Wrongful payments of Electronic Health Records (EHR) incentives are at the focus of two of the month's biggest stories in health care compliance. The first came down on May 31 when the Justice Department announced that one of the biggest EHR software vendors in the country, eClinicalWorks, had settled false claims charges stemming from allegedly overstating the capabilities of … [Read more...] about OIG Report: CMS dished out $729.4 million in wrongful EHR incentive payments & we’re going to get that money back
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Is a national OB-GYN shortage looming?
A report recently released by Doximity suggests an impending women's health crisis: specifically, high obstetricians and gynecologists (OB-GYN) maternity workloads, a U.S. OB-GYN workforce that is nearing or at retirement age, and an inadequate number of younger OB-GYNs practicing. Doximity, a social network for physicians and advanced practice clinicians, developed a composite … [Read more...] about Is a national OB-GYN shortage looming?
Choosing the right medical practice technology lease
By Nick Hernandez bio Medical practices often find themselves trying to keep pace with advancements in technology, but keeping up is easier said than done. Investment in technology places heavy demands on capital resources. As a result, administrators are exploring alternative sources of capital beyond customary bank loans. When you buy equipment and finance it with … [Read more...] about Choosing the right medical practice technology lease
5 proven ways to keep “toxic employees” off your payroll
Got toxins in the office? Toxins are people who cause dissent. They undermine people. They create an atmosphere of mistrust and suspicion. They kill the camaraderie. They are toxic because they cause enough misery to force worthwhile staffers to leave. Medical firms can find themselves with toxic people at both the physician and staff levels. So here are ideas on how not to … [Read more...] about 5 proven ways to keep “toxic employees” off your payroll
Get in sync with your employees by understanding their value systems
By Lynne Curry bio You and your employees don't see eye to eye. You expect that work means work. But one of your employees, otherwise talented and hard-working, texts throughout the day, insisting it takes less than five minutes total time and "isn't she allowed a break?" Meanwhile your new IT manager, although doing a good job, keeps his eye on Craigslist. When you … [Read more...] about Get in sync with your employees by understanding their value systems
Now available: 2017 CMS QRDA III Implementation Guide for Eligible Clinicians and Eligible Professionals, Schematron, and sample files
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has published the 2017 CMS Quality Reporting Document Architecture Category III (QRDA III) Implementation Guide (IG) Version 1.0 (7/07/2017) for Eligible Clinicians and Eligible Professionals (EPs) Programs with Schematron and sample files. This version replaces the 2017 CMS QRDA III IG for Eligible Clinicians Reporting … [Read more...] about Now available: 2017 CMS QRDA III Implementation Guide for Eligible Clinicians and Eligible Professionals, Schematron, and sample files
An online assessment to help you hire the best medical scribe candidate
As more healthcare providers identify the need to standardize documentation and free up physicians' time to focus on patient care, hospitals, clinics, and private medical practices nationwide are now building in-house teams of certified medical scribes. To help those organizations assess and recruit the best scribe candidates, the American Healthcare Documentation Professionals … [Read more...] about An online assessment to help you hire the best medical scribe candidate
AMA launches campaign to maximize physician success in MACRA
The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) promises to reshape how Medicare pays physicians under the Quality Payment Program (QPP). Yet, a survey of 1,000 practicing physicians who have been involved in practice decision-making related to QPP shows that fewer than one in four physicians feel well prepared to meet its requirements in 2017, according to a … [Read more...] about AMA launches campaign to maximize physician success in MACRA
Are you sure you don’t have to pay staff overtime?
By Nick Hernandez bio It is a recurrent challenge for human resource professionals: Determining whether an employee is exempt from the overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The FLSA is the federal law that governs minimum wage, overtime pay and working hours. Consequently, the classification criteria for exempt and nonexempt workers are part … [Read more...] about Are you sure you don’t have to pay staff overtime?
When a physician commits suicide
The death of a physician or staff member can be difficult for a practice. The loss has an emotional impact on the people who worked with the individual, and the person's passing leaves an obvious void. It also results in numerous practical issues the office manager must address. But a death by suicide takes loss to an entirely different level. And when a physician commits … [Read more...] about When a physician commits suicide