Is it time for your practice to go digital?

Jennie McKee

That’s the question Michele M. Zembo, MD, MBA; Glenn Sumner, MBA, and Ira H. Kirschenbaum, MD, hoped to help audience members answer during the Practice Management Symposium for Practicing Orthopaedic Surgeons, held on the Tuesday before the 2007 Annual Meeting. Their session, “Preparing your office for the digital world,” explored the benefits of implementing electronic medical records, digital imaging, and other technologies. Dr.

Treat pelvic, acetabular fractures carefully to reduce liability risk

Douglas W. Lundy, MD; James P. Stannard, MD

To many orthopaedic surgeons, the mere mention of pelvic or acetabular fractures gives rise to images of severe trauma such as a motorcyclist with a badly displaced both-column acetabular fracture, or a patient in hypovolemic shock due to an open-book pelvic fracture or other traumatic injuries. Orthopaedic surgeons in private practice rarely see injuries of this magnitude, and they quickly, happily, and appropriately refer such patients to orthopaedic trauma surgeons whenever possible.

When a colleague is in trouble

David E. Attarian, MD; David Teuscher, MD

What should you do if you notice a problem? Physicians, just as all human beings, may have physical and substance abuse illnesses, which may impair their ability to safely practice medicine. The lifetime prevalence of substance abuse due to drugs and/or alcohol among physicians is estimated at between 10 percent and 20 percent.

Two new practice management podcasts now available

Steven Fisher, MBA

Building skills for success—in the office as well as in the operating room—is important for every orthopaedic surgeon. To help you gain insight into methods to improve the business aspects of your practice, the AAOS has developed an audio program series, Practice Management Consults. The first two programs in Series 1—Pay for Performance (P4P) and Managing Payer Agreements—were introduced last fall. Now, the last two audio programs in the series are available.

JAAOS examines pediatric pelvic fractures

For more information on treating pelvic fractures, check the March 2007 issue of the Journal of the AAOS (JAAOS), which features an article on “Pediatric Pelvic Fractures” by Candice P. Holden, MD; Joel Holman; and Martin J. Herman, MD. Pelvic fractures comprise a small percentage of pediatric fractures and usually result from high-energy trauma such as motor vehicle accidents.

Using Modifier AS for surgical assist services

Jennifer Bever, MS, FACHE

Nonphysician providers (NPPs) are becoming increasingly important in orthopaedic practices, leading to questions about how to correctly code and bill for the surgical assist services they provide. Although commercial rules for reporting surgical assist services can and do vary markedly, the Medicare rules apply across the country and are quite clear. Medicare uses modifier AS to report nonphysician assistant-at-surgery services.

Choosing the right EMR system for you

The AAOS Practice Management Committee’s EMR Primer includes an introduction to electronic medical records as well as a list of questions to ask EMR vendors and a sample evaluation form. AAOS members can download the primer for free from the online Practice Management Center, but here is a sampling of the type of questions you should be asking during demonstrations or when you request a proposal. System functionality How do I locate a patient’s record in the system?

AAOS Group Purchasing Program takes off

Steven E. Fisher, MBA

The AAOS Group Purchasing Program, powered by Esurg Corporation, rolled out at the 2007 Annual Meeting in February. Since then, orthopaedic surgeons from across the country have been taking advantage of the free savings analysis—and finding out just how much they could save with the program. In most cases, the analysis showed they could save 20 percent or more.

Staffing certifications: What they mean and why they are important

Jennifer Bever, MS, FACHE

Are you a DO or an MD? An FACS, an FAAOS, or both? And what difference does it make? You know that the letters after your name add a particular cachet to your professionalism, particularly now when consumers are being encouraged to ask questions about fellowship training and board certification when selecting a physician. But did you realize that the same holds true for your office staff? Clinical staff credentials apply to physician assistants and nurses.

Organizations offering staff certification

National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants—www.nccpa.net American Academy of Physician Assistants—www.aapa.org American Health Information Management Association—www.ahima.org American Academy of Professional Coders—www.aapc.com American College of Medical Practice Executives and Medical Group Management Association—www.mgma.com Professional Association of Healthcare Office Managers—www.pahcom.

Have you gotten your number yet?

Marty Krawczyk

National Provider Identifier is mandatory as of May 23, 2007 If you have not applied for your National Provider Identifier (NPI) yet, time is running out! As of May 23, 2007, healthcare providers who are defined as “covered entities” under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) are required to use the NPI for all electronic healthcare-related “standard” transactions.

How to get your NPI

Applying for your NPI is simple and free. With the May 23, 2007, compliance deadline rapidly approaching, you should complete the online application at: http://nppes.cms.govWelcome According to the NPPES Web site, completing the application takes approximately 20 minutes. The site also contains tips on how to expedite your application processing. Where to go for more information on the NPI CMS NPI Information: www.cms.hhs.gov/NPS National Health Care Provider data: www.hipaadvisory.

Will you be my partner?

Robert H. Blotter, MD

In a competitive environment, recruiting a surgeon for your practice always requires honesty—and sometimes a helping hand. The orthopaedic recruiting environment in 2007 continues to be tight, with orthopaedics ranking as one of the five most competitive specialties. If you are planning to recruit a new surgeon for your practice this year, here are some practical tips that may make the process easier.

10 questions to ask potential recruiters

What’s your success rate? The higher the rate, the better the recruiter Will you give me a list of your last 10 consecutive clients? You want to know about both successes and failures. Then follow up with those clients. Ask them if the recruiter communicated with them honestly and in a timely fashion. Do you plan on making a site visit? The recruiter should understand your situation, including location and requirements.