Practice Management

Ben H. Chew, MD, MSc, FRCSC, and Naeem Bhojani, MD, FRCSC, on Urology Times' recent survey of reusable vs disposable cystoscopes.

“We found that two-thirds or female respondents did not know their dosimeter doses during pregnancy,” says Jessica L. Wenzel, MD, MPH.

Urology Times’ exclusive survey reveals urologists/advanced practice providers’ thoughts on reusable vs disposable cystoscopes.

“We also saw differences in the average pay per weekday of hospital call; 32% of men reporting receiving over $500 per day [of] weekend hospital call, but only 18% of women reporting the same,” says Andrew M. Harris, MD.

"We aim to provide the best quality care we can at the locations closest to our patients," says Edward M. Schaeffer, MD, PhD.

The bill has a mass of legislative supporters – at least 41 senators and 127 representatives, along with more than 370 organizations representing patients, physicians, hospitals and Medicare Advantage plans.

"In 2015, we had 3 employed urologists in our health network. Now, we have 19 employed urologists in our health network," says Edward M. Schaeffer, MD, PhD.

"As the markets continue to push record highs, staying disciplined in your investment strategy, removing emotion from your decision-making, and sticking to an appropriate investment allocation will be vital to navigating market swings," writes Jeff Witz, CFP.

"We have a nice organizational framework for us to really provide effective care that really feels the same throughout the different regions," says Edward M. Schaeffer, MD, PhD.

“It's one thing to recruit diverse talent, but it's really another thing to retain it,” says Alexandra Tabakin, MD.

"Ultimately, it is best to report CPT 50548 (only) for the performance of a typical laparoscopic nephroureterectomy," write Jonathan Rubenstein, MD, and Mark Painter.

"Although the Medicare physician fee schedule, which is typically the primary focus of many of our discussions, is what is used to determine physician payment for a service, payment for an ASC is governed by separate rules," write Jonathan Rubenstein, MD, and Mark Painter.

The request comes amid growing concerns about the rule’s implications for businesses and employees nationwide.

"Holistic review is a way to assess an applicant's candidacy for residency by looking at lived experiences and personal attributes in addition to traditional metrics, like Step 1 scores, AOA, and number of research publications," says Alexandra Tabakin, MD.

“Variation is the enemy of quality. The more streamlined we can do these things and include APPs in the teachings of procedures and understanding different subspecialties of prostate cancer, I think it would be helpful,” says Joy Maulik, CRNP

"It's really critical to recruit and retain diverse talent in urology to improve patient care and our health care system overall," says Alexandra Tabakin, MD.

Some Ascension hospitals continue to divert ambulances to other facilities for emergency treatment, but some of the system’s hospitals are accepting all patients.

Urologist Alex Shteynshlyuger, MD, and others have argued that insurance companies should compensate physicians and their staff for the time spent compiling patient records for payers to review before authorizing treatments.

"In general, risk is related to return: the higher the risk, the higher the potential return; the lower the risk, the lower the potential return," writes Jeff Witz, CFP.

In the world of health care, factors such as remote care, complex IT environments, and connected health care devices are creating new avenues for cybercriminals to target.

"We felt that it was important to again address this topic because we have received numerous questions regarding the correct use of this code and we have had some experience using the code now that it is active and been able to observe some of the initial payment processing by the payer," write Jonathan Rubenstein, MD, and Mark Painter.

"There are opportunities for doctors to become more productive, to see more patients, and to avoid the erosion of their incomes," writes Neil Baum, MD.

"To answer this question, one must know what is and is not included in the global payment for the UDS, and the definition and instructions for appropriate use of modifier 25," write Jonathan Rubenstein, MD, and Mark Painter.

"At a time when patients are increasingly concerned about prescription drugs, this information will provide a useful starting point for making essential medications as affordable as possible," says Ruchika Talwar, MD.

"We can also look at the timing of exposure to urology. Does early exposure spark interest in urology, or does delayed introduction to the field hinder the consideration of the specialty?" says Ashley Appleton.

"At the medical student level, we can provide early exposure to urology to make sure that these students feel properly equipped to apply to urology when that time comes and get adequate exposure to the field," says Ashley Appleton.

"We found that in order to reach racial and ethnic parity in the urology residency graduates, there needs to be an increase of these graduates by 0.845% per year," says Ashley Appleton.

"Use code 51702 for the routine insertion of an indwelling bladder catheter, such as a Foley," write Jonathan Rubenstein, MD, and Mark Painter.

"In the moment, I think it's important to take a deep breath and try not to just be reactive," says Anne M. Suskind, MD, MS, FACS, FPMRS.

"At age 73, you must start taking distributions from the account in the form of required minimum distributions (RMDs), which are typically taxable. This means you must include the RMD in your income and pay income tax on the distributed amount," writes Jeff Witz, CFP.