Emily Brill

Articles

From "Least Engaged" to "Most Happy": 4 Types of OCM Participant

March 18th 2018

The goal of the Oncology Care Model is to incentivize high-quality, coordinated care with an episode-based payment model that emphasizes patient access and navigation.

Finding the On-Ramp to Clinical Trial Offerings

November 6th 2017

Clinical trials help community practices attract patients, inspire oncologists, and lower costs, but forming a program can be daunting to the uninitiated.

Payer Payment Delays Are Escalating

October 13th 2017

As increasingly pricey therapies come on the market, payers have grown more cautious about issuing payment approvals.

Retailing Finds a Small Niche in the Independent Clinic

July 10th 2017

Whether the practice is large, with a boutique staffed by a full-time employee, or small, with an unmanned rack in the waiting room, it isn’t uncommon for a clinic to try selling nonmedical products to patients.

Experts Say Current Patient Portals Leave Much Room for Improvement

June 9th 2017

For about a decade, patient portals have been hailed as the wave of the future. However, many still require some work before they reach peak functionality, partly because many patients are reluctant to use them.

Don't Let Physician Burnout Threaten Your Practice's Health

April 11th 2017

Results of a study indicate that 44.7% of practicing oncologists show signs of burnout.

Phone Triage Success Is Built With Patience

February 22nd 2017

Oncologists discuss their experience and best practices with phone triage programs.

Experts Say ICD-10 Codes Don't Go Far Enough

November 4th 2016

When CMS switched from ICD-9 to ICD-10 last year, the new diagnosis classification list allowed coders to translate additional elements of doctors’ language to billers’ language. However, some coders would like to see that vocabulary expand further, particularly in the area of comorbidities and complications.

Proton Beam Therapy Almost Within Reach for Independent Oncology Practices

September 19th 2016

The first proton beam therapy units cost huge amounts of money and were well beyond the means of all but the most well-financed cancer centers. However, this technology is vastly cheaper than before.

Clock Is Ticking on ICD-10 Grace Period

August 8th 2016

Oncology practices are facing a new deadline. When October 1 arrives, they will have to start coding with greater specificity and also get used to many new codes that CMS is going to activate.