Physician writing contest: Finding solutions for physicians

Healthcare is in a state of major change. Medical Economics wants to help physicians share their stories, strategies, and approaches to fighting a myriad of professional challenges.

Send us an 800- to 1,200-word essay offering insight and solutions to management challenges. Up to five contestants will receive $500 when accepted for publication in Medical Economics and/or on www.medicaleconomics.com (which is a part of the modernmedicine.com network). The editorial staff will judge, determine, and notify contest winners.

Some of the topics could include (but aren't limited to):

• Workflow

• Patient engagement

• Patient adherence

• Prior authorization

• Ancillary services

• Team-based care/care coordination

• Negotiating with payers

• Technology

Submissions will be accepted until July 10, 2014.

Here are links to some of last year's winners:

EHRs and audits mean new roles for physicians, staff

Confronting the opioid dilemma

Are physicians being forced to focus on data over patient care?

When experience trumps evidence

How to enter

Contest details: With each submission, please include:

• 800-1,200 word essay

• Contact e-mail, address, telephone number.

Writing guidelines: While we are asking to keep submissions from 800 to 1,200 words, please be as specific as possible with your recommendations. Remember, this contest is created to help physicians build successful practices, and the winning entries will offer enough detail to help your colleagues apply these winning principles to improve their practices.

Submissions can be sent to Medec@advanstar.com

Or by mail to:

Medical Economics Fighting Back Contest 
24950 Country Club Blvd. 
North Olmsted, OH 44070

Submissions will be accepted until May 10, 2014.

Medical Economics Fighting Back Essay Contest Official Rules (NO PURCHASE IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.)

The Medical Economics Fighting Back Essay Contest (the “Contest”) starts on March 3, 2014 at 12:00 a.m. Eastern Time (“ET”) and ends on to May 10, 2014 at 11:59 p.m. ET (“Contest Period”). ELIGIBILITY: The Contest is open to [licensed?] physicians who are legal residents of the fifty (50) United States or the District of Columbia, of legal age of majority in their jurisdictions of residence (and at least 18).  Employees, temporary workers, freelancers and independent contractors, and their immediate families (spouse and parents, children, siblings and their respective spouses, regardless of where they reside) and those persons living in their same households, whether or not related, of Medical Economics (“Sponsor”) and its parents, affiliates, subsidiaries, participating vendors, promotion or advertising agencies are ineligible to enter or win the Contest.  By participating, entrants agree to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of the judges and/or Sponsor, which are binding and final on matters relating to this Contest. Void where prohibited by law.  Contest is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws.  HOW TO ENTER:  During the Contest Period, write an 800 to 1,200 word essay on how your medical practice has addressed the challenges of running a economically viable medical practice  and send to medec@advanstar.com or Medical Economics Fighting Back Contest, 24950 Country Club Blvd., North Olmstead, OH 44070, along with your full name, contact email address, mailing address and telephone number (collectively, an “Entry”). All Entries must be received on or before May 10, 2014.  Limit one (1) Entry per person.  Entries received in excess of the stated limitation will be void. If handwritten, Entries must be legible.  All Entries become the sole property of the Sponsor and will not be returned. Entry must (i) be your own original work, (ii) be in English, (iii) cannot be previously published or submitted in connection with any other contest, (iv)  be in keeping with the Sponsor’s image and (v) not be offensive or inappropriate, as determined by the Sponsor in its sole discretion, nor can it defame or invade publicity rights or privacy of any person, living or deceased, or otherwise infringe upon any person’s personal or property rights or any other third party rights (including, without limitation, copyright).  Without limiting the foregoing, Entries must not contain any confidential or personally-identifying patient information.  Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify any Entry that it determines, in its sole discretion, does not comply with the above requirements or that is otherwise not in compliance with these Official Rules. JUDGING:  All eligible Entries received by Sponsor will be judged by a panel of qualified judges based equally on the following criteria: Practicality of solutions offered, clarity and quality of writing, and level of detail to enable other physicians to apply your solution to their practices.  The five (5) Entries with the highest scores, as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion, will be deemed the potential winners. In the event of a tie, an additional, “tie-breaking” judge will determine the winner(s) based on the criteria listed herein. Sponsor reserves the right not to award all prizes if, in its sole discretion, it does not receive a sufficient number of eligible and qualified Entries. Prize awards are subject to verification of eligibility and compliance with these Official Rules. Judges’ and Sponsor’s decisions are final and binding on all matters relating to this Contest. WINNER NOTIFICATION: Potential winners will be notified by telephone, mail and/or email on or about July 10, 2014 and may be required to complete an Affidavit of Eligibility, Liability and Publicity Release (unless prohibited by law), which must be returned within a time period specified by Sponsor. Return of prize or prize notification as undeliverable, failure to sign and return requested documentation within the specified time period, the inability of Sponsor to contact a potential winner within a reasonable time period or noncompliance with these Official Rules by any potential winner will result in disqualification and, at Sponsor’s sole discretion, the prize may be awarded to a runner-up. LICENSE/USE OF ENTRIES: By submitting an Entry, each entrant agrees that Sponsor and its designees shall have the worldwide perpetual right to exploit, edit, modify, and distribute such Entry, and all elements of such Entry, including entrant’s name and likeness,  in any and all media now known or not currently known, and for any legal reason, without compensation, permission or notification to entrant.   PRIZES: Five (5) VISA $500 Gift Cards, one per winner, and publication of the Entry essay in a future edition of Medical Economics Magazine and/or on MedicalEconomics.com with attribution to winner.  Approximate Retail Value (“ARV”) of each prize is $500. Gift cards are subject to terms and conditions specified thereon.  All prize details are at Sponsor’s sole discretion. Sponsor may substitute a prize of comparable or greater value at Sponsor’s sole discretion. Prizes are non-transferable with no substitutions or cash redemptions except at Sponsor’s sole discretion. Additional restrictions may apply, subject to gift card terms and conditions available on the back of the gift card and in included literature.  Winners are responsible for all applicable federal, state and local taxes, if any.  Limit one (1) prize per person.  In the event that Sponsor is unable to publish a winning essay, that part of prize will be forfeited and winner will receive a Visa Gift Card only.  Sponsor makes no guarantee as to date of publication of each winning Essay.  GENERAL:  By participating, each entrant agrees: (a) to abide by these rules and decisions of Sponsor and judges, which shall be final in all respects relating to this Contest; (b) to release, discharge and hold harmless Sponsor, its parents, affiliates, subsidiaries, and advertising and promotion agencies, and all of the officers, directors, shareholders, employees, agents and representatives of the forgoing (collectively, “Released Parties”) from any and all injuries, liability, losses and damages of any kind to persons, including death, or property resulting, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from entrant’s participation in the Contest or any Contest-related activity, or the acceptance, possession, use or misuse of the awarded prize or the use by Released Parties’ of any rights granted herein; and (c) to the use by Sponsor and its designees of his/her name, entry, biographical information, photograph, image and/or likeness for trade, advertising, publicity and promotional purposes in any and all media, now or hereafter known, worldwide and on the Internet, and in perpetuity, without compensation (unless prohibited by law), notification or permission, unless prohibited by law, and to execute specific consent to such use if asked to do so.  Released Parties are not responsible for late, lost, damaged, delayed, inaccurate, misdirected, incomplete, illegible, undeliverable, destroyed, mutilated, stolen or postage-due entries, entry fees, or for errors or problems of any kind whether electronic, network, technical, typographical, printing, human or otherwise relating to or in connection with this Contest, including, without limitation, errors which may occur in connection with the administration of the Contest, the processing or judging of entries, or the announcement of the prizes or in any Contest-related materials.  Persons who tamper with or abuse any aspect of the Contest, who act in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner or who are in violation of these Official Rules, as solely determined by Sponsor, will be disqualified and all associated Entries will be void. Should any portion of the Contest be, in Sponsor’s sole opinion, compromised by non-authorized human intervention or other causes which, in the sole opinion of the Sponsor, corrupt or impair the administration, security, fairness or proper play, or submission of Entries, Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to suspend, modify or terminate the Contest and, if terminated, at its discretion, select the potential winners from all eligible, non-suspect Entries received prior to action taken using the judging procedure outlined above. . ANY ATTEMPT TO DELIBERATELY UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST MAY BE IN VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES AND OTHER REMEDIES (INCLUDING ATTORNEYS’ FEES) FROM ANY SUCH INDIVIDUAL TO THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW, INCLUDING CRIMINAL PROSECUTION. Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to cancel or suspend any portion of the Contest for any reason.  REQUEST FOR WINNERS LIST: For the names of the Winners (available after July 10, 2014), send a self-addressed, stamped, envelope to: Attn:  Daniel R. Verdon, Advanstar Communications, 24950 Country Club Blvd., North Olmstead, OH 44070.