APMA News Brief

Increase in doctors' pay for Medicaid services off to a slow start

23 May 2013 14:20:28 CDT

The Obama administration's strategy of enticing more primary care doctors to treat the poor by raising Medicaid reimbursement rates is off to a slow start. Only a handful of states, including Maryland, have begun paying doctors at the higher rates, which average a 73 percent increase nationally.

Editor's note: See APMA's Medicaid resources at APMA.org.

The 4 'hanging Chads' of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

23 May 2013 14:20:28 CDT

The United States is more than three years into the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, but there are still a great deal of questions left unanswered. Next year, 2014, is where many of the unanswered answers reside, especially in regard to health insurance exchanges, bundled payment demonstrations, accountable care organization results and consolidation aftereffects.

Digital medical-record use continues to rise

23 May 2013 14:20:28 CDT

The switch from paper to electronic medical records is at a tipping point, the federal government said recently, as half the nation's doctors and 80 percent of its hospitals have made the change. The adoption of digital records has been pushed by the Obama Administration with $14 billion in incentives from the 2009 stimulus and promises to increase patient safety and reduce costs.

Editor's note: Review APMA's EHR resources for more information on purchasing an EHR system.

Study: Kansas City, Mo., hospitals' procedure fees 'don't seem to make sense'

23 May 2013 14:20:28 CDT

What's the cost of chest pain in Kansas City, Mo.? That depends on your hospital—and it could vary by nearly $30,000. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently revealed a long-guarded secret: How much hospitals charge patients for services.

Editor's note: Take advantage of APMA's Medicare resources at APMA.org.

Advancing reform: Medicare physicians payments

23 May 2013 14:20:28 CDT

Kavita Patel, MD, managing director for clinical transformation and delivery at the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform at Brookings Institution writes, "Currently, Medicare pays physicians primarily by a fee-for-service schedule that is informed by relative value units. Relative value units are determined from the Resource Based Relative Value Scale which defines the value of a service through a calculation of physician work, practice expense and practice liability."

CPT code concerns raise issues for diagnostics industry

23 May 2013 14:20:28 CDT

With the plummeting cost of next-generation sequencing expanding the range of clinical genomics tests being offered by diagnostics companies and medical centers, a looming problem lies in reimbursement.

Editor's note: See APMA's coding resources at APMA.org.

Affordable Care Act panel stresses compliance

23 May 2013 14:20:28 CDT

Even experts call the Affordable Care Act everything from complicated to a "nightmare" for small businesses. Scary or not, though, there is this one key piece of advice: Make sure you comply. That was the main point heard recently from a small-business panel discussing the Affordable Care Act's impact on small business.

Editor's note: Visit APMA's healthcare reform page for more resources and information on how the ACA will affect the profession.

Researcher: Discovery could lead to faster, fuller healing of diabetic wounds

23 May 2013 14:20:28 CDT

Injecting a plasma protein called plasminogen around chronic diabetic wounds can lead to complete healing, according to new research from Umea University in Sweden. Doctoral student Yue Shen undertook the plasminogen study for his thesis. Plasminogen stimulates inflammation that promotes wound healing, and the substance was lacking in chronic wounds in diabetic mice, Shen discovered. By injecting plasminogen at the wound site, he was able to trigger the inflammatory response and significantly increase the rate of healing.

Study: High heels aren't to blame for your big ol' bunions

23 May 2013 14:20:28 CDT

Don't blame high heels for your bunions, ladies. That unsightly big-toe bone bulge is not the fault of your fancy footwear, as has been suggested, but of your forebears, a new foot study asserts. "Bunions and lesser toe deformities are highly inheritable in Caucasian men and women of European descent," study author Dr. Marian Hannan concludes.

Editor's note: Share APMA's bunion information with your patients.

Should you switch running shoes?

23 May 2013 14:20:28 CDT

Think twice before switching your sneaks. Changing to less cushioned running shoes could cause you to overexert certain parts of your legs and feet, says a new study in the Annals of Biomedical Engineering. In an analysis of 19 runners, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse found that those who landed on their forefoot experienced 11 percent more force on their Achilles each step compared to those who landed on their heel.

Editor's note: See APMA's position statement on barefoot running.

FYI: Do I really need my pinky toe?

23 May 2013 14:20:28 CDT

Walking, running and skipping with just four toes may be easier than you think. "If you're born without a pinky toe or have an accident and it's removed, you can completely do everything you wanted to do," Dr. Anne Holly Johnson, instructor in orthopaedic surgery at Harvard Medical School, says. So why do we have pinky toes?

'Stiletto surgery:' Too extreme?

23 May 2013 14:20:28 CDT

Nearly nine out of 10 women suffer from foot pain and blisters due to uncomfortable or poorly-fitted shoes, according to the American Podiatric Medical Association. Podiatrists say high heels are the biggest culprit, which are typically four to six inches in height.

Editor's note: Read APMA's position statement on cosmetic foot surgery.

Feet don't fail me now

23 May 2013 14:20:28 CDT

If you think of the body as a structure, the feet are the foundation on which everything else rests. Pounds of force are placed upon the feet with every step we take. The delicate bones, tendons and tissues usually bear this load cheerfully enough, but the condition of your feet can provide clues to overall health and affect the condition of the rest of the musculoskeletal system.