AAOS meeting info:; Docs still talkign about POPTS

[Guest guest]

Fyi to this group: We can never rest as PT's - POPTS may still be

growing, as docs are pinched for reimbursement. C'mon Direct

Access............ Support your APTA....

Don Walsh, PT, MS, OCS

SEE BELOW:

Keep your colleagues, community and patients in mind before adding

ancillary services

1st on the web (March 5, 2008)

March 2008

SAN FRANCISCO — Adding ancillary services to an orthopedic practice

can be a prudent business move, but orthopedists should thoroughly

consider which services are best to pursue and how the addition of those

services will impact their practice and local community.

" We should keep the patient first in our mind as we go through this

process, " said A. Halsey, MD, who discussed the topic at the

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) Practice Management

Symposium for Practicing Orthopaedic Surgeons, here.

The ultimate goal of ancillary services is to enhance the patient's

treatment experience, he said.

" We are all thinking of ways of mitigating and dealing with decreasing

reimbursement and rising costs, but when you consider ancillary

services, focus on what is best for your patients and practice setting, "

said Halsey, who is the chair of the AAOS Council on Advocacy. " That's

where your focus should be, and all the issues surrounding reimbursement

will become easier [to address] once you keep that in mind. "

He said more surgeons are expressing interest these days in adding

ancillary services like physical and occupational therapy, diagnostic

imaging services and durable medical equipment in an effort to offset

increasing expenses and decreasing reimbursement.

" Looking at the recent economic index, things aren't looking much better

for the near future, either, " he said.

Still, surgeons should not be hasty in adding extra services without

researching the local market and their own patients' — and

colleagues' — wishes first.

" Your patient wants convenience, simplicity and a place where he or she

can receive care in a trusted relationship. We have that opportunity to

provide that for our patients, " he said. " Also, from the community

perspective, how do your peers, including your referring physicians,

your hospital and your community and business leaders feel about your

expansion? What is their perspective? "

He added: " You also have to make sure your own practice colleagues are

supportive of this move. You need to make sure it fits in well with what

they see [as an improvement]. An unhappy colleague is not a good thing,

but an unhappy and knowledgeable colleague can cause you real problems. "

For more information:

* Halsey D. Offering additional services. Presented at the AAOS

Practice Management Symposium for Practicing Orthopaedic Surgeons. March

4, 2008. San Francisco.