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2 Min Read

1 in 3 California hospitalizations stem from diabetes: Study

Patients with diabetes account for one in three hospitalizations in California, according to a new study on diabetes prevalence in the state. The study highlights the impact the disease is having on health care costs.

Chronic Diseases
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2 Min Read

What the future holds for integrated care

Moving health care toward greater integration soon will be crucial for improving costs, quality and access to care, Mayo Clinic Health System CEO Robert Nesse, MD, told physicians earlier this month during the 2014 AMA Annual Meeting.

Payment & Delivery Models
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3 Min Read

How care delivery and payment reform really works

Physician innovators and leaders shared their real-world payment reform experiences during a Monday education session presented by members of the AMA Innovators Committee during the 2014 AMA Annual Meeting.

Payment & Delivery Models
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2 Min Read

Pew got it wrong on advance care planning

There has been a lot of misinformation about advance care planning over the years. The latest in false reporting on this issue is told by Stateline, a news website run by the Pew Charitable Trusts. In an article that appeared this week about possible federal payment policy for advance care planning,

Medicare & Medicaid
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1 Min Read

New care model focuses on patients at risk of hospitalization

A new model of care delivery aimed at improving care for patients most at risk of being hospitalized is being assessed by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation based on its costs and outcomes. Called the Comprehensive Care Physician model, this care delivery system is intended to give at-risk patients access to a physician who will care for them in both the inpatient and outpatient settings.

Payment & Delivery Models
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3 Min Read

Don't proceed with eRx and PQRS audits, AMA tells CMS

Following a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announcement of a proposal to conduct audits of physicians and other eligible professionals who received incentive payments under the Medicare Physician Quality Reporting System and ePrescribing programs, the AMA called on the agency to abandon its plans because of numerous implementation problems.

Medicare & Medicaid
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1 Min Read

Model tests comprehensive care physicians and high-risk patients

A new idea being tested at the University of Chicago is targeting high-risk patients with comprehensive care physicians. Physicians are assigned patients identified as being at high risk for hospitalization and follow them through inpatient, outpatient and home care settings

Payment & Delivery Models
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2 Min Read

Multi-hospital systems may now have one integrated medical staff

A multi-hospital system can now have a single integrated medical staff, rather than requiring a separate medical staff at each hospital, under a final rule (AMA login required) issued last week by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Payment & Delivery Models
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3 Min Read

3 things physicians can do to avoid high virtual credit card fees

If your practice accepts virtual credit card payments from health plans, you may be losing a significant amount of your contractual payments to high interchange fees. Fortunately, there are three steps you can take to make sure you aren’t paying unnecessary charges.

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