Orly Avitzur, MD, MBA

Everyone is talking about the decline in reimbursements and the increase in overhead costs. While most practices are faltering, some are quite successful--that is, they are economically thriving. So what makes the difference?

P4P, pay-for-performance, tiered networks, insurance

Internet, Web sites, Practice management

software,coding,reimbursement,billing,practicemanagement,electronicmedicalrecord

When Gordon R. Kelley, MD, was called to the ICU in Kansas City, Mo, to evaluate a deteriorating patient who had apparently overdosed on methadone, he was puzzled. CT and MRI scans revealed an obstructive hydrocephalus associated with abnormal signals throughout the cerebellum, basal ganglia, and hippocampi. He knew that these findings were not consistent with a typical cerebrovascular injury, but he and other treating physicians were unsure of the cause of the findings. Reaching for his handheld computer, he entered several key words into his favorite program, NERVLINE: cerebellum . . . heroin . . . leukoencephalopathy