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April 19, 2012

One Big Stress Ball

Modern life is full of hassles, deadlines, frustrations, and demands. For many people, stress is so commonplace that it has become a way of life. Stress isn’t always bad. In small doses, it can help you perform under pressure and motivate you to do your best. But when you’re constantly running in emergency mode, your mind and body pay the price.

If you frequently find yourself feeling frazzled and overwhelmed, it’s time to take action to bring your nervous system back into balance. You can protect yourself by learning how to recognize the signs and symptoms of stress and taking steps to reduce its harmful effects. Full Article

March 08, 2012

Less (patient) is More?

It’s too soon to know precisely how the changes will affect patients. But experts say more will be treated in clinics and doctors’ offices than in hospitals. And when they are admitted, their hospital stays could be shorter. “How can we change our mind-set from how many patients we have in the beds to how many patients we are keeping healthy and out of the hospital?” asked Michael Rembis, president and chief executive of Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center. “We haven’t figured out how to do that yet.”

The federal reform law changes the way hospitals and doctors will be paid. Going forward, fees will be based on patient outcome rather than on how long patients stay in the hospital or how many services they receive. And hospitals will be penalized for preventable readmissions and hospital-acquired infections.

Promoting higher-quality hospital treatment is long overdue, said Anthony Wright, executive director for the consumer group Health Access. “We were inadvertently subsidizing bad care,” he said. Full Article

March 06, 2012

Digital Records May Not Cut Costs?

Industry experts have said that electronic health records could generate huge savings — as much as $80 billion a year, according to a RAND Corporation estimate. The promise of cost savings has been a major justification for billions of dollars in federal spending to encourage doctors to embrace digital health records.

But research published Monday in the journal Health Affairs found that doctors using computers to track tests, like X-rays and magnetic resonance imaging, ordered far more tests than doctors relying on paper records. The use of costly image-taking tests has increased sharply in recent years. Many experts contend that electronic health records will help reduce unnecessary and duplicative tests by giving doctors more comprehensive and up-to-date information when making diagnoses.

The study showed, however, that doctors with computerized access to a patient’s previous image results ordered tests on 18 percent of the visits, while those without the tracking technology ordered tests on 12.9 percent of visits. That is a 40 percent higher rate of image testing by doctors using electronic technology instead of paper records.

The gap, according to the study, was even greater — a 70 percent higher rate — for more advanced and expensive image tests, including M.R.I. tests and CT, or computerized tomography, scans. Full Article

February 24, 2012

Will Locums Work for Me?

Attached is a link to an article primarily directed to new physicians entering the medical profession in regards to Locum Tenens but the questions discussed and links provided are a great resource to providers at any age looking for another income option. At Provider Solutions, our desire is to partner with providers and sites alike to provide quality coverage in the most efficient process possible.

For a greater understanding about Locum Tenens, current opportunities available to you (or if a facility how we can help) please give us a call 877-711-2905 or email us at info@pslocum.com; we look forward to serving you in your search needs. Locum Tenens

February 22, 2012

ACO's and Locum Tenen Providers

Locum tenens physicians may have to meet the same criteria as facilities and group practices’ permanent staffs. In some instances, they will be held to their own standards based on engagement length and location.

Doctors who practice within an ACO receive fees for their services. But they may be eligible for bonuses, as well, if they meet different quality measures. A number of private insurers have already implemented ACO projects or have them in the works. Back in October, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued the final rule for the Medical Shared Savings Program that depends on ACOs to operate. The tenet does not contain language specific to locum tenens. Full Article

January 17, 2012

Care Convenience

The number of retail clinics jumped 11.2 percent to 1,355 in 2011 after slow growth in 2010 and 2009, according to a report by Thomas Charland, chief executive of Merchant Medicine, which tracks the growth of retail medical care services. The number of retail clinics rose only 3 percent in 2010 and had flat growth in 2009 when the financial crisis and the related poor real estate market caused some smaller operators to close their doors. This followed several years of rapid growth.

New entrants from the supermarket industry like Safeway are starting to expand rapidly. Walmart is also hoping to become a serious player in the clinic business, seeking proposals from established medical care companies instead of the start-ups it tried working with a few years ago.

Full Article