Archive for August 2015
CMS: Medicare ACOs find success in savings, improved quality
The recent news that Medicare Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) generated net savings of $411 million in 2014 and improved in most quality measures is being hailed as a success by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS). These ACOs, which were established under the Affordable Care Act, are the center of the nation’s healthcare reform…
Read MoreBundled payments: What impact will they have on your practice?
In an effort to shift payment models away from fee-for-service, more healthcare providers are being paid based on their ability to provide high-quality care in a more coordinated fashion through bundled payment arrangements. To that end, The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced that more than 2,100 acute care hospitals, skilled nursing…
Read MorePhysicians: Abandoning medical records can get you in trouble
The Florida Board of Medicine recently announced that there has been an increase in the number of reports concerning abandoned medical records. Physicians are either closing or relocating their practices and no longer caring for a certain population of patients. Although there are rules and statutes in place that govern the amount of time physicians…
Read MoreNew legislation regulates Florida addiction recovery residences
During the last Florida legislative session, a bill designed to clamp down on addiction recovery residences was passed with little fanfare. In June, Gov. Rick Scott signed HB 21 into law. The legislation, which took effect July 1, creates ss. 397.487 and 397.4871, F.S., which require the Florida Department of Children and Families to create…
Read MoreCompounding pharmacies in the eye of investigative storm
In the last year or so there have been a number of stories in the media about investigations into wrongdoing by compounding pharmacies, marketing companies and physicians. At last count there were nearly 100 federal investigations underway for what the feds believe are questionable financial relationships involving these three entities. In some instances, physicians are…
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