upcoming events |
FAQ's |
current issue|
upcoming events |
FAQ's |
current issue |
|
the
Grace Report Provides Important Private Intelligence,
Gathered Exclusively
|
|
Headlines-
January 30, 2006
Headlines- January 30, 2006 Commentary
and Opinion by Robert L. Michel: NOTED HEALTHCARE ECONOMIST J.D. KLEINKE SAYS ITS TIME for ob-gyns to make more use of nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and nurse midwives in their practices. The reason? So ob-gyns can increase their practice efficiency. (See pages 11-14.) Neil W. Rawlins, M.D., one of the founding members of Associated Physicians for Women, PLC, (APW) advocates the use of electronic medical records in ob-gyn practices. The reason: to increase efficiency. (See pages 2-10.) It’s no coincidence that ob-gyn Rawlins and economist Kleinke both recommend that ob-gyns boost operational and clinical efficiencies. The reason becomes obvious for any ob-gyn who compares his or her income from last year to prior years. Reimbursement is significantly less. At the same time, demands upon physicians’ time grow ever greater. By one estimate, physicians who treat Medicare patients spend a half hour doing paperwork for every hour they spend treating patients. There are other, more subtle, pressures on the ob-gyn profession. Rawlins, for example, points out that the American healthcare system loses, on average, a net of 7,000 physicians each year. The number of new physicians fails to keep pace with retirements, deaths, and doctors who leave medicine. In the coming years, fewer physicians will be available to serve a growing number of patients. Both Kleinke and Rawlins make the same point for the same reason. Ob-gyns must find a way to maximize their time every day—otherwise they will be held back by inadequate systems. They will find themselves overwhelmed by the demands and expectations of an over-burdened and “under-doctored” health system. For the ob-gyn profession, this is cutting-edge strategic practice thinking. It’s my hope and expectation that the recommendations of Klienke and Rawlins in this issue help shape your own strategic thinking. The GRACE REPORT’S mission is to provide high-level business intelligence and strategic thinking—along with the management tools necessary to keep your ob-gyn group practice in the financial winner’s circle. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Washington Ob-Gyns Get Big Return from Their EMR EMR solution generates return on investment while contributing to better patient care CEO Summary: Here’s an interesting fact. Associated Physicians for Women (APW) calculates that one simple change in work flow has been enough to recoup the initial cost of a $350,000 EMR system in only 24 months. Eliminating the need to retrieve paper patient records—at a cost of $6 “per pull”—for almost 32,000 patient encounters per year, also allowed the sevendoctor ob-gyn group to generate significant improvements in physician productivity and the quality of patient care. And there’s more to this story! APW has a grand vision of an all-electronic ob-gyn practice. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Making EMR Systems Work: Lessons Learned at APW It’s the fifth EMR system for these ob-gyns and it supports improved clinical performance CEO Summary: Having used five different EMR (electronic medical record) systems in recent years, Associated Physicians for Women (APW) has plenty of lessons to share with other ob-gyns. One key insight is to purchase an EMR system that is flexible and interoperable— meaning new functions can be easily added to the base EMR system, even from third-party vendors. Additional EMR functions APW is currently working to implement are a pharmacy interface for e-prescribing, secure Internet patient communication, and a method to track laboratory test results. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Primary Care Opportunities Exist for Many Ob-Gyn Groups National healthcare expert recommends ob-gyns provide more primary care to existing patients CEO Summary: In an exclusive interview with the GRACE REPORT, health economist J.D. Kleinke says ob-gyns should provide more primary care whenever possible for an interesting reason: many patients already believe their ob-gyns do so! Kleinke observes that ob-gyns are perfectly positioned to leverage this opportunity and generate additional revenue, particularly if they are savvy in their use of physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and nurse midwives to deliver primary care services. Kleinke considers obstetrics and gynecology to be one of the most complex of all medical specialties. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Annapolis Ob-Gyns Expand Screening for Depression Goal is to catch undiagnosed depression that affects up to 20% of new mothers CEO Summary: It is widely understood that depression can affect up to 20% of women before and after pregnancy. Yet many ob-gyns are not comfortable screening for depression or prescribing antidepressants for these patients. To correct this situation, the nine ob-gyns at Annapolis OB-GYN Associates have established a regular screening and treatment program for depression within their practice. As part of this program, the ob-gyn group has enlisted the help of a local hospital and a mental health practice to raise community awareness of the issue. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Medicare Update: Medicare Part D Is Here! All Ob-Gyns Are Forewarned -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- INTELLIGENCE: Late and Latent “BABY-FRIENDLY” HOSPITALS ENCOURAGED IN UNITED KINGDOM MEDICAL BOOKS AND JOURNALS ARE MUCH
NEEDED IN IRAQ
Look for the next briefing on Monday, February 20, 2006.
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
