The Journal of medical practice management : MPM
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Traditionally, the operating room (OR) in an academic medical center has faced numerous challenges to effective clinical productivity, including additional missions of teaching and research. Level 1 trauma poses more challenges related to the need for additional specialized personnel in anesthesia, surgery, and nursing. The present investigation explores lessons learned in efficiency, teamwork, and data evaluation at a level 1 academic teaching facility. ⋯ These results are remarkable in comparison to the greater-than 20% cancellation rate recorded in 2005 when the current OR leadership team first assessed OR efficiency. An increase in the number of cases completed per month likely can be attributed to a reduction in the number of case cancellations. Increased efficiency allows for more operations to be performed, leading to increased profitability and an increased ability of hospitals to continue caring for patients. We advocate the implementation of a comprehensive multidisciplinary strategy for sustained improvement in OR efficiency and utilization.
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This article is the first of a three-part series that discusses the steps toward a successful retirement. This part reviews Social Security benefits, provides suggestions for selecting the timing for accepting Social Security benefits, and offers an explanation of individual retirement accounts. The article also acts as a checklist for retirement.
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A medical practice team without trust isn't really a team; it's just a group of individuals who work together in a medical practice, often making disappointing progress. This is true no matter how capable or talented the individuals are. Your staff may never reach its full potential if trust is not present. ⋯ It suggests a trust-building screening question to include in job interviews to determine if applicants have a high capacity for trust. It also describes Reina and Reina's "Three C's of Trust," a model that practice managers may find useful as they develop trust competencies in their staffs. This article also includes 10 inspiring quotes that will help medical practice employees build trust and five easy-to-facilitate trust-building exercises that managers can use with the medical practice team.
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Medicare's fee-for-service (FFS) payment model may contribute to unsustainable spending growth. Payers are turning to alternative payment methods. ⋯ The CMS's Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation developed four models of bundled payments and 48 discrete clinical condition episodes. Many surgical care procedures are included in the 48 different clinical condition episodes.
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The Medicare Shared Savings Program introduced Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) as one potential method for meeting the often-cited triple aim of better individual care, improved population health, and lower cost. Built on concepts originating from HMOs and then Medicare Advantage plans, ACOs provide incentives based on total cost of care rather than any individual provider's cost. Early quality and cost results are mixed, and, more importantly, so is physician response. The ACO program still has potential to be a bright spot for the future of healthcare, but until there is widespread physician engagement, achieving the triple aim is likely to remain elusive.