| Current Memphis Medical News |
TMA Says New Medical Liability Law Will Protect Access to Care and Help Lower Costs
The long-debated amendment to organized medicine’s medical liability reform legislation has now passed both the Senate and the House of Representative and is on its way to Governor Bredesen for his expected signature.
Bluff City Medical Society Joins Forces for Change in Memphis
The Memphis medical community is full of promise, and problems, the most obvious of which is a lack of connectivity. It’s true, the local medical industry is endeavoring into a sort of renaissance through combined efforts to improve citizen health, but clinicians realize the vital need for more partnered organization.
HOLLI W. HAYNIE
Building Partnerships
HealthSpring’s IPA, IPOD Program Balances Risks, Rewards
When most people think of an iPod, the image is inevitably linked to ear buds and hand-selected tunes. For physicians in Tennessee, HealthSpring’s IPOD and IPA programs have an entirely different meaning, but the terms are still music to the ears of some providers looking for a payer relationship outside the norm.
CINDY SANDERS
National Guard Facilitates Earthquake Scenario in Shelby County
West Tennessee is situated over a hotbed of geologic activity as part of the New Madrid seismic zone, which translates to perpetual rumblings under the earth and tremors at the surface. Known also as the Reelfoot Rift, the New Madrid fault line is a major seismic zone in the Southern and Midwestern United States and was responsible for the infamous 1812 earthquake near New Madrid, Missouri which produced a 7.9 magnitude quake
HOLLI W. HAYNIE
Medical Practice Embezzlement: An Ounce of Prevention…
Does your practice’s revenue seem be dwindling down from where it once was? Undoubtedly some of it is due to reduced reimbursement rates, but there may be a different reason. Your practice could be a victim of embezzlement. According to a March 2008 report from Medico Unlimited, in addition to the reality practices face with declining reimbursement, inefficient operations, and other general “practice decay,” during any five-year period,
LINDA LOGAN
Blue Cross Gives Physicians More Time to Review Transparency Data
BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee (BCBST) is giving its network physicians additional months to review information that the health plan intends to post on its Web site regarding doctors’ quality and prices. The decision is the result of backlash from physicians and advocacy organizations such as the Tennessee Medical Association, all concerned that the data might not adequately represent performance.
SHARON H. FITZGERALD
Building Partnerships
HealthSpring’s IPA, IPOD Program Balances Risks, Rewards
When most people think of an iPod, the image is inevitably linked to ear buds and hand-selected tunes. For physicians in Tennessee, HealthSpring’s IPOD and IPA programs have an entirely different meaning, but the terms are still music to the ears of some providers looking for a payer relationship outside the norm.
CINDY SANDERS
Prescribers, Pharmacists Prepare for Tamper-Resistant Prescriptions
After a six-month reprieve, federal legislation is set to go into effect April 1, 2008, requiring Medicaid outpatient prescriptions to be presented to pharmacists on tamper-resistant pads containing at least one security measure.
In Tennessee, this new mandate impacts written prescriptions for TennCare patients. Exceptions to the tamper-resistant requirement include electronically transmitted prescriptions...
CINDY SANDERS
| Stroke/Neurological Focus |
Le Bonheur’s Neuroscience Institute Gains International Visibility with MEG Laboratory
Surgical treatment of neurological conditions and brain tumors has typically been impeded by the inability to precisely pinpoint the sensory functions affected by a lesion. While fMRI and EEG helped associate structure and some level of activity, neurological mapping during surgery has long been the primary way to determine function, until now.
HOLLI W. HAYNIE
Novel Rehabilitation Program Offers Patients the Next Step
Charles Robert Wilson had a stroke last year that affected the left side of his body. It was his second stroke and this time he required acute inpatient care. When it was time to graduate to an outpatient setting, he was grateful to learn about Baptist Rehabilitation-Germantown’s new Next Step program, a comprehensive, multidisciplinary outpatient rehabilitation curriculum for those who require more than one type of outpatient therapy.
HOLLIE W. HAYNIE
Stopping Strokes
An Aggressive Push for Primary and Secondary Prevention
We all know the stats. Stroke is the third leading cause of death in America and the number one cause of disability. The southeastern United States is known as “The Stroke Belt.” Approximately 780,000 Americans suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year — on average, that’s one stroke every 45 seconds. About every three minutes, someone dies of stroke. In 2008, it is estimated that the direct and indirect cost of stroke will be $65.5 billion.
CINDY SANDERS
Proposed Spending Cuts in Medicare Put Doctors on the Front Line
Physicians from across Tennessee are expected to join colleagues from around the nation during the next several months, lobbying Congress to voice their dissatisfaction over Medicare’s proposed reduction in physician reimbursements.
JANE SCHNEIDER
AMA Applauds New Senate Bill to Stop Medicare Physician Cuts
The AMA welcomed a bill introduced by U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) last week that would replace 18 months of Medicare payment cuts to physicians with payment updates that better reflect medical practice cost increases.
Financial Planning for Physicians
Remember during “Star Trek” episodes when Spock would raise his hand, separate his fingers and wish his colleagues an “uneventful trip”? Physicians should set that same goal for themselves when planning their financial future.
That’s the advice of Michigan-based Paul H. Sutherland, president, founder and CIO of Financial & Investment Management Group and manager of Utopia Funds.
SHARON H. FITZGERALD
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