Peace Out, Texas
And that’s the last of my coverage of RBMA’s 2010 Fall Educational Conference. I write to you now from the Austin airport, where I’m getting ready to bid Texas a very fond farewell . . . that is, as soon as I get a turkey sandwich from Schlotzky’s. (I guess I’m not quite ready to leave all this amazing food behind.) If you were in attendance at this year’s RBMA conference, any thoughts? My primary impression was that the gloves have come off. From Dr. Muroff’s reality check on what great groups do right (key quote: “
Interpretations: A Whole New Maze
For my very last session at this year’s RBMA fall conference (sniff) I joined Tom Greeson’s talk on the puzzle of supervision and interpretation agreements. Greeson hails from Reed Smith LLP, where his practice focuses on health law, Medicare reimbursement, legislative and regulatory issues. “I thought maybe I’d get five people,” Greeson said to the packed room in introduction. “My hope for this presentation is to talk about the various outside reading arrangements you may find yourself getting involved in. They’re not just business relationships; these arrangements involve a maze of regulatory issues.”
Linking Payment and Quality
Judy Burleson continued the ACR’s economic update this afternoon, beginning with a discussion of existing strategies and tools HHS and CMS use to get at quality: public reporting and data sharing, incentive-based programs, regulatory means, coverage decisions, and, of course, demonstrations/pilots/research. “These will inform CMS and HHS on how to move forward with certain initiatives,” she said.
Burleson then moved to the Affordable Care Act’s national strategy for quality improvement. The legislation requires CMS and HHS to develop priorities for quality initiatives as well as a transparent and collaborative process. The statute requires
The ACR’s 2010 Economic Update
The ACR’s updates are always some of the most well-attended events at RBMA’s educational conferences, and this afternoon’s presentation on payment policy and legislative issues looks to be no exception: Maurine Dennis and Judy Burleson of the ACR are playing to a packed house. “I’m here to talk about the good news,” Dennis began. “I promise.”
Dennis launched her portion of the talk with a list of the people who are targeting imaging. Needless to say, it goes on and on, but CMS and Congress are probably the primary snipers taking pot-shots at
Roundtable: Hospital-Based Practices
There have been several roundtables on hospital-based practices here at the RBMA Fall Educational Conference, and I finally got a chance to duck into one this morning. The room was packed with attendees eagerly awaiting the discussion to come. An introduction from RBMA past president Pat Epting set the tone for the session: “Some of you sent in some questions ahead of time, but I don’t like them,” he said, drawing laughs. “So let’s open it up to the room.”
Nancy Holland of High Point Radiological in North Carolina asked, “Our hospital just came to
Dr. Muroff: “Good is a Given”
Lawrence Muroff, MD, continued his presentation on the characteristics of a great radiology practice by discussing evaluation of members. Great practices evaluate all of their members periodically so that members know what is expected of them and where they stand in the eyes of their colleagues. These evaluations should be both clinical and non-clinical, he said, and should apply to partners as well as newer staff members. “And it’s not enough to merely evaluate,” he added. “If there are problematic issues, the practice has to be prepared to deal with them—and the ultimate way of
Morning Coffee and Reality Check with Dr. Muroff
Another day of RBMA-ing has begun, and I’m starting it off right with “A Half-Dozen Tips for Improving Your Practice,” the presentation from Lawrence Muroff, MD, president and CEO of Florida’s Imaging Consultants Inc. Muroff can always be counted on to tell it straight, even when the news is hard to hear, so I’m interested to see what kind of reality check he’ll be serving up this morning. From the looks of this packed ballroom, I’m not the only one.
“Things are nasty out there, and radiologists are in a profound sense
Transcription Costs and Order Storage: Act Now
Ken Davis Jr, JD continued his afternoon presentation on legal topics du jour with the topic of transcription, as addressed in OIG Advisory Opinion 07-19. Some language in the opinion has caused a bit of a controversy—the OIG has said hospitals can require radiologists to pay for their own transcription, and there have been instances of hospitals, physician groups and imaging centers coming to radiology groups and saying they have to make the groups pay for it.
“That is not what the OIG said,” Davis said. “The opinion is limited
“They Said It, But They Didn’t Mean It”: MIPPA, Meaningful Use and Supervision
For my last session today, I decided to attend a presentation on “legal issues that lots of people ask about lately” given by the inimitable Ken Davis Jr, JD, partner with Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP. Davis dove right in with the topics of Medicare payment withholding and MIPPA-mandated accreditation, both kicking in at the end of next year.
As of December 31st, 2011 all Medicare payments will come with 3% withholds—with notable exceptions, including public assistance payments made on basis of need or income or payments to tax-exempt organizations. Yet another competitive advantage for most hospitals. Also coming
Facebook 101 at the Social Marketing Idea Swap
This afternoon’s options for roundtable discussions were plentiful, but one in particular caught my eye right away: the social marketing idea swap, hosted by Kim Longeteig and Ken Davis Jr, JD. Earlier, during Donna Platt’s session, an audience member asked whether Great Basin Imaging engages in social marketing, and Platt’s response was a swift and decisive “no”—they were concerned about the potential exposure to bad press and decided to give the whole concept a wide berth. So how can social media be appropriately and optimally harnessed to the benefit of radiology businesses?
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