APMA News Brief

American Podiatric Medical Association

National News
In letters to the administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, physician organizations and other healthcare groups welcomed the agency's intention to reduce administrative burdens on physicians but voiced concern about proposed changes to the payment system for evaluation and management services.

Editor’s note: APMA ACTION ALERT! On July 12, CMS released a proposed rule [CMS-1693-P] that, if finalized, would require podiatrists to use different E/M codes from all other Medicare physicians. The codes would reimburse at a significantly lower rate. There is still time to write to CMS and oppose the discriminatory proposed rule if you have not already done so. Read APMA’s coverage of this topic here and here.

Visit https://www.healthcaredive.com/news/hundreds-of-groups-raise-concerns-about-em-payment-proposal/531195/ to view the full article online.

 
The Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General has released a request for information regarding the federal Anti-Kickback Statute.

Editor’s note: Learn how the HHS Office of Inspector General investigates and prosecutes health-care fraud, waste, and abuse in Medicare, Medicaid, and other HHS programs in APMA’s compliance materials section.

Visit https://www.natlawreview.com/article/oig-seeks-comments-anti-kickback-statute-and-beneficiary-inducements-part-its to view the full article online.

 
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Several physician groups and others have weighed in following the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' recent request for information regarding the Stark Law on physician self-referral.

Editor’s note: APMA submitted comments to CMS addressing CMS’s Request for Information (RFI) Regarding the Physician Self-Referral Law on August 24. Read APMA’s summary of the comments.

Visit https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/practices/groups-back-stark-law-changes-value-based-models-amga-american-hospital-associaition to view the full article online.

 
According to a new report, employee appreciation programs can have a big impact when it comes to retaining practice staff.

Visit https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/workforce/medical-practices-showing-employee-appreciation-report-lower-turnover-survey-finds.html to view the full article online.

 
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Over four-fifths of physician practices collect patient co-pays on the day of the appointment, according to a new survey.

Visit https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/most-practices-demanding-upfront-payments-other-trends-revealed-in-2018-survey.html to view the full article online.

 
Using a patient portal and brainstorming ways to facilitate communication with patients are among the ways physician practices can improve their patient engagement.

Visit https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/practices/industry-voices-5-ways-patient-engagement-zachary-blount to view the full article online.

 
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What Patients are Reading
Drying the feet after a bath or shower can help to prevent foot fungus.

Visit https://www.self.com/story/why-you-might-want-to-blow-dry-your-toes to view the full article online.

 
While flip-flops seem to have made something of a fashion comeback, it's still best not to wear them on long walks.

Editor’s note: APMA’s video on how to avoid a Flip-Flop Fiasco is on YouTube. Share with patients!

Visit https://fashionista.com/2018/08/flip-flops-fashion-trend-summer-2018 to view the full article online.

 
A number of foot conditions become more common as people age, but there are steps older adults can take to help keep their feet healthy.

Editor’s note: Share APMA’s Foot Health Conditions page with your patients.

Visit http://www.newswise.com/articles/coping-with-changes-to-your-feet-as-you-age to view the full article online.

 
Proper preparation can help to prevent some of the issues that affect outdoor athletes, such as ankle sprains, athlete's foot and plantar fasciitis.

Visit https://scoutingmagazine.org/2018/08/heal-thyself-from-outdoor-injuries/ to view the full article online.

 
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While many Americans are taking advantage of online health information, more than three-quarters still indicated a preference for face-to-face visits with a physician to telehealth.

Visit https://www.healthcaredive.com/news/90-of-americans-use-digital-health-tools-survey-shows/531148/ to view the full article online.

 
A new study found significant differences in how physicians and patients evaluated the quality of their communication during a patient visit.

Visit https://www.clinicalpainadvisor.com/practice-management/physicians-rate-communication-lower-than-patients/article/789834/ to view the full article online.

 
According to a new paper, the percentage of physicians who report feeling burned out has risen by nearly 10 percent over the past three years.

Visit https://ucrtoday.ucr.edu/53530 to view the full article online.

 
American Podiatric Medical Association, Inc.
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