AAOS Now / Issue
Elizabeth Fassbender; Shreyasi Deb
On Friday, Oct. 14, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the final rule for the Medicare Quality Payment Program, which implements the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) and replaces the sustainable growth rate formula. The Quality Payment Program has two tracks for payment: the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and the Advanced Alternative Payment Models (APMs) (Fig. 1).
Bill Champion
Based on studies I have read, only about half of Americans have a preferred orthopaedic surgeon. This would seem to indicate that while some orthopaedic practices have strong branding, many do not. One might assume that those dominant practices have achieved strong brand recognition through creative advertising or spending more on marketing their practice.
Michael R. Marks, MD, MBA
If a constant stream of denials for hip arthroscopy procedures frustrates you, know that you are not alone. These denials are a common source of angst for physicians. The good news is, if you know how to avoid common coding pitfalls, document correctly, and follow payer medical policies, most of these denials will disappear. The key is having proper documentation, prior to submitting the claim. This minimally invasive hip surgery is still relatively new.
Jason S. Mazza, MSc, OA-C, CSA, SA-C, OTC, CCRC; John H. Shim, MD, MBA
According to a recent survey, 72 percent of Americans have used the Internet to search for health information within the past year. In addition, current statistics show that more than 2.3 billion people worldwide use social networks, and 78 percent of the U.S. population have a social network profile.
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