Article --> Ancillary Services in Primary Care

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Interesting article at Medscape.

I think you have to login to see it, but here is the link.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/580948?src=mp & spon=21 & uac=30373FY

From Medscape Business of Medicine

Ancillary Services

Ancillary Services in Primary Care

Posted 10/07/2008

R. Kane, MACCAuthor Information

It divides the Ancillary Services into...

Choosing the Right Service

Ancillary services for primary care physicians fall into 1 of 5 categories:

diagnostic (eg, Holter monitor, on-site lab services, imaging, treadmill testing); cosmetic (eg, Botox injections and injectable fillers, laser hair removal, laser skin resurfacing, and vein treatments); behavioral health (eg, weight management, nutritional counseling, smoking-cessation counseling); alternative and holistic treatments (eg, acupuncture, massage); and products (eg, drug dispensing, skin care products, nutritional supplements).

Other interesting comments...

Calculate how many procedures you need to do each month to break even and make a profit. Decide where you'll get a continuing stream of patients after you've tapped your existing patient base.

- identify relevant legal issues, including the Stark Laws that govern physician self-referral as well as any local statutes.

-check with malpractice carriers to determine whether premiums will rise.

-if primary care physicians sell products, conflicts of interest may crop up. According to the American Medical Association (AMA) Code of Ethics Opinion E-8.063, "In-office sale of health-related products by physicians represents a financial conflict of interest, risks putting undue pressure on the patient, and threatens to erode patient trust and undermine the primary obligation of physicians to serve the interests of their patients before their own." Providers should look at whether adding certain services detracts from the quality of care.

Table. 2007 Average Surgeon/Physician Fees

Top Minimally Invasive Procedures

National Average Surgeon/Physician Fees

Clostridium botulinum (Botox)

$501

Chemical peel

$744

Laser hair removal

$503

Microdermabrasion

$283

Hyaluronic acid (Hylaform; Hylaform Plus, Restylane)

$598

Laser treatment of leg veins

$400

Soft tissue fillers (calcium hydroxylapatite; Radiesse)

$807

Courtesy of American Society of Plastic Surgeons

Locke, MD