Todd Shryock is managing editor of Medical Economics.
Keep using telehealth to boost your practice
Virtual visits will remain important part of engaging with patients even after the pandemic.
8 ways to protect your practice from cybersecurity risks
These steps are inexpensive and provide the first line of defense against hackers and data loss
Telehealth: Hope or hype?
The pandemic brought telehealth into the mainstream, but will government and private payers make the right moves to make it a standard part of medicine?
Survey: Patients happy with how doctors responded to COVID-19
Despite the challenges the pandemic has presented to medical care, the vast majority of patients are happy with how their doctors met the challenges.
2021 Physician payment outlook
Reimbursement trends every physician must watch for.
Payers not happy with CMS prior auth rule
Insurance industry group says proposed rule too much, too fast
What physicians in private practice think about their job
A comprehensive look at the opinions of physicians in private practice.
How prior authorizations negatively affect care
Doctors say that delays are hurting patient outcomes.
How should leaders communicate bad news during COVID, which could range from having to layoff colleagues to the death of a co-worker?
Bad news requires truthfulness and an emphasis on the future.
Are there communication strategies that work best during a crisis that leaders should be employing?
Start by being present and timely, and avoid spin at all costs.
Is effective planning possible during COVID when so many things are changing on a daily basis?
Look at examples outside your organization to help you find what’s working, and make solid plans for the future.
How should physician leaders balance achieving “normal” organizational goals with just getting through the COVID crisis?
Having a team that focuses on the “now” and one that focuses on what happens after the pandemic is a good first step.
Why is it important to monitor the staff’s emotional needs during a crisis and what effect can that have on your response?
When people are suffering at work, it can impact their performance.
What’s the best way to build a team with the appropriate skillset and diversity during COVID?
Start with trust and seek out people who will be candid with you.
How important is it to have a leadership team to help you during a crisis?
Rarely do leaders find success when working in isolation. You don’t have to do everything yourself.
What are the common mistakes leaders make during the pandemic?
COVID has made organizations more complex, and if leaders don’t recognize that, employees and productivity will suffer.
What leadership challenges have emerged from the COVID-19 crisis?
When the very nature of how we do work changes, leaders have to evolve.
How can technology help solve the opioid epidemic and the associated mental health issues?
Only a co-operative effort between many areas of society can make a difference, but technology still has an important role to play.
What can primary care doctors do to help reduce opioid addiction during COVID?
Their position on the frontlines gives them a unique perspective and a unique role to make a difference.
Have doctors inadvertently contributed to the opioid problem during COVID?
The pandemic has disrupted access to behavioral health for some, but boosted it for others.
Do patients lie to their doctors?
The answer is yes — here's what they lie about.
Is COVID causing more relapses of opioid addicts because of mental health issues?
More people are suffering and seeking treatment than before the pandemic.
Has COVID contributed toward creating new opioid addicts, or just made the existing problem worse?
Those who suffer from substance use disorders are seeing their problems exacerbated by the pandemic.
CMS issues final 2021 Physician Fee Schedule
Conversion factor drops by 10%, but some practices will benefit from increased E/M coding levels.
What effect has COVID had on the opioid problem in this country?
The opioid problem may have fallen out of the headlines, but the data shows a lot of bad news.
Does the typical malpractice insurance policy cover COVID-related claims?
In many cases, a policy will protect a physician, but there are some exceptions to be aware of during the pandemic.
What do practices need to do to minimize their risk from COVID-related legal action?
There’s an important strategy to follow if you want to minimize your risk.
Many states have passed legislation that helps protect businesses from COVID-related lawsuits—do these laws help medical practices as well?
In most cases, yes, but there are caveats.
Is there any state or region where COVID-related malpractice actions are more prevalent than another?
The riskier a state’s residents, the more vulnerable a practice may be to lawsuits.
Is there a particular type of practice that might be more vulnerable than another to COVID-related malpractice suits?
Certain practices will need to take extra precautions due to heightened risks.