Leila Larsen, Author at Moghim Medical Consulting, Inc.

10Dec 2018 by Leila Larsen No Comments

How to Get Started as a Locum Tenens Provider

Whether you are a newly minted physician or a veteran, locum tenens positions may be the ideal career opportunity for you. From the Latin term for “placeholder,” locum tenens is a temporary position. Most health care facilities utilize locum tenens providers for many reasons (i.e. vacation coverage, increased volume, long-term needs, etc.). And with the physician shortage crisis, the need for locum tenens continues to rise. This has some powerful incentives for locum tenens providers, including: Free travel and lodging Limited administrative duties Top-notch compensation Flexible scheduling – you choose where and when you want work Tax benefits for being an independent contractor Enhance skill-sets while experiencing various healthcare settings Supplemental income – pick up a weekend or call shift for additional income Locum to perm opportunities – try it…

27Nov 2018 by Leila Larsen No Comments

Is Care for Illegal Immigrants Too Costly?

Healthcare Blog

Whether you are a progressive or a fiscal conservative, there is a simple truth that we can all agree on: there are limited resources. That is why there is an energized debate about caring for undocumented immigrants who have limited legal standing. Common sense suggests that these people should be relegated to the last place in line for health care, but, in reality, there are some compelling reasons why they should be provided with at least basic health care. It is estimated that there are about 3.9 million uninsured, illegal immigrants in the country. Each year, these illegal residents consume almost $4.6 billion in health services annually that are funded by federal taxes, $2.8 billion worth funded by state and local taxes, $3 billion worth by hospitals and $1.5 billion in charity…

09Aug 2018 by Leila Larsen No Comments

Are New Health Care Partnerships Truly Revolutionary?

Healthcare Blog

There has been a thunderous response to the new partnership announced by Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase, but is this response deserved? When Amazon and its partners announced that they would create a new company to provide health care to U.S. workers at their companies, the stock prices of many major pharmaceutical and health care companies fell dramatically. Pharmacy manager Express Scripts Holding Co. experienced an 11 percent drop in share prices, while CVS and Anthem saw a 6.4 and 6.5 percent devaluation respectively. Shareholders are obviously afraid that Amazon could do to health care what it has done to retail—completely overtake and reshape the industry. Although the initial announcement was short on details, it did paint the broad outline of the new organization “that is free from profit-making…

10May 2018 by Leila Larsen No Comments

Defining Value in a Value-Based Healthcare Payment System

Healthcare Blog

The transition from a Fee For Service (FFS) healthcare payment system to a Value-Based System (VBS) has been gathering steam for years as more payers incorporate reimbursement protocols based on patient outcomes. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has for many years been introducing a variety of “Value Modifiers” that reward providers for superior patient outcomes, and this leadership by the largest payer in the nation has encouraged others to adopt similar payment models. In 2015, almost one-fifth of Medicare reimbursements were made through alternative payment mechanisms. Last month, the value in value-based payments entered the spotlight once again as Amazon, JPMorgan Chase and Berkshire Hathaway announced a new health care partnership. Although there were few specific details about what this new partnership intended to accomplish, there is…

12Apr 2018 by Leila Larsen No Comments

Should Health Care Be a Basic Human Right?

Healthcare Blog, Medical-Legal Blog

In February of 2018, an attempt to add an amendment to the Oregon Constitution to declare health care as a basic human right, came to an abrupt halt. Although the state’s House had already voted 35 to 35 in support of the amendment, the Senate Health Care Committee never even brought it up for a vote because they believed it wouldn’t pass in the Senate. The amendment would have ensured that every resident had access to cost-effective, medically appropriate care. Despite Democratic control of both state legislatures, there were serious concerns that the state could not guarantee universal access to health care and this would leave the state vulnerable to litigation. Lawmakers said that there wasn’t enough time to secure the necessary number of votes during the five-week legislative session.…

09Mar 2018 by Leila Larsen No Comments

Are Temporary Doctors Less Qualified?

Healthcare Blog

It is only natural to assume that a physician who is only temporarily taking the place of a permanent staffer would be less committed to a higher standard of care. After all, a locum tenens (temporary doctor) replacement has fewer ties to the community and only a limited time to cement relationships with patients. They are also new to the working environment, so they possess less experience massaging the system to the benefit of their patients. On top of that, they have no long-term commitment, so they might not be as interested in impressing their peers. At least superficially, it would appear that temporary physicians are riskier than those in it for the long haul. However, common sense falters in the face of evidence. A new study published in the…

01Mar 2018 by Leila Larsen No Comments

Does Medical Liability Tort Reform Work?

Medical-Legal Blog

Medical liability tort reform is an ever-present issue that is often at the heart of any serious health care reform debate. Both sides have compelling arguments. Health care providers are often shackled by fears of frivolous malpractice suits leading to costly and, often, unnecessary defensive care. Patients and legal professionals, however, argue that without some form of legal recourse, physician misfeasance would go unchecked. To really understand the issue of medical liability tort reform, one must look a little deeper into the structure of American health care. In our system, the vast majority of practicing physicians have malpractice insurance which pays some or all of the judgment for a malpractice claim. In 2015, the U.S. paid out $3.89 billion for malpractice claims, almost all of which came from insurers. This is…

25Jan 2018 by Leila Larsen No Comments

Amazon Poses Major Threat to Disrupt the Healthcare Industry

Healthcare Blog

Amazon has long been the most dominant force in online retail, but a new push to diversify could soon spread that dominance to the healthcare sector as well. Given its enormous resources, broad technical proficiencies and renowned ability to recognize emerging markets, Amazon poses a major threat to many of the traditional players in healthcare. Amazon's Industry-Leading Logistical Capacity The $400 billion company based in Seattle has been developing its highly secret “1492” healthcare division for some time, but it is finally ready to enter the market in a profound way by introducing a suite of disruptive services related to pharmaceuticals. In a bid to increase competition and undercut the traditional drug retailers, Amazon will use its advanced logistical capabilities to speed up drug delivery especially to patient homes. The online portal for…

19Dec 2017 by Leila Larsen No Comments

The Extinction of Private Practices Is Resulting In Rising Health Care Costs

Healthcare Blog

As the health care sector wrestles with an epidemic of consolidation dominated by hospitals (and their parent companies), and large medical groups backed by billion dollar private equity firms, one concern remains paramount—without robust competition, prices for consumers will continue to rise. Even health care, which is resistant to most free market principles, is experiencing rampant inflation fueled by a shrinking number of regional players. With less competition, these big healthcare groups are able to negotiate higher rates with insurance companies resulting in higher costs without additional value. Private Practices Cannot Compete At the heart of the matter is a business environment that is strangling small and mid-size provider operations. These behemoth groups and hospitals are able to negotiate significant rates with the insurance companies that are sometimes 3-4x the…

05Dec 2017 by Leila Larsen No Comments

Legal Issues Related to Telemedicine

Medical-Legal Blog

As an emerging technology, telemedicine presents many challenges to patients and providers. While many of these challenges are technical or financial, there are also some thorny legal issues which have kept some medical professionals from fully embracing this new health care platform. Whether it is cross-state licensing, malpractice insurance, prescribing medications or reimbursement, there are legal restrictions you should be aware of before you fully integrate telemedicine into your practice. State Definitions A foundational issue for many telemedicine regulatory bodies is defining telemedicine itself. It is critical that the scope of telemedicine is clearly defined so that insurers and payers are reimbursing physicians for appropriate services. While many industry groups and some state boards may use a broad definition of telemedicine, others, including the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services…