Camp SHINE Gives Boost to Weight Management Patients
Childhood obesity has become a common health issue for many children and adolescents, putting them at risk for long-term problems like diabetes, high blood pressure, and psycho-social issues... Read More



Current Birmingham Medical News

Health Insurers Tackle Deluge of Changes | J. James Rohack, Kris Haltmeyer, Robert Zirkelbach, health reform, American Medical Association, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, America's Health Insurance Plans, health insurance exchanges
Health Insurers Tackle Deluge of Changes
Reform Regulations Are Kicking In Already
Healthcare reform requires changes of all stakeholders, but probably none more so than third-party payers, usually portrayed as wearing the black hat in this ongoing drama. In fact, President Obama hasn’t hesitated to cast insurers in the role of characters more worried about money than patient care.

 
Reimbursement Focus

Physicians Will Need Time to Adapt to the ICD-10 Code
Physicians Will Need Time to Adapt to the ICD-10 Code
"People are used to getting code updates every year with our CPT codes and ICD-9 codes," says Donna Stariha, director of the billing services division at MediSYS. "So for a lot of people, they mistakenly feel this change to ICD-10 is just another change like that." But that's like equating ripples in a bathtub to storm-tossed swells on the ocean.
 
Lax Reimbursement Practices Leave Money on the Table
Lax Reimbursement Practices Leave Money on the Table
For the lack of a single billing code modifier, a specialty practice lost reimbursements equaling 16 percent of their gross income in their first year. "When we refiled the claims for that one doctor, it recovered $8,000 within four weeks," says Judy Campodonico, director of operations with MRG Management Services.
 
Ignoring Basics Reduces Reimbursements
 
Pediatrics Focus

Camp SHINE Gives Boost to Weight Management Patients
Childhood obesity has become a common health issue for many children and adolescents, putting them at risk for long-term problems like diabetes, high blood pressure, and psycho-social issues.
 
Children Most Vulnerable to Effects of Gulf Oil Spill
Children Most Vulnerable to Effects of Gulf Oil Spill
The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is unprecedented in size and scope. As a result, there may be extraordinary levels of chemical exposure to those who live in the affected areas. Children are especially vulnerable.
 
Poison Control Centers Important to Our Communities
Every eight seconds, someone calls a poison center. These centers, located throughout the United States, are saving lives everyday and saving money by eliminating unnecessary health care expenses. In Alabama alone last year, the Regional Poison Control Center saved $16 million in uninsured costs, private insurance, and Medicaid just by answering the telephone.
 
Healthcare Spotlight

Creating Thinking Adds Fulfillment to Bullock's Practice
Creating Thinking Adds Fulfillment to Bullock's Practice
His Passion for Preventive Care Transforms his Patients' Lives
Using just his waiting room, Gary Bullock, DO, MPH, helps patients transform their lives, while replenishing some of the fulfillment that managed care had drained from his practice.

 
Guest Writers

Proposed Changes to the HIPAA Privacy, Security, and Enforcement Rules
On July 14, 2010, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published proposed changes to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in the Federal Register ("Proposed Rule"). These proposed changes are part of the enactment of the Health Information Technology and Clinical Health Act (HITECH), which was included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
 
Don't get caught by expiring tax provisions
Ten years ago, Congress passed the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001. That Act provided a number of income, estate and gift tax changes that were put into effect, or scheduled changes to become effective in the years ahead. Many of the changes that took effect under EGTRRA 2001will expire on December 31, 2010, unless Congress enacts new laws or passes extensions. If EGTRRA 2001 expires, taxpayers will face several significant changes.
 
CMS Proposes Stark Law Changes to Require Written Notices for Select Imaging Services
On June 25, 2010, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published the proposed 2011 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Rule (the "Proposed Rule"). Among its revisions are the proposed regulations implementing Section 6003 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) amending the In-Office Ancillary Services exception (IOAS) to the federal physician self-referral law, commonly referred to as the Stark Law. The proposed regulations, when finalized, will take effect on January 1, 2011, along with the rest of the Proposed Rule.
 
The Literary Examiner - "Critical Care" by Theresa Brown
Author Theresa Brown was an English professor who taught writing at Tufts University when she began to feel an internal nudge toward a new career. In the new book Critical Care, she tells about her switch from pen to patient.
 

Bad News About Youth Boosts Elders' Esteem
Title: Bad News About Youth Boosts Elders' Esteem
Category: Health News
Created: 9/2/2010 11:04:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 9/2/2010 11:04:48 AM Posted Thursday, September 2, 2010 2:00 am CDT

Weight Loss Pill Meridia Raises Heart Attack, Stroke Risks
Title: Weight Loss Pill Meridia Raises Heart Attack, Stroke Risks
Category: Health News
Created: 9/2/2010 11:01:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 9/2/2010 11:01:05 AM Posted Thursday, September 2, 2010 2:00 am CDT

Michael Douglas and Throat Cancer FAQ
Title: Michael Douglas and Throat Cancer FAQ
Category: Health News
Created: 9/2/2010 10:56:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 9/2/2010 10:56:02 AM Posted Thursday, September 2, 2010 2:00 am CDT

Sex Not on Most New Moms' Minds
Title: Sex Not on Most New Moms' Minds
Category: Health News
Created: 9/2/2010 10:44:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 9/2/2010 10:44:51 AM Posted Thursday, September 2, 2010 2:00 am CDT

Health Tip: When Something's Stuck in Your Eye
Title: Health Tip: When Something's Stuck in Your Eye
Category: Health News
Created: 9/1/2010 10:10:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 9/2/2010 Posted Thursday, September 2, 2010 2:00 am CDT

Health Tip: Don't Drive After Drinking
Title: Health Tip: Don't Drive After Drinking
Category: Health News
Created: 9/1/2010 10:10:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 9/2/2010 Posted Thursday, September 2, 2010 2:00 am CDT


Theatre review: George's Marvellous Medicine, Bristol Hippodrome - Guide2Bristol

Guide2Bristol

Theatre review: George's Marvellous Medicine, Bristol Hippodrome
Guide2Bristol
Throughout the performance the young audience were cheering and laughing at the antics of Giant Chickens, Grandma, George and his family. ...
Review: George's Marvellous Medicine at The Bristol HippodromeBristol24-7
Dahl's classic children's story is just what the doctor orderedGloucestershire Gazette

all 5 news articles »
Posted Friday, September 3, 2010 11:13 am CDT

Dragon*Con profile: Ginger Campbell, E.R. physician and brain science expert - Creative Loafing Atlanta (blog)

Dragon*Con profile: Ginger Campbell, E.R. physician and brain science expert
Creative Loafing Atlanta (blog)
I am an emergency physician (MD) and I live in Pelham, AL, which is a suburb of Birmingham. I work in a small rural ER in north Alabama. ...

Posted Friday, September 3, 2010 8:39 am CDT

Desperate for a Treatment, One Physician Heals Himself - Wall Street Journal

Desperate for a Treatment, One Physician Heals Himself
Wall Street Journal
He began reading medical papers, and soon seized on the work of J. Edwin Blalock, a professor of medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. ...

Posted Wednesday, September 1, 2010 3:15 pm CDT