A study has showed 30-day readmission rates for pneumonia, heart attack and heart failure decrease as the number of family physicians increase, according to a report from American Family Physician. Adding one family practitioner per 1,000 population reduces readmission rates…
Integration & Physician Issues
Speaking before a House committee, AHA officials said the organization supports averting the ever-looming cut in Medicare physician fees, but not at the expense of hospitals, according to a report by AHA News Now.
It is not clear how an accountable care organizations comprised of independent providers can implement and finance necessary administration systems, according to a report from actuarial and consulting firm Milliman. The increasingly challenging environment for individual providers and ACOs is…
Nine physicians have sued West Penn Allegheny Health System after the Pittsburgh-based system allegedly informed them it was abandoning primary care services in a certain area due to low and poor payor rates, according to a Pittsburgh Business Times report.…
Experts from Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore and the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia have voiced concerns that accountable care organizations could potentially be designed to exclude minorities and widen healthcare disparities, according to a news release from Johns Hopkins…
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Greenwich (Conn.) Hospital and Orthopaedic & Neurosurgery Specialists, based in Greenwich, have announced a joint-venture ambulatory surgery center agreement.
Hospitals have two ways to collaborate with physicians for outpatient surgery centers, says Matt Searles, a managing partner at Merritt Healthcare in Somers, N.Y. They can retain their existing HOPD or build a new one, authorizing physicians to manage it…
When the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released the proposed rule for accountable care organizations at the end of March, health information technology was recognized and emphasized as a central component. Technological aspects of the proposed rule are closely…
Healthcare leaders are finding that physician integration will be critical for achieving the increased efficiencies and coordination necessary for meeting healthcare reform standards and for producing savings. Although integral to the formation of accountable care organizations, hospitals are pursuing physician…
Accountable care organizations continue to be a hot topic in healthcare, and with CMS’ proposed rule released, many of the “why” and “what” questions regarding the model have largely been answered. However, providers are now beginning to ask what might…