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50 Candles: Pediatrics East Celebrates a Half Century of Medical Care
It was exactly 50 years ago, July 1957. Vincent Carnaggio, MD, just out of residency, opened a practice in Eastlake called Pediatrics East. He knew the hours would be grueling, seeing office patients, tending all night to the sickest at Children’s Hospital and making house calls.
JEAN M. MCLEAN |
Clinical Trial Under Way for Early Detection of AMD
For the 13 million people in the United States alone who have untreatable vision loss as a result of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), hope is on the way in the form of a new diagnostic testing method which has the potential to identify people for treatment before visual impairment occurs.
ANN B. DEBELLIS |
Do the Legwork to Ensure Reimbursement
Physicians and their staffs are busier than ever, and ever changing reimbursement regulations continue to add to their workloads. No one wants to leave money on the table with rejected claims, but local experts say that often is the case.
Billers sometimes are not inclined to review “dead” or no-pay claims, said Joanna Trivett, owner of MD Reimbursement Services in Birmingham. “They tend to put those in a stack because, of course, money is not coming in on them and they’re more interested in patients that have money coming in.”
SUSAN ROBINSON |
Grand Rounds July
UAB Creates Medical Emergency Team
UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham) Hospital has created a Medical Emergency Team (MET) to bring critical care to the bedside in the event an urgent, life-threatening situation arises in a non-critical care area of the hospital. The team consists of a physician and two registered nurses specially trained in providing urgent critical care to patients in need.
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Health Savings Accounts Come of Age
Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are gradually changing the healthcare landscape. Established by the 2003 Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act, the Treasury Department predicts there will be 25 to 30 million HSAs nationwide by 2010.
CLARK BOWERS |
Local Providers Advance AMD Research
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of irreversible blindness in the United States. A new study that was published in the November/December 2006 issue of Retina found that people with AMD are required to use more caregiver services costing anywhere from $225.00 to $47,086.00 depending on the severity of AMD.
JIM HOOVER |
Make Sure Billing Staff is Up to the Task
The old saying that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link certainly applies to a physician’s billing staff. Knowledgeable employees will ensure proper reimbursement, but a staff with inadequate training can mean claims frequently go unpaid.
Susan Robinson |
Physician Spotlight: Dr. Ziad Kazzi
Everyone has a snake story. Dr. Ziad Kazzi has more than most. As one of only four toxicologists in Alabama, the ER physician sees many of the snakebite and poisoning cases that come to UAB and Children’s Hospital. He’s also likely to be the voice on the other side of the phone when physicians from across the state call the poison control center for a consultation on difficult cases.
LAURA FREEMAN |
Trinity Takes Positive Steps to Curtail Rising Health Costs
When Trinity Medical Center CEO Vicki Briggs moved to Birmingham from Longview, Texas, two years ago, she not only brought along her years of experience in hospital administration, but also some tried-and-true concepts for helping Trinity fulfill its mission of service. One of her first orders of business at Trinity was to institute a program called Workforce Health, an initiative that establishes win-win-win relationships among employers, employees and the hospital.
JUNE MATHEWS |
Wavefront-Guided Technology Can Provide Sharper Vision
Higher quality vision is now a reality with an enhanced LASIK procedure that uses wavefront-guided technology. This customized approach to refractive surgery often results in improved quality of vision compared to the traditional LASIK procedures.
ANN B. DEBELLIS |
When the Caregivers Need Care, the Physician Resource Office Provides Help
Physicians have dedicated their lives to caring for others, but far too often, that dedication comes at the expense of taking care of themselves. Sandra Frazier, MD, medical director of the Physician Resource Office, wants doctors to know they have a place to come for confidential help.
MARTI WEBB SLAY |
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