Healthcare Financial News

In new opinion research of medical group practice management professionals, members sounded off to the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) about managing a variety of challenges while safeguarding their practices’ financial solvency.

According to the MGMA research, the major challenges of running a group practice include maintaining physician compensation in an environment of declining reimbursement, dealing with operating costs that are rising more rapidly than revenue, selecting and implementing a new electronic health record system, recruiting physicians, and managing finances with the uncertainty of Medicare reimbursement rates.

Conducted online in March 2008, the survey asked members who manage medical group practices to rate their level of challenge on 34 practice and professional issues and invited them to write comments as well. MGMA received 1,393 responses (a 12 percent response rate) and more than 500 written comments. The research is published in the July 2008 issue of MGMA Connexion magazine. Read the report.

The Office of National Drug Control Policy announced on July 2 that 10 states have activated new substance abuse prevention and treatment health codes for screening and brief intervention (SBI) of Medicaid-eligible patients. Those states will reimburse physicians and affiliated medical professionals who screen their Medicaid-eligible patients for a spectrum of substance use behaviors and disorders.

Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington, have activated American Medical Association Common Procedural Terminology codes or Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System codes for screening and brief intervention; Wisconsin is conducting screening and brief intervention as part of a comprehensive package of health services for pregnant women. Access the SBI web page.