cover story one
CMS Reimbursement Cuts
Congress wants your money
BY Christopher Crancer and Zachary Brunnert
Like the plot of Groundhog Day replaying itself year after year, physicians once again need to rally together to convince Congress and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that cuts, in some cases exceeding 9.75% to Medicare reimbursement, are not beneficial, particularly at a time when so much is asked of our health care system. For some provider types, 9.75% is the tip of the iceberg: the newest Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS), coupled with the expiration of previous Congressional relief, is set to slash payments to radiology providers by 11.75, and in some cases, nearly 20%.
cover story two
Care Transitions: Identifying & Reducing Risks
BY ROBERT HANSCOM, JD; MARYANN SMALL, MBA; ANN FIALA, RN, BSN, CPHRM, CHC, CHPC; PATRICIA BENNETT, RN; BARBARA RICCI, BS AIC
Health care in the United States is incredibly complex and fragmented. Patients are often assessed, treated and monitored by multiple clinicians in multiple facilities which can result in a rushed and complicated episode of care that includes many players and interactions.
Behavioral Health
Accessing mental health care: Reasons people don’t seek help
BY TODD ARCHBOLD, LSW, MBA
Studies consistently show nearly one out of five people will experience diagnosable symptoms of a mental illness in their lifetime, and less than half of them will ever seek the treatment they need.
interview
Improving Early Detection and Intervention
Michael Georgieff, MD
Co-director of Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain
healthcare facility design
Engineering in Health Care Facility Design: Understanding an important role
BY Brent Wavra, PE – Mechanical Engineer
To help understand engineering in health care, it’s helpful to compare it to the human body. Each health care facility has a skeletal system which is the building structure, internal organs are like the mechanical / plumbing system, nervous system is comparable to the electrical / IT systems, and think of the skin as the walls that hold it all inside.
