September 2020, Volume XXXIV, Number 6
Recalibrating Medicare reimbursement
Proposed CMS guidelines spell disaster
A long-term goal of the current administration has been to increase reimbursement rates to primary care providers. Under the latest Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), primary care and other clinicians who charge for evaluation and management (E/M) services are set to see significant, and much needed, reimbursement increases.
September 2020, Volume XXXIV, Number 6
interview
Teaming up to serve patients
Bevan Yueh, MD, MPH
University of Minnesota Physicians
Recalibrating Medicare reimbursement: Proposed CMS guidelines spell disaster
By Kit Crancer and Zachary Brunnert
A long-term goal of the current administration has been to increase reimbursement rates to primary care providers. Under the latest Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), primary care and other clinicians who charge for evaluation and management (E/M) services are set to see significant, and much needed, reimbursement increases.
cover story two
A dual pandemic: Real virus—fake news
By Kristen R. Ehresmann, MPH, RN, and Sarah Lim, MBBCh
Since the first reports in early January of a cluster of cases of pneumonia of unknown etiology in Wuhan, China, the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has exploded across the globe and caused the greatest public health crisis in over 100 years. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) identified the first case of COVID-19 on March 6, 2020, and by mid-September, Minnesota had 90,000 reported cases and 2,000 deaths.
Medicine and the Law
Redefining hospital malpractice: Expanded liability for independent contractors
By Besse McDonald, JD, and Julia J. Nierengarten, JD
On July 29, the Minnesota Supreme Court issued a decision in Popovich v. Allina Health System in which it determined, for the first time, that a plaintiff may assert a claim of vicarious liability (under which one party is held partly responsible for the unlawful actions of a third party) against a hospital based on the apparent authority of independent contractors providing care in the hospital.
Designing inpatient adolescent health: DHS and space innovation lead the way
By Mark L. Hansen, AIA, and Dave Moga, AIA, NCARB, EDAC, LEED AP
As one of the leading causes of illness and disability around the world, mental illness is a widespread health challenge. Recent data from the World Health Organization reveals that approximately one in four people worldwide will suffer from a mental illness at some point in their lives.
Information Technology
A telemedicine check-up: A look at some survey data
By David Holt, JD
Telemedicine use has expanded rapidly across the United States, largely due to pandemic-related necessity and the challenges posed by in-clinic visits. President Donald Trump declared a national emergency on March 13, 2020, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Minnesota health agencies, and professional boards quickly moved to loosen restrictions and issue “waivers” for compliance with telemedicine guidelines.
Bioprinting 3D heart pumps: A concept that is gaining traction
By Molly Kupfer, PhD, and Brenda Ogle, PhD
Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, due in large part to the low regenerative capacity of the heart. With recent advances in stem cell biology, cardiac tissue engineering with human cells has emerged as an avenue to replace lost muscle after a cardiac event and to produce human models in vitro that can be used for disease modeling and testing of drugs and medical devices.
Caring for the disabled: Pandemic-driven new challenges
By Joan Willshire, MPA
For people with disabilities, pandemic-related isolation can be terrifying and tragic. The stress can exacerbate mental illness and other health problems, some of them life threatening. Add the loss of mobility and independence, the disruption of routines, the day program that doesn’t open, the beloved caregiver who doesn’t come, and the lack of support that leaves some families no choice but to institutionalize their loved ones, and you have a sense of what many in the disability community are going through every day due to COVID-19.
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