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The article discusses the benefits of integrating behavioral health services into primary care practices, highlighting the financial, clinical, and equity advantages associated with this approach. It explores the challenges faced in implementing such integration, including shortages of mental health professionals, financial constraints, and the need for policy support, while emphasizing the potential impact on patient care and healthcare delivery.

The article explores although it's been 30 years, pediatrician Maria Chandler, M.D., MBA, can still recall when she realized she needed to learn about the business of medicine. Soon after landing her first job, with TCC Family Health in Long Beach, California, she told the clinic's CEO she wanted to gain some administrative experience. The CEO responded by asking Chandler to attend some committee meetings of the hospital with which the clinic was affiliated.

The article offers information on the challenges faced by the health care services due to the Covid-19 pandemic in the U.S. It mentions that how pandemic has postponed the needed care, as well as jeopardizing the future of many medical practices, especially those in primary care. It discusses that increased use of telehealth amid the pandemic.

The article offers information on ancillary services for improving health care and generate additional revenue. Topics include reducing the overall cast of patient care while maintaining or improving o outcomes; offering of ancillary services with lab services and electrocardiogram; and views of Nick Fabrizio, principal at the Medical Group Management Association on providing a high level of medical care for patients.

The article discusses the challenges facing physicians in view of knowledge empowerment of patients. It notes that patients are aware of their medical care, insurance co-pays, what is involved in procedures,and what is involved in rehabilitation after procedures. It adds that growing numbers of patients are also using the Internet to research and comment on the quality of individual doctors, practices and hospitals.

The article presents an interview with the Richard Roberts, Professor Emeritus of public health, Family Health at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine on the public health challenges faced by the Covid-19 pandemic in the U.S. It discusses the efforts of the public health officials and physicians in controlling the spread of Covid-19 pandemic.

The article discusses the increasing number of physicians in the U.S. who have feelings of burnout which is evidence of major issues in the country's healthcare system. The experience of pediatrician Karen Ailsworth of having symptoms of burnout is examined which include anger at patients. Also tackled are the need for employeers to do more for physicians aside from offering wellness classes, the role of electronic health records in burnout, and ways for physicians to manage burnout.

The article reports on medical practice management. Topics discussed include the author's views on how to defeat physician burnout; how it is possible for doctors to enjoy their work; how doctors in independent practice can carve out more time for patients; and barriers to finding, or rediscovering, joy in medicine. INSET: ACP TRIES PEER COUNSELING TO REDUCE BURNOUT.

The article focuses on the mixed results of the use of patient portals in medical care in the U.S. Topics discussed include an overview of patient portals, the wary response of older patients to this technology on their health records, and the low percentage of its usage among patients in high-poverty or in rural areas.

The article provides information on challenges that could be faced by physicians in 2018 including Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA). Topics discussed include keeping dedication for medicine, demand for time in data entry of electronic health records, and interference of third party in patient care.

The article discusses the development of Merit-based Incentive Payment Systems (MIPS) which is a payment program of Medicare that covers most small and solo medical practices that took effect in 2017. It mentions that the MIPS was created as part of the Medicare Access and CHIP Renewal Act of 2015. It notes the importance of doctor-patient communication in improving quality metrics.

An interview with Republican Congressman Phil Roe is presented. When asked about healthcare-related issues, he refers to the efforts that his organization, Doctors Caucus is making to deal with them. He also mentions about the issue of high drug prices in the U.S., and discusses Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) of 2015.

The article reports on the planned changes by 2016 President Donald Trump in the healthcare system in the country. Topics mentioned include the insights of Russell Libby, board member of the doctors' advocacy group The Physicians Foundation, on the plan by Trump to replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), a health insurance in the country, the medical care management in the country, and the proper implementation of health insurance law.

The article discusses findings of a survey on use of electronic health records (EHRs) by U.S. physicians, as of October 2016. It states that despite prevalence of dissatisfaction over EHRs, a significant percentage of respondents showed willing to change their EHRs system, and mentions comments from Pat Wise of information systems for the Healthcare Information Management Systems Society regarding the same. It notes data transfer as a major challenge in changing EHRs.

The article explores the health care reimbursement and payment changes and the potential hurdles to patient health management that primary care physicians face in 2015. Topics discussed are the opportunities and challenges for physicians in the areas of chronic care management, telemedicine, codes of practice, PQRS program, Medicaid, Medicare Shared Savings Program, private insurer payment, and the sustainable growth rate (SGR) for Medicare provider payment.

The article examines direct pay models as an alternative to the U.S. traditional practice models of fee-for-service medicine provided by health insurance. Topics discussed include many primary care physicians exploring direct pay models as a way to promote better care for patients and obtain mode satisfaction from practice medicine. Also mentioned are the benefits and challenges of direct pay models, as well as several success stories, such as the Izbicki Family Medical and Access Healthcare.

The article discusses the challenges confronted by primary care physicians (PCP) in the U.S. in convincing men to seek medical treatment as of June 2014. Also cited are the study "'Macho Men' and Preventive Health Care" published in a 2011 issue of "Journal of Health and Social Behavior," the comment by internist William Silverman on the issue, and the usual reasons why men visit their PCPs, like due to chronic conditions that are not gender-specific like diabetes. INSET: THE ROLE OF Sports medicine.

The article discusses the impact of the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 on the U.S. healthcare system. Topics covered include the benefits of the bill to doctors, the repeal of the Sustainable Growth Formula (SGF) used in calculating Medicare reimbursements and the replacement of uncertainty regarding Medicare payments. Also mentioned is the pressure facing independent practices in joining health systems or an independent physician association.

The article discusses the increasing importance of a team-based care approach in models for health care delivery in the U.S. It mentions the characterization of team-based care as being proactive and ongoing, enabling providers to practice at the top of their license. Functions of a comprehensive electronic health (EHR) record system in a team-based practice are described. Tips for overcoming patient resistance are also considered.

The article reports on the benefits of treating obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) among primary care physicians (PCPs) in the U.S. It mentions its representation of an opportunity to add income stream and ameliorate life quality for most patients. It also notes that the said disorder has been associated to hypertension and diabetes.

The article discusses strategies to select appropriate evaluation and management (E/M) services for documenting patient care. Jeannine Z.P. Engel, physician adviser to the healthcare compliance office for the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, suggests to consider patients' status, level of physical examination and medical decision-making and appropriate Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code for the care while documenting and coding a patient E/M service.

The article offers information the omnibus rule released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to improve the privacy, security and breach notification, that governs the patient health information in U.S. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). The violators of the privacy and security rules will be fined with 1.5 million dollars in a year. It mentions that the medical practices are urged to update the notice-of-privacy policies (NPPs). INSETS: Encrypting your patients' health information;More HIPAA guidance coming;HIPAA rule violation categories and penalty amount.

The article explores how to maximize revenue associated with the U.S. federal government's drive to reduce rehospitalizations. It informs about current procedural terminology (CPT) codes, 99495 and 99496, of the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. It states the significance of immediate post-discharge follow-up to reduce the number and severity of mistakes that attribute to patient rehospitalization.

The article reports that big changes are coming in the private healthcare insurance market in the U.S. It mentions that primary care physicians (PCPs) should be prepared for payers to take harder bargains when it comes to reimbursement rates as a result of the changes. It notes that in PCPs need to find alternatives to the traditional fee-for-service method of reimbursing physicians in order to achieve improved quality of care and patient outcomes. INSET: BILLIONS WASTED: on incentive payments that fail to motivate....

The article discusses the objection of the a coalition of physician groups of the implementation of the U.S. government of the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10). According to physician organizations and societies, the implementation of ICD-10 clinical management (CM) may result in many practices to go out of business. Furthermore, they believe that most practices will use only a small fraction of the ICD-10-CM code sets.

In this article the author focuses on the health care issues and changes in the medical business in 2013. The author further presents 10 medical issues predict by the members of the periodical including the Affordable Care Act, Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH), the Physician Payment Sunshine Act.

The article offers information on the ancillary service in medical care in the U.S. It states that the regional primary care providers (PCPs) have been expanding their ancillary services due to declining reimbursements, rising costs and growing patient demand. It mentions that the services have become a huge source of making business and increasing profitability by the medical personnel.

The article reports on the communication bridge between primary care physicians (PCPs) and specialists. It mentions the American healthcare system uses communication technology electronic health record (EHR) system that is invented in 1842. Further it mentions the aging infrastructure has contributed to communication gaffes and miscues between specialists, PCPs, and pharmacists, which leads to unnecessary testing and increasing rates of medication.

The article discusses the medical method approach to weight loss in the U.S. Nicola Grun of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians (ASBP) states that they had been noticing an increase in the number of its members offering weight loss services as an auxiliary to their existing practices. A different approach was used by physician Joyce Scott through a representation of a dinner plate on which she has hand-drawn pictures of the major food groups to how much of each a person should eat.

The article presents the author's view on the impact of the new U.S. healthcare reform to physicians' practice and the services they provide to patients. He is critical on the coverage that reform legislation will provide to uninsured Americans in which greater demand for primary care services is needed due to the expected increase in patient volumes. He further explains that legislation also aims to increase the supply of primary care physicians in response to their predicted shortfall by 2025.

The article focuses on the issue about the use of oral oncology drugs, like temozolomide and erlotinib, in the U.S. Pharmacist Paul Lofholm, who operates a 2500-square-foot pharmacy in Marin County, California, says that these drugs can only be dispensed with dexamethasone and when the patient has had methotrexate administered in the oncologist's office. Moreover, community and retail pharmacies may find difficult in obtaining these drugs because they are under limited distribution and the packing of these drugs also presents a challenge.

The author shares her experience of researching about her own medical complications and collaborating with doctors using the information collected by her for getting treatment.

The article presents insights regarding the changes to accountable care organizations (ACOs) in the U.S. Topics include the Pathways to Success rule by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), distinction between low revenue and high revenue ACOs, and comments from National Association of Accountable Care Organizations chief executive officer (CEO) and president Clif Gaus.

The article discusses the highlights of 2013 Medical Innovation Summit in Cleveland, Ohio, which was held on October 14-16, 2013. It was clear that changing patient care using technology was on the minds of the thought leaders who lectured at the 3-day event with diabetes and obesity at the center of the summit.

The article discusses some of the provisions that will influence every U.S. physician in 2014 and beyond. Health insurance premium and cost-sharing subsidies offers tax credits and cost sharing subsidies to qualified people. An essential health benefits package outlines services that limits annual cost-sharing to Health Savings Accounts. Multi-state health plans requires the U.S .Office of Personnel Management to contract with insurance firms to give at least two multi-state plans per exchange.

The article focuses on a finding by Medical Economics EHR Best Practices Study participant M. Louis van de Beek that a physician should not turn back after being committed to using an electronic health record (EHR) system. According to van de Beek, in-person instruction on using an EHR is far more effective.

The article looks at alternative payment models to the fee-for-service scheme that lead to changes in medical practice operations of physicians. Topics covered include bundled payments and episode-based schemes, pay-for-performance, medical homes and accountable care organizations (ACOs) resulting to the development of team-ups in care management. Also mentioned are practice mergers with hospital systems, options for access to care and electronic health record (EHR) system upgrades.

The article discusses a study challenging the conventional belief that the costs of converting to the International Classification of Diseases-10th (ICD-10) revision code set will be prohibitive for small medical practices, referencing a research published in the November 2014 issue of the "Journal of the American Health Information Management Association" (AHIMA). Topics discussed include a comparison of the AHIMA study with the American Medical Association study on ICD-10 conversion cost.

The article presents the study published online by "Health Care Research and Review" journal as of late September 2014, which showed that positive patient experience is linked to quality measure improvements in U.S. hospitals. Also cited are the data from the Consumer Assessments of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) and the comment by study lead author Rebecca Anhang on the topics.

The article presents the study made at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts and its affiliated ambulatory clinics as of June 2014, which showed that the meaningful use of electronic health records (EHR) failed to improve quality of medical care. The study was focused on five chronic conditions, including asthma, coronary artery disease, and diabetes mellitus.

The article discusses how physician performance is linked to patient outcomes under the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) of Medicare in the U.S., which will offer incentives and penalties to physicians starting 2015.

The article discusses the changes to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in the U.S., effective September 23, 2013. Compliance requirements for medical practices include performing an analysis of electronic protected health information's (PHI) vulnerability to loss or theft, encryption of patient PHI and reviewing PHI policies and procedures. Patients are allowed to forbid disclosure of information about a test or treatment under the new regulations.

An introduction to the article is presented in which the editors discuss various reports including revisions of the U.S. Affordable Care Act (ACA), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPPA) and the International Classification of Diseases (ICD).