Discounting for multiple arthroscopic procedures

Margaret M. Maley

By Margaret M. Maley It may take more from the bottom line than you think! It’s hardly a surprise when payers issue an explanation of benefits (EOB) with a reduction in reimbursement for multiple procedures performed during the same operative session by the same provider. Both Medicare and all payers that follow Medicare reimbursement policies use the multiple procedure reduction rule when calculating the reimbursement for the additional procedures.

Lecture series prepares residents for systems-based practice

Marty Krawczyk

Now in its third year, the AAOS Resident Practice Management Lecture Series (RPMLS) helps orthopaedic residency programs fulfill the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education requirement for systems-based practice, while increasing residents’ understanding of the many outside influences that have an impact on practice management. The RPMLS currently includes 18 audio–slide lectures presented by orthopaedic surgeons, practice management consultants, and Academy staff.

Including business education in residency training programs

James M. Saucedo, MD, MBA; Lalit Puri, MD, MBA

Many orthopaedic surgeons would agree, at least on an intuitive level, that we, as physicians, should understand the business of our chosen profession, and as a community, we seem to want to understand this perspective. But when does this realization occur? Based on the results of a short survey of Chicago-area residents, residents are already thinking about these issues. (See “Residency training programs need to add business education,” AAOS Now, August 2011.

Worldwide trends in medical liability

Thomas B. Fleeter, MD

By Thomas B. Fleeter, MD What can the United States learn from other countries? Defensive medicine and legal costs are believed to play a significant role in our country’s rising healthcare costs. Moreover, the current U.S. tort system is both cumbersome and expensive, while providing relief to relatively few patients who sustain injuries as the result of a medical error.

Health courts? Let’s think again

By George D. Dikeou, Esq. Although widely touted, health courts may not be the right answer The current method of resolving incidents of medical injury in the United States is widely recognized as flawed. A system of “fault finding” as a requirement for claims resolution does not advance quality improvement or patient safety.

Hiring the right people

Recruiting and hiring administrative and clinical employees for a medical practice is not easy; there are never any guarantees that a person hired for a job will work out in the long term. All too frequently, though, employees in orthopaedic offices who are responsible for hiring staff fail to follow a protocol. Following a protocol reduces the likelihood of a bad hire and improves the likelihood of a good one.