by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Jul 12, 2018 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care, Quality Payment Program
CMS has released the final scores and payment adjustment determinations based on the data you submitted to the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). I will be blogging about my report soon. Since it’s likely that you are among the 91% of clinicians who...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Jul 11, 2018 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care
On June 20, 2018 the Department of Justice tweeted that Healogics has agreed to pay up to $22.51 million to settle False Claims act liability for Improper billing of Hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Healogics Agrees to Pay Up to $22.51 Million to Settle False Claims Act...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Jul 9, 2018 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care, Quality Payment Program
I’m going to review the latest info on the 2019 MIPS payment adjustments that will be based on your 2017 MIPS scores. You only needed 3 points to keep from losing any of your Medicare part B payments- which was successfully reporting ONE quality measure or one...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Jul 5, 2018 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care
Right now Houston is like living inside a dog’s mouth. It’s 98°F and 98% humidity. Dressings over IV antibiotics and the drape for NPWT are a nightmare. Using aluminum chloride products on the skin to reduce sweating can make all the difference. This dressing...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Jun 22, 2018 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care, Quality Payment Program
Nearly 200 years ago, the brilliant French historian Alexis de Tocqueville traveled the fledgling United States and observed that in lieu of hereditary wealth and aristocracy, we were building a society on individualism, market capitalism, and honoring the...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Jun 22, 2018 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care
Emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and a diminishing sense of accomplishment = Burnout. It’s a silent epidemic among physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals. It’s not enough that the lives of patients are at stake. Workloads are mounting,...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Jun 20, 2018 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care
The American Medical Association (AMA) released a survey in March documenting the growing negative effects of payer prior authorization demands and the impact they have on patient health and physician time. According to the survey of 1,000 physicians, which was...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Jun 18, 2018 | Don't Miss This, Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care
This is a man in his 80’s whose dementia can’t conceal his sweet personality. He has diabetes and relapsing Polychondritis. After he suffered a spiral fracture of the femur due to Myelodysplastic Syndrome, both his surgical incisions broke down a week after surgery. I...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Jun 15, 2018 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care
I just saw the Free Style Libre for the first time. The FreeStyle Libre system is a continuous glucose monitoring system consisting of a small handheld reader and a sensor that is worn on the back of the upper arm. The sensor uses a thin, flexible filament inserted...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Jun 13, 2018 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care
For the first time in the history of this country, life expectancy is on the decline, particularly among White males. There’s a lot of despair. I’ve been enjoying listening to Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos. Check it out – I’ll talk...
