2008 spine-code changes you can’t afford to miss

Mary LeGrand, RN, MA, CPC, CCS-P

The American Medical Association’s (AMA’s) Common Procedural Terminology (CPT) 2008 (CPT 2008) includes a number of spine-code changes, including revisions, additions, and clarifications, that can affect the spine surgeon’s bottom line. New and revised CPT codes are designated with a triangle symbol: p. Additionally, several instructional comment changes in the Spine section of CPT are noted with sideways triangle symbols: ut.

Bringing someone in: A succession planning primer

Peter Pollack

Recruiting can be rewarding, if all parties are on the same page Bringing a new partner into a practice can be an exciting yet difficult time, according to Michael J. McCaslin, CPA, of Somerset CPAs (Indianapolis). “What is succession planning? Ensuring that new physicians are in the pipelines to keep the practice going,” he says.

Do you get the picture?

Craig R. Mahoney, MD; Kevin Ward

Get the most from digital radiographs and PACS Today’s sophisticated technologies are changing the way radiographs are treated and stored. Nearly all hospital systems across the United States now use picture archiving and communication systems (PACS). A recent audit in our practice found that 95 percent of outside referrals to the practice were accompanied by digital radiographs, often placed on a CD-ROM.

4 years, 2 vendors, 1 success story

Craig R. Mahoney, MD; Kevin Ward

Implementing PACS at the Iowa Orthopaedic Center The Iowa Orthopaedic Center (IOC), a geographically diverse orthopaedic practice of 24 physicians with seven locations throughout central Iowa, first acquired a picture archiving and communication system (PACS) in 2003. Although only a few vendors offered the technology at the time, we believed that a PACS could save physician and staff time, while reducing overhead through higher efficiency and less handling of films.

Survey reveals extent, impact of medical liability problem

Charles D. Hummer III, MD

Orthopaedists paid premiums averaging $42,200 in 2006 In 2007, the AAOS Medical Liability Committee, along with the AAOS department of research and scientific affairs, surveyed a sample of the AAOS fellowship regarding a broad range of issues related to medical liability. We hoped to compare the results of this survey with those of previous surveys on this topic (conducted in 2002 and 2004), as well as to compare the medical liability situation for orthopaedic surgeons in various states.

Protecting your assets: Why medical liability insurance isn’t enough

Howard B. Yeon, MD, JD; James H. Herndon, MD, MBA

Medical liability is a ubiquitous concern for orthopaedic surgeons. The prospect of a lawsuit brings well-justified fears of a prolonged, unpleasant, and costly judicial process that could result not only in professional stigma but also in financial ruin.1 Laws capping tort damages have been effective in some states, but in many states, political forces make the adoption of such limits unlikely.

It’s not your typical test experience

Tye Ouzounian, MD; Marty Krawczyk

Practice management exam is also a learning opportunity Want help in generating additional revenue and decreasing your professional liability risk? Do you need to know more about Stark and antikickback regulations? Would you like to improve your CPT coding techniques, reduce the high expense of staff turnover, and identify inefficiencies in your practice? If you answered yes to any of these questions, the new 2007 Self-Scored Practice Management Examination is for you.

The power of the patient complaint

By Judith Feinberg, Esq. Paying attention to four key areas can help reduce complaints Imagine yourself in this situation: As a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon for 17 years, you serve a wide range of patients, including those with sports injuries and hip and knee replacements. You also perform a small number of independent medical exams (IMEs) for a local insurance company. One of those IMEs is on “John Q.

I’m getting sued for WHAT?

By Paul E. Weathington, Esq., and Patricia B. Freije, Esq. Medical battery is an emerging trend in medical liability litigation My client’s eyes were wide with disbelief. Although the judge had dismissed the plaintiff’s medical liability claims, the patient was allowed to recast and proceed with a different allegation—medical battery. “Battery? Can’t you go to jail for that?” he exclaimed.