Docs Feel The Profession Is In Decline !

And nearly 60% wouldn’t recommend medicine as a career choice. About 75% of physicians feel they are being overworked. These are just a few worrying markers of the disillusioning climate the healthcare industry is in.

Doctors Across New York ; The Much Needed Relief For Physicians !

The DANY program offers physicians based in New York the life support they need. It offers physician practice support, physician loan repayment and help for facilities that recruit new doctors. The application process has also been streamlined to help practices based in NY meet the financial pressures they’re under.

Large health plans are also working in tandem with local medical practices and community health centers to bring in more primary care doctors.

Joining Forces…

Nurse practitioners can fill in the void by offering primary care to patients. Physicians and NPs instead of being at loggerheads, can work together to provide better care for patients across the state. As the shortage worsens team based care will act as the most effective solution.

Outsourcing documentation and billing needs will also offer harried Newyork physicians a brief respite in an otherwise blistering healthcare climate !

At 84,000$ Will ICD 10 Sound The Death Knell For Private Practices?

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Will Your Practice Get Caught, In The ICD 10 Quicksand ?

ICD 10 is lurking round the corner. 55,000 more codes and an entirely new coding structure is no stroll in the park.  Medical practitioners might just be thrown of track. It is being feared, that it could be a deathly blow to practices, which operate on small budgets. Small medical practices will be forced to align with hospitals to survive in this tough economic climate.

ICD-10-Medical-Coding-Infographic

Another Nail In The Coffin For Small Practices…

ICD 10 is being likened to Y2K. Though it petered out eventually and died a natural death, the panic and havoc it caused still remains fresh in people’s memories. But with ICD 10 coding we may not be as lucky. It is highly unlikely that ICD 10 will be postponed once again. Or like what most medical practitioners, pray for nowadays, simply disappear.

ICD 10 Comes With An 84,000 $ Price Tag  !

Don’t gasp! That is the figure put down by the MGMA. For the small practice that is barely making ends meet, this is an astronomical amount. Consolidation is the only glimmer of hope. But it can prove to be a double edged sword. As physicians will lose their freedom to decide their working hours and make key clinical decisions, independently.

It seems to be a throwback to the 80’s when there was a mad scramble to partner, align and consolidate.

And The Price Is Not The Only Headache…

If the fear of hogging headlines is the major fear of big hospitals. To keep the lights on in the building is the biggest challenge of small and medium practices. A few of the challenges that ICD 10 throws in the face of medical practitioners are:

  • Loss of productivity.
  • A hit in the coders efficiency and working hours during the transition.
  • Expensive system upgrades.
  • Additional staff to handle the workload especially when both ICD 9 and ICD 10 are used to submit claims.
  • Higher chances of fraud and abuse charges due to the lack of training, knowledge and resources.

Here Is What Small Practices Can Do To Keep Their Head Above The Water !

  • Partner with a medical billing agency to handle the transition.
  • Make use of online resources to the fullest extent.
  • Start early and phase out the implementation to avoid drastic changes and expenses.

Only 38 % of Doctors are Happy with their EMR. Are you one of them?

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EHR-Pros-and-Cons

Have EHR’s Reduced Patients to Faceless Data ?

The jury is still out on this one. Have EHR’s helped in bettering patient engagement or are stealing away the doc’s time? Patients complain that watching a medical practitioner silently collect data is the most frustrating sight on earth! After struggling to get an appointment from your busy neighborhood doc, it can drive you nuts to see that he is busy clicking on templates.

A Crude truth…

CRUD which means Create, Read, Update and Delete is not just another smart abbreviation. It is a sad fact that reflects what goes on in the physician’s office today. Creating information, analyzing it and editing data, eats up an enormous amount of time. Most docs are contemplating retirement to get away from the bureaucratic interference and hum drum of working with systems.

Has Someone lost the Plot ?

There is a growing disillusion with EMR’s because most of them are designed to be high-end data entry machines. A huge doubt is being cast on whether they actually help in bettering healthcare. EMR’s were supposed to reduce clinical documentation mistakes, prescription errors, retrieving data and saving on costs. And according to a few doctors fail on all counts.

Physicians fume that they are doing the same thing, several hundred times a week. Data entry takes time because of the frustrating loading times. E-prescribing is strenuous, as it is one drug at time. The, point, click, wait rigmarole results in point and click errors, and can be a potential hazard for patient safety.

Times they’re a Changing…

This immortal Bob Dylan cult number could well be the anthem of the healthcare industry today. Despite scathing criticism and the flak EHR’s face it is an indisputable fact that there are several upshots to using one. Accountable, traceable care, across all points in the healthcare continuum is a godsend for busy physicians without a photographic memory.

Data structures are improving. Integrated, inter-operable  and more secure data architectures that are more physicians friendly are rolling out. Contrary to what the naysayers complain, this could well be the best time to be a medical practitioner.

Treading with care…

Transitory phases can be tricky. It is the last man standing who comes out at the other end as a winner. Every medical practice should ensure that they sign up for a free trial with the EHR they are planning to use. So it is not the first time they’re handling the system. EHR users must demand better and frequent, tech-support.

It is important that physicians are healthcare IT savvy but we don’t want them to be reduced to impersonal, data collecting, super efficient machines. Do we ?

 

Medical Practice Managers Needn’t Sulk ! Take It One Step At A Time.

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Medical Practice

What are your Plans this 2013 ?

Agreed ! It is probably too late in the year to make a resolution list, and berate yourself the whole year for not following it. But it is never too late for change. The year brings with it lots of changes to the way you work. From working towards Meaningful Use requirements to choosing those nine CQMS you want to qualify for !

Ten Steps you must take to Ensure you roll with the Punches !

1. Being the first one off the block does have its advantages! Whether it is testing ICD-10, or educating patients on your EHR do it now !

2. Choose clinical quality measurements keeping your patient population, practice workflow and specialty in mind.

3. Perform an audit. It needn’t be an extensive one that brings everything to a standstill. But make a vow that you conduct “mock audits” on important processes such as billing, regularly.

4. Try to reduce costs on every aspect of your medical practice’s food chain. From stationary supplies to revenue cycle management.

5. Focus on maintaining accurate clinical documentation. RAC audit might just be around the corner.

6. Hire a financial counselor or if it’s too expensive, train your front office staff on financial counseling to collect self pays. Remember it consists of a significant revenue opportunity.

7. Have a clinical discussion with your pharmacist to reduce drug costs.

8. Analyze your AR reports, revenue cycle management reports and look for ways to optimize your workflow and exploit revenue opportunities.

9. Be active on social networking sites. That could be the easiest way to engage with your patients.

10. Instead of setting an ambitious annual goal, set small, practical and immensely achievable monthly goals to increase collections !

Its Time To Resuscitate Healthcare !

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[AnythingPopup id="13"] Time to Resuscitate Healthcare

The odds are stacked against physicians. Rising operational costs, hours lost due to data entry and compliance thresholds have made practicing medicine a nightmare for physicians. An increasing number of them are contemplating early retirement. With so much to deal with and a lot more to come, it is a testing time for the healthcare industry.

Buckling Under Pressure…

Slashes in reimbursement and compulsion to gravitate towards EHRs are the major reasons why medical practices are ailing. With divided opinions about ACOs and everybody blaming everybody else, the healthcare field resembles a war-zone. A recent study conducted by Bloomberg points that there is an estimated shortage of 13,000 doctors.

It is time the policy makers take remedial measures to help resuscitate physicians.

Over taxed slaves ?

Disincentives and pressures have made doctors feel like over worked slaves. After a long and expensive education, it is a bleak and challenging future that lies ahead. It doesn’t work for the doctor who is gasping for change and for patients who feel a strain in the physician-patient relationship.

Increasing Costs For Doctor Owned Practices !

The operating costs of a physician working in a full time in a physician owned multi-specialty climbed to 1.3% from last year. The commercial fee for service amounted to 51% of total charges.

A Few Bitter Truths…

  • Operational costs for running  a practice have increased over the last year.
  • Labor costs are the major money drainer for medical practices.
  • EHRs increase the amount of time spent on data entry tasks.

Solutions That Might Just Work…

  • Outsource to cut down on labor costs and operational expenses.
  • Train staff or vendors on using EHRs to reduce data entry pressures.
  • Select an EHR that automates workflow to a major extent, to save on time and resources.