Practice Management

This article will discuss obstacles that urologists typically must address when implementing telemedicine into their practice.

Written policies should address scheduling guidelines and appointment cancellations, advises Robert A. Dowling, MD.

"If your life insurance needs are temporary, then term insurance is likely the most appropriate vehicle," writes Jeff Witz, CFP.

"The much-anticipated proposed rule for the Medicare physician fee schedule was finally released on July 29, 2019. The bottom-line impact to urology for 2020-based changes to relative value units is a projected +1% additionally," write the Painters.

"One is the delay in delivering care. If I order surgery that requires prior authorization, it won’t always come through in a timely manner, and that impacts patients’ quality of life," says one urologist.

"Patient access to health information-whether it resides in a medical record, a lab company’s system, or an insurance company records-is a right firmly protected by federal laws and regulations," writes Robert A. Dowling, MD.

Trusts provide management of assets while minimizing probate expenses, according to Jeff Witz, CFP.

"Respecting what we believe is the intention of the CPT description, if the hernia repair is incidental, we will recommend not coding for the hernia repair," write the Painters.

Detailed consent statements are recommended, even for repeated treatments.

Cass Schaedig, vice president of provider analytics, ION Solutions for AmerisourceBergen, talks with Urology Times about the value of benchmarking in patient care, practice management, and health policy.

Ray Painter, MD, and Mark Painter answer a coding question regarding postvoid residual measurement.

The average industry payment to a urologist saw a decline in 2018 compared with the previous year.

"We start by having a discussion with patients and letting them know about available resources, but that they have to accept some responsibility themselves," says one urologist.

"It should be noted that payer policies and payment for assistant at surgery will vary if you are paid as primary surgeon during the same encounter," write Ray Painter, MD, and Mark Painter.

Work out decisions on combined accounts and long-term goals before the big day, advises Jeff Witz, CFP.

Robert A. Dowling, MD, discusses how the National Practitioner Data Bank can inform urologists about the prevalence and type of medical malpractice payments and adverse actions against health care providers in the U.S.

In this article, Robert A. Dowling, MD, discusses Part D drug spending that may be of interest to the practicing urologist: those drugs prescribed, and in some cases, dispensed in the urology practice.

Procrastination and lack of an investment strategy can jeopardize long-term success.

In this article, Ray Painter, MD, and Mark Painter share with you steps you can take to increase your income, and, at the same time, significantly decrease the chances of take-backs.

"It is important you find individuals you trust who have the expertise to assist you," Jeff Witz, CFP, advises.

In this article, Robert A. Dowling, MD, takes a look at Part B drug spending that may be of interest to the practicing urologist.

Few physicians will argue that prior authorization is an administrative headache. Now, however, there are mounting data showing that prior authorization does more harm than good.

Ownership has advantages, but debt levels and contracts are considerations, according to Jeff Witz, CFP.

"In this article, we attempt to provide a way for a practice to consider the question, 'Does this new technology make sense for my practice?' " write Ray Painter, MD, and Mark Painter.

David J. Zetter, Jonathan Rubenstein, MD, and Mark Painter share their advice.

Urology practices are among the health care entities accused of violating the False Claims Act in recent years. And they’ve paid the price.

"When markets are down significantly, investors commonly feel a sense of panic or fear they are losing everything they have accumulated," writes Jeff Witz, CFP.

Experts say private equity can mean big benefits to large urology groups and solo urologists alike. But the real impact of these partnerships on urologists, their patients, and health care in general remains unknown.

In this interview, Jim Kovarik, PA-C, discusses the role of advanced-practice providers in a urology practice, how they are trained, and what procedures they can and should perform.

As you prepare your 2018 taxes, here some big changes from the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act you should pay attention to.