PRIVATE HEALTHCARE CENTRAL
October 2, 2006--TOP STORY: DON'T MISS OUR HOSPITALIST MEETING ALSO IN THIS WEEK'S ISSUE
-- HOT TOPIC: HOW WILL LOCAL HOSPITALIST PROGRAMS IMPACT YOUR PRACTICE?
-- LOCAL ISSUES: DO YOU KNOW IF YOUR PATIENTS HAVE A NEW MEDICARE HOUSE CALL DOCTOR?
-- THE HSA/CDHC REVOLUTION: YOU AND YOUR PATIENTS SHOULD JOIN CHCC.
-- MEMBER NEWS: YOUR PRACTICE MARKETED HERE.
TOP STORY: DON'T MISS OUR HOSPITALIST MEETING Recent developments discussed below have generated great concern among APPA members admitting patients to our local hospitals. An imposed hospitalist program would not only impact practices financially but change the culture of private healthcare which we value so highly. 1920 SANTA MONICA BLVD, SANTA MONICA CA Welcome to the inaugural issue of APPA's e- newsletter: PRIVATE HEALTHCARE CENTRAL. With it we intend to exponentially increase the exchange of information and ideas among our member practices. Up to the minute news items, urgent local issues and useful new resources can be delivered to you quickly and frequently, simply by opening your e-mail. We urge you to sign up all of the physicians in your office or group and your practice manager. Feel free to forward this newsletter to anyone who might find it useful. |
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| HOT TOPIC: HOW WILL LOCAL HOSPITALIST PROGRAMS IMPACT YOUR PRACTICE? Many L.A. hospitals already have contracts with hospitalist groups to manage various categories of patients. These are usually those with the greatest potential for financial loss by the hospital. Commonly, all ER admissions without a local staff M.D. are given to the hospitalist group. Often all ICU patients must have an intensivist or hospitalist on board. SM- UCLA hospital has had a hospitalist group for a couple of years now. APPA members have expressed positive and negative opinions about interacting with them. St.Johns Hospital is now well along in creating such a program Their announced goal is to reduce length of stay and accelerate clinical decisionmaking. Several APPA members are independent St.Johns hospitalists and would be greatly impacted if the hospital chooses to contract with an outside group. Recently such a group has joined the staff to serve as primary care physicians to one of the new orthopedists recruited by the hospital. How will these developments impact your inpatient practice? Do you believe that an imposed hospitalist program is in the best interest of your private patients? Do you want your opinion heard? If so, attend the meeting on October 11, 2006 and speak up, or contact APPA at (310) 453-0169 or send an email to info@privatemd.co m.
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| LOCAL ISSUES: DO YOU KNOW IF YOUR PATIENTS HAVE A NEW MEDICARE HOUSE CALL DOCTOR? Several APPA members have been surprised to learn from their patients that a new Medicare housecall doctor was visiting them in their homes. Patients were examined and medications were added or changed on occasion. All without the knowledge of or communication with the patient’s regular physicians. APPA investigated. A Woodland Hills company owned by a Marin County physician has landed a CMS demonstration project contract enrolling up to 15,000 patients in 3 states. Care Level Management’s motto is “Putting patients first. Changing the way medicine is practiced in America.” This project enrolls “frequent flyer” patients over the telephone with the goal of reducing Medicare hospital expenditures for the group. Keeping our patients out of the ER and hospital is a laudable goal. The company says their docs are supposed to coordinate and communicate with patients’ physicians.
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| THE HSA/CDHC REVOLUTION: YOU AND YOUR PATIENTS SHOULD JOIN CHCC. Consumers for Healthcare Choices is the only consumer oriented national organization promoting consumer controlled healthcare(aka private healthcare). They hope to become the AARP for the HSA consumer marketplace. If you have yet to see an HSA debit card in your office, it won’t be long before a patient asks to use it to pay for services. Predicitions are for 20 million HSA enrollees within 10 years. There were 3 million in the first year alone. PPOs are predicted to have a very short life expectancy in the face of this. The insurance industry and financial services industry are making major changes to control the billions of dollars shifting hands. Where to go for information? First go to our own website www.privatemd.com and use the links and feature articles. Then go to CHCC at www.chcchoices.org.
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| MEMBER NEWS: YOUR PRACTICE MARKETED HERE. Does your practice have new services to offer? A new physician to introduce? Research publications? Presentations at your specialty society meeting? Let APPA know about it and the next newsletter will let every other private healthcare practice know as well. Best of all, it’s free to any member practice! Private Healthcare Central is a publication of the American Private Physicians Association. Direct comments or questions to Pamela Deloney, administrator for APPA.
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| Quick Links... |
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| Contact Information email: info@privatemd.com
phone: (310) 453-0169
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