Practice Management

A limited number of outcome measures available to urologists.

Your plan should address the needs of patients, staff, providers, and the business.

“Urology practices that are struggling to achieve payment increases and bonuses under MIPS for 2017 and 2018 may reap some strategic benefits from taking the lead in forming virtual groups in subsequent years,” according to Rick Rutherford, CMPE.

Also watch for new telemedicine codes and positive relative value unit updates.

Also learn about a new stone device, an at-home testosterone enanthate injection, and more.

To help the modern urologist, we list and briefly review the best apps to get urologists at all levels of expertise through their day.

"Health care flexible spending accounts (FSAs) and health savings accounts (HSAs) are great ways to pay for medical, dental, and vision expenses," writes Jeff Witz, CFP.

Charging by time is permissible with appropriate documentation, according to Ray Painter, MD, and Mark Painter.

Take time to review your emergency fund and max out retirement account contributions.

Prostate cancer, BPH, and overactive bladder represent the most spending in the specialty.

Large or small, your ‘call center’ is essential to a good first impression.

Several strategies are available, each with their own pros and cons.

“Our time with patients is very truncated. EMRs actually get in the way of good care. They consume huge amounts of time," says one urologist.

"I'm not opposed to making a profit, and certainly businesses that take the risk to develop new technology should be financially rewarded for bringing that technology to market. But should life-changing technology be limited to those who can pay?" ponders Dr. Rosevear.

In his latest blog post, Rick Rutherford, CMPE, discusses the effects of recent major changes in the method that Medicare reimburses in-office clinical lab services.

Selling a bond prior to maturity may require offering a discount, according to Jeff Witz, CFP.

"If a high percentage of the radicals are billed with urethral suspension, then it is likely to be bundled in the future and it is possible that it will be tagged with an indicator that will not allow unbundling," write Ray Painter, MD, and Mark Painter.

Here’s what to do when a patient disregards medical advice.

“I don’t expect appreciation... But I believe patients do appreciate what we do, and it’s nice to receive thanks," says one urologist.

"In an Ohio medical malpractice claim, the plaintiff must prove by a preponderance of the evidence the existence of a standard of care within the medical community, a breach of that standard of care by the defendants, and proximate cause between the medical negligence and the injury sustained," writes Acacia Brush Perko, Esq.

The popular approach offers ‘hands-off’ investing for retirement, according to Jeff Witz, CFP, and David Zemon.

"If the rule changes proposed by Medicare for 2019 are passed, they may very well change the way you practice," write Ray Painter, MD, and Mark Painter.

Practical strategies are available to help you collaborate, not compete.

Choices include playing the MIPS game or qualifying as an advanced APM.

"At trial, the urology expert testified that the defendant urologist failed to offer the patient alternative treatments before proceeding with the drastic option of removing the testicle," writes Dawn Collins, JD.

“I think the main thing is being able to empathize with your patients-simply because a lot of these patients become patients we end up having a pretty long relationship with," says one urologist.

Advanced-practice providers can report services incident to an MD under a few circumstances.

Urologists can easily miss or disregard these important aspects of contracts, which could come back to haunt them.

Start saving and investing early in order to achieve your financial goals.

"EPCS is now live in all states, available through most EHR vendors, and probably cost effective in your practice," writes Robert A. Dowling, MD.