Staff News Writer

AMA Affiliated Groups

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Written by members of the AMA Physician Communications team.

Medicare & Medicaid

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3 Min Read

Rule offers meaningful use program changes, but not enough

A final rule published last week by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) implements a proposal giving more options to physicians trying to meet electronic health record (EHR) meaningful use requirements this year.

Claims Processing

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2 Min Read

Will your ICD-10 claims be accepted? CMS designates testing weeks

A year ahead of the Oct. 1, 2015, compliance deadline for implementing the ICD-10 code set, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced three weeks that will be dedicated to helping physicians test whether their claims will be accepted in the Medicare claims processing system.

AMA PRA Credit System

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2 Min Read

5 new topics you should explore for CME credit

New modules added to the AMA Online Learning Center offer an efficient way to explore these issues and earn AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for continuing medical education (CME) requirements.

CPT® Editorial Panel

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2 Min Read

Video: How payment codes help improve hospital readmission rates

Updating code sets so physicians can be paid for new models of care could be a “game-changer” in improving hospital readmission rates, according to one physician at the forefront of these changes.David Ellington, MD, a family physician from Virginia and a member of the CPT® Editorial Panel, explains the process behind code development and how the panel is facilitating innovations in medicine.

Prevention & Wellness

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1 Min Read

Risks of tubing misconnections singled out in new alert

The Joint Commission has issued a new Sentinel Event Alert, “Managing risk during transition to new ISO tubing connector standards,” which addresses the risks of accidental medical tubing misconnections that can cause severe patient injury or death.

Leadership

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6 Min Read

Why I serve: A profile of AMA leaders in medical education

This regular feature appeared in the September 2014 AMA MedEd Update, a monthly medical education newsletter. It profiles a leader in medical education and the AMA. This profile looks at Kenneth B. Simons, MD, Senior associate dean for graduate medical education and accreditation, Medical College of Wisconsin.

Population Health

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1 Min Read

LGBT patients more likely to be uninsured, lack personal doctor

Americans who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) are more likely to report that they lack health insurance, according to a recent Gallup poll.

Medicare & Medicaid

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4 Min Read

Physicians call for changes to Medicare payment policy proposals

New proposed rules from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) would impact many aspects of physician payment and federal regulatory programs, but many of these changes are not for the better. In a letter sent last week, the AMA urged the agency to make revisions to avoid negative effects on physicians and patients.