What You Need to Know Before Leaving a Medical Practice

John J. Tatooles, JD, LLM; Adam Brunell, JD

Are you tired of having too much paper work, dealing with electronic medical records, and fighting with payers? Are you ready for something new? If you’ve decided it’s time to move on, proceed carefully. Unfortunately, physicians commonly underestimate the planning and work it takes to close, sell, or retire from a medical practice. Physicians transition their practices for many reasons and in many ways.

The Benefits of Comanagement for the Orthopaedic Surgeon

James M. Daniel Jr, JD, MBA; Michelle E. Calloway, JD, CHC, CHCP; John Cherf, MD, MPH, MBA

James M. Daniel Jr, JD, MBA; Michelle E. Calloway, JD, CHC, CHCP; and John Cherf, MD, MPH, MBA As new payment models evolve, providers must focus on improved quality and efficiency to remain financially stable. In this environment, comanagement has emerged as a popular alignment option.

How to Manage Conflict in Your Practice

Cindy Bracy

Dealing with difficult personalities and managing conflicts within an orthopaedic practice can be a sensitive issue that is often unavoidable. These situations are not limited to internal staffing issues but may also arise from interactions between staff and patients. The following five tips can be helpful in managing conflicts. Speak in a calm and respectful tone. Take notice of when a situation begins to escalate and conflict arises. Remember to speak slowly and with confidence.

The Intersection Between Telemedicine and the Corporate Practice of Medicine Doctrine

Nicholas Hudalla, JD

Advances in technology have led to increased access to health care, as well as differing approaches and new questions concerning medical licensure requirements across state lines. The impact can be seen in areas such as the provision of remote healthcare services to patients located outside of a physician’s home state.

Practice Management in the Exhibit Hall

The AAOS Annual Meeting is a great place to improve your practice management skills and to learn how to make your practice more efficient and profitable. But did you know that in addition to the courses and symposia focused on practice management you could pick up practical skills from your peers on the Technical Exhibits floor?

Three Questions to Consider Before You Recruit a Surgeon

John Gramer

In private practice, the most important questions related to a new physician hire are often those posed before you ever meet a candidate. Too often medical groups overlook the pre-work required for a prudent and efficient physician recruiting process. To avoid this pitfall, thoroughly consider the answers to the following questions prior to beginning a physician search. Can your practice support an additional partner?

Bundled Payment Models Facilitate Specialist Independence

Dave Terry; John Cherf, MD, MPH, MBA

The Medicare Bundled Payment for Care Improvement (BPCI) program creates unique opportunities for specialists to reduce both government and patient costs while potentially increasing surgeon revenue per inpatient Medicare case.

Billing Essentials for Using a PA or NP in Orthopaedics

Sarah Wiskerchen, MBA, CPC

In last month’s AAOS Now roundtable, “Making the Most of PAs and NPs,” Thomas F. Murray Jr, MD; Gail S. Chorney, MD; Anthony V. Petrosini, MD, and Kemuel Carey, MHS, PA-C, ATC, shared valuable insights on how to effectively use physician assistants (PA) and nurse practitioners (NP). This article covers essential billing research steps for groups who are new to using these providers, collectively described as nonphysician providers (NPPs).

How to Create an Efficient Flow Process

Charles A. Goldfarb, MD

Clinical workflow is an established process describing a series of tasks, how they are accomplished, who completes them, in which sequence, and at what priority. An efficient workflow is necessary to keep a practice running smoothly.

Talking Your Way Out of a Lawsuit

Thomas B. Fleeter, MD

The common conception is that malpractice lawsuits arise from greedy patients and aggressive lawyers. However, actual analysis of the root cause of medical liability lawsuits shows that skilled surgeons can be frequently sued while doctors who are mistake-prone may never get sued. In his best-seller Blink, Malcolm Gladwell explains this conundrum: “The overwhelming number of people who suffer an injury due to negligence from a physician never file a malpractice suit at all.