Planning for Retirement: What Orthopaedic Surgeons Need to Know

Maureen Leahy

A recent survey of physicians, conducted by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, found that 60 percent of physicians—regardless of age, sex, or specialty—believe many of their colleagues will retire earlier than planned in the next 1 to 3 years. Data such as these reinforce the need for “planning for life after orthopaedics,” which was also the topic of an Instructional Course Lecture during the 2013 AAOS Annual Meeting. Cynthia K.

Frequently Asked Coding Questions

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

This month’s column addresses recent questions related to correct coding under the American Medical Association’s (AMA) Common Procedural Terminology (CPT) rules and the AAOS Global Service Data Guide (GSDG). Shoulder Surgery Q. My coder says that, effective Jan. 1, 2013, only one surgical CPT code can be submitted, even when two or more procedures are performed in the same shoulder.

Do You Need a New EMR System?

Howard Mevis

Before you decide, consider these issues Howard Mevis Although many orthopaedic practices have not yet fully adopted an electronic medical records (EMR) system, some early adopters have realized that their very expensive investment is not working out. A recent report from KLAS Research found that more than half of the medical practices polled indicated that they were giving some consideration to replacing their EMR system.

Evaluate Employment Situations Carefully

Deborah Meyer

During the 2013 Practice Management Symposium for Practicing Orthopaedic Surgeons, the question of hospital-employment of orthopaedic surgeons was a hot topic. In today’s healthcare market, many hospitals are seeking to employ orthopaedic surgeons, and many orthopaedic practices are facing financial challenges. But is making the switch worth it? According to faculty members Louis F. McIntyre, MD, Westchester Orthopaedics in White Plains, N.Y., and Ian J.

The Orthopaedic Surgicalist: A New Paradigm

John D. Campbell, MD, MBA

In the early 1990s, physicians had no experience with the term “hospitalist.” Now, more than 20 years later, it is a familiar title for physicians who provide in-hospital acute care. Before the hospitalist model, primary care physicians would perform that function when their patients were admitted to a hospital. But this was often problematic.

ICD-10-CM: It Is NOT All That Bad

Margaret A. Skurka, MS, RHIA, CCS, FAHIMA

The International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM)—You’ve heard of it and, so far, what you’ve heard has you scared. Thousands of new codes, some of them sounding absolutely absurd. But believe me, ICD-10-CM is not the beast that some writers and publications make it out to be. It is manageable, and you can rest assured that you will NEVER use all those codes.