‘Bad eggs’ are giving surgeons a black eye

Peter Pollack

As both an orthopaedic surgeon and the chief executive officer of a medical device company that he cofounded, William Petty, MD, has a unique perspective on both the potential—and real—conflicts of interest that exist in the relationships between orthopaedic surgeons and industry. Dr. Petty, who currently serves as co-chair of the AAOS Corporate Advisory Council (CAC), recently shared his dual perspective on the issue during a CAC discussion (see related story, pg.

Medicare’s rules on supervision of diagnostic imaging

Mary LeGrand, RN, MA, CCS-P, CPC

Orthopaedic surgeons and their billing staff typically pay careful attention to Medicare’s incident-to-billing rules. But they often aren’t as well informed on Medicare’s rules for supervision of diagnostic testing. Some practices confuse the two sets of rules, despite the differences between them. This article focuses on supervision of diagnostic imaging most commonly done in orthopaedic practices.

Orthopaedic revenues and expenses keep increasing

Steven E. Fisher, MBA

MGMA 2006 Cost Survey provides a benchmark for your practice Every year, the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) conducts a survey of orthopaedic group practices. Information is collected on a wide array of subjects, including gross charges, receipts, relative value units (RVUs) per physician, expenses, patients per physician, accounts receivable, and so forth. The results are interesting in and of themselves; they are even more interesting when looked at over time.

Are you spineless—and is it hurting your bottom line?

Jennie McKee

Opening a nonsurgical spine clinic can have several benefits for your practice. Spine care is big business; approximately $80 billion are spent on spine-related health care each year in the United States, and about 80 percent of adults will experience back pain during their lifetimes. Significantly, most spine care is nonsurgical and conservative.

Easing the strain of a busy practice

Carolyn Rogers

Here’s how one orthopaedic office uses physician assistants to improve patient—and physician—satisfaction Like most orthopaedic surgeons, Matthew J. Jimenez, MD, is a busy man. In addition to taking care of patients at the Illinois Bone & Joint Institute (IBJI) in Morton Grove, Ill., Dr.

Opting out of Medicare: Is it for you?

Peter Pollack

Reimbursement isn’t the only issue to consider when making the decision to opt out. With an anticipated 10 percent reduction in Medicare physician payments next year, many orthopaedic surgeons may wonder if this will be their last year of participation in the Medicare program. Speaking at the 38th Annual Conference of the BONES Society, Jayme R.

Punch up your presentations with graphics

Carolyn Rogers

Choosing the right visuals will ensure that audiences pay attention and remember your presentation. All graphics are not created equal—especially when it comes to your PowerPoint presentation. When used correctly, visual graphics can be extremely powerful—driving your point home better than any 20-minute lecture. But when they’re misused, graphics can create clutter in your presentation and distract the audience from your message. So how do you know if your visual is “good” or “bad?”

Five ways to put PSAs to work for you

Annie Hayashi

If all you’ve ever done has been admire the AAOS public service announcements in airports, you’re missing out on a valuable resource. No doubt you’ve seen the large airport posters featuring public service announcements (PSAs) from the AAOS. The striking images—an elderly woman on a tightrope, a smashed all-terrain vehicle (ATV) in an emergency department, a woman with three knees—are hard to miss.

Bringing new staff up to speed

Steven E. Fisher, MBA

Don’t forget these issues in new employee orientation Whether you are a solo practitioner or a member of a large orthopaedic group, your support staff is a critical component of your practice. Although you may not need to recruit and orient new staff frequently, it pays to have specific protocols in place. To bring new staff members up to speed quickly, consider the following guidelines.

Do you believe orthopaedic advertising claims?

Jennie McKee

False or misleading claims violate the new SOPs on Advertising by Orthopaedic Surgeons…and could result in sanctions against the surgeon who makes them. Have you ever seen an advertisement for an orthopaedic surgeon “board-certified in sports medicine”? How about an ad for an orthopaedic surgeon who performs bloodless, painless total knee replacement surgery and gets all of his patients back on their feet the day after the procedure? Is there anything wrong with these statements?

How many ways does this ad violate the SOPs on Advertising?

When Jasper Smith, world-champion bull rider, needed hip replacement surgery, he turned to the world-famous Odd Couple Orthopaedic Practice. Drs. I.M. Neat and U.R. Knott, both board certified in sports medicine and pioneers in minimally invasive hip arthroplasty, got the rodeo star back on his feet—and back in the ring. Just three days after surgery, Smith rode “Bone Crusher” to the championship!