Archive for the ‘New Articles’ Category
New iPhone and Android communication app for doctors and patients
Today I came across a new communication tool that seems like an improvement over the after-hours answering services physicians typically use. Dr. Michael Nusbaum, a bariatric surgeon at New Jersey’s Morristown Medical Center created MedXCom, a smartphone application that allows doctors to communicate with patients via mobile phone and text message in compliance with HIPAA privacy laws. When a patient calls a doctor who is subscribed to MedXCom, the call is forwarded to the doctor’s smartphone along with the patient’s entire medical record. This allows the doctor to review the patient’s record before taking the call. If the doctor needs … Read more »
MA Governor confident cost controls won’t hurt healthcare industry
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick told the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce he is confident the state can implement a cost containment plan that will not harm the state’s $34 billion healthcare industry. Eyes are on the bay state as state lawmakers debate how to rein in rising healthcare costs. The national healthcare law is modeled in part after the Massachusetts program, so any problems quickly become national news. The two houses of the Massachusetts legislature have presented different plans for how to limit healthcare costs, but the message is the same. The state can’t keep up with the pace with … Read more »
Former Barton physician featured in Locum Life article
Check it out! One of Barton Associates’ former locum tenens surgeons, Colette R. Whitby, MD, FACS, is featured in the March issue of Locum Life magazine. Read more about Dr. Whitby’s locum tenens experience at the Locum Life website.
Readmission reduction primer for locum tenens providers
The Hospital Readmission Reduction Program is set to take effect in 2013 and will penalize hospitals that have a higher-than-average rate of 30-day readmissions for select conditions. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will reduce the total Medicare payment made to under-performing hospitals by 1% in 2013. The reduction percentage will increase each year until eventually topping out at 3%. Hospitals across the country are beginning to implement readmission reduction strategies in order to avoid payment reductions and improve patient care. The following are a collection of popular readmission reduction strategies that locum tenens physicians and nurse practitioners … Read more »