Eliminate Adverse Events with Integrated Clinical Pathways

Mark A. Snyder, MD, FAOA

The current healthcare environment is forcing hospitals to face uncertain futures and chart new courses as they shift from volume- to value-based systems and business models. According to Ian Morrison, author of The Second Curve: Managing the Velocity of Change, the second curve is the future—new technologies, new consumers, and new markets—and traditional methods of change are not sufficient to enable companies, including healthcare organizations, to survive.

Workshop Attendees Share Best Practices to Increase Patient Collections

Amy Boyer, MBA

After your employees, an orthopaedic surgery practice's two most valuable resources are time and money. In the United States, nearly 40 percent of insured adults are on a high-deductible health plan (HDHP). As a result, an increasing percentage of receivable (A/R) balances are the patient's responsibility. When improperly managed, these balances are difficult to collect and consume large amounts of the billing staff's time. A survey of AAOS/KarenZupko & Associates, Inc.

Arthroscopy Coding for Major Joint

Michael R. Marks, MD, MBA

An accurate understanding of coding rules increases likelihood of receiving appropriate payment Correctly reporting and billing for arthroscopy services is often confusing. Last month, AAOS Now reviewed the knee arthroscopy codes and outlined the appropriate use of modifiers. This month, the topic is coding for shoulder and hip arthroscopic procedures. The traditional coding rule about the shoulder is to consider the joint as one compartment.

The EHR Era: Workload Reduction Strategies

Nicholas Colyvas, MD; Marianna Babiolakis, BA

The introduction of electronic health records (EHR) has imposed new workloads and workflows on physicians and orthopaedic practices. Although EHRs offer benefits including centralized and consolidated medical information, electronic prescriptions, and enhanced legibility, interoperability of these systems remains problematic. Many clinicians have found that the largely regulatory- and reimbursement-driven documentation requirements offset the advantages of EHR.

A Watchful Eye Can Prevent Future Harm to Young Patients

Bryan Tompkins, MD

Nonaccidental trauma is one of the leading causes of injury and death for children in the United States, with musculoskeletal injuries as one of the most common manifestations of child abuse. As orthopaedic surgeons, we are well-positioned to recognize and diagnose nonaccidental trauma in our smallest, youngest, and most vulnerable patients. However, the diagnosis of nonaccidental trauma requires proper screening. In 2010, the U.S.