News From Around the Web
> The Duke University Health System has announced that they're using patient-centered medical homes and an online tool that will "help public health practitioners and public care providers understand some of the strategies that would be useful for effective health care," as reported in an article in the Duke Chronicle. The service, called Public Health and Primary Care Together: A Practical Playbook, will be universally accessible via the internet. Article
> An interview with ZocDoc, an online doctor booking service free for anyone to use, founder Cyrus Massoumi in CNN's Fortune reveals that the company has grown to attract 2.5 million users per month. "Everything we do," Massoumi said in the interview, "relates to the interaction between patient and doctor. That's our sweet spot, that's where all our innovation should go." Interview
Practice Management News
> Across the country, some physicians are paid roughly double what other doctors are paid for the same services, but there's no real reason to explain the variations, according to a new study published in Health Affairs. For the study, researchers analyzed more than 40 million claims filed in 2007 for nearly a dozen types of service ranging from five-minute check-ups to comprehensive exams, with the most common being a 15-minute, problem-focused exam with an established patient, Reuters Health reported. Article
> Now that open enrollment for health exchanges brought by the Affordable Care Act is finally here, confusion among patients still runs high. And their most likely place to field questions is none other than their doctor's office, according to Abraham C. Whaley, co-founder and vice president of consultancy Manage My Practice. As he wrote in a recent blog post, one key message for your staff to convey is that there will probably not be urgent, immediate action required by most of your patients, especially if they already have insurance. If they are uninsured or think they may qualify for subsidies to make insurance more affordable, you can direct them to either Healthcare.gov or their state's own exchange website. Article
Provider News
> Since actress Angelina Jolie in May explained her decision to undergo a prophylactic double mastectomy to significantly reduce her risk of inherited breast cancer, treatment centers nationwide have experienced a large increase in genetic testing, ABC News reported. Article
And Finally... Hay, this shutdown is for horses. Article