Healthcare Blog Archives - Page 2 of 7 - Moghim Medical Consulting, Inc.

17Jul 2017 by Leila Larsen No Comments

When Should Doctors Retire?

Competency is the foundation of sound clinical practice and is essential to preserving the lives of patients. However, unlike many other critical professions like airline pilots, air traffic controllers and law enforcement officials, the medical profession does not mandate that physicians of a certain age retire. Competency Concerns with Aging Doctors There is considerable evidence that physician fitness does degrade following age 65; a 2005 report by Khaliq, et al, found that physicians who have served for forty years or more had a 6.6% likelihood of receiving some form of disciplinary action as opposed to the 1.3% rate among those with only ten years of service. With the wellbeing of patients at stake, many within the healthcare community have argued that there should be a mandatory retirement age for physicians.…

06Jul 2017 by Leila Larsen No Comments

Making Healthcare More Accessible: The Intersection of Locum Tenens and Telemedicine

Healthcare Blog

One of the most exciting developments in modern healthcare is telemedicine which enables providers to effectively engage and monitor patients through telephone and video conferencing. Telemedicine promises to revolutionize much of the healthcare industry in the coming years, but could be especially important for specialists in the locum tenens field. A burgeoning field that is quickly penetrating much of the healthcare sector, telehealth is rapidly becoming a fixture in physician-patient interactions. Major organizations like Kaiser Permanente now visit more patients via telehealth platforms than in-office visits. According to the American Telemedicine Association, telehealth is expected to grow at an annual rate of 27.5 percent and reach a market value of $9.35 billion by 2021. The Physician Shortage This important technology is maturing at a critical point in modern healthcare. There…

15Jun 2017 by Leila Larsen No Comments

The Booming Locum Tenens Industry

Healthcare Blog

For decades, health care organizations have relied on locum tenens physicians and medical professionals to satisfy staffing shortages. In more recent years, as the physician shortage has worsened, this reliance on temporary replacements has become a common practice throughout the industry. More physicians are also using locum tenens assignments as a portal into the industry, a way to explore professional options, and a means to taper off responsibilities at the end of a long career. In 2016, almost 48,000 physicians took on locum tenens assignments. This is a substantial increase from the 44,000 in 2014, and 26,000 in 2002, suggesting that more medical professionals view temporary placements as a normal part of the health care landscape. The widespread utilization of temporary professionals by provider organizations has also nurtured this acceptance.…

08Jun 2017 by Leila Larsen No Comments

The Shortage of Anesthesiologists is Quickly Approaching a Crisis

Healthcare Blog

Much of the public and, of course, the medical community are aware that the physician shortage is worsening, but within the ongoing shortage is a brewing crisis that even many medical professionals and administrators may not recognize. This crisis centers on the dwindling number of anesthesia providers that has been exacerbated by many internal industry factors like high retirement numbers as well as external circumstances including a rapidly aging population and the recent travel ban. Many providers are aware of the chronic shortage of anesthesia providers. There are currently about 30,000 anesthesiologists practicing in the United States, down from 35,000 in 2011. There was an estimated shortage of 3,800 anesthesiologists in 2011, and trends suggest that this shortage will only grow in the coming years. By 2020, the shortage of anesthesiologists is expected…

01Jun 2017 by Leila Larsen No Comments

As Demands Skyrocket Hospitalists Turn to Locum Tenens

Healthcare Blog

It is a wonderful time to be a hospitalist. MGMA DataDive Provider Compensation reports that the median compensation for the 44,000 hospitalists working in 2016 was $278,471 annually. Hospitalists also saw an 18.78 percent increase in compensation since 2011, one of the highest increases in pay of all specialties. This trend will likely continue as the industry moves toward value-based payments because hospitalists have a proven ability to curtail hospital re-admissions. This meteoric rise in pay has a lot to do with skyrocketing demand. This demand is rooted in the amount of time and money a hospitalist can save a provider group. These hospital-based physicians oversee patients at the hospital, saving other physicians a time-consuming trip. Their specialized knowledge of in-patient care also optimizes resource application and improves patient outcomes. This ability to stretch…

25Apr 2017 by Leila Larsen No Comments

California Could Adopt a Single Payer System for Healthcare

Healthcare Blog

For many years, one of the leading and most divisive political issues has been health care. Almost everyone agrees that the American health care system is too overpriced with far too little efficacy. While various reform efforts like the Affordable Care Act have had middling results, some governing entities like the state of California are considering a single payer system to rein in costs and grant coverage to all state residents. California attempted to pass a single payer bill in the legislature in 2006 and 2008, but the bills were vetoed by Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who argued that “socialized medicine” was not the solution. Much of the public used this designation to infer that the government would take over provider organizations, when in actuality, the proposed system would merely…

14Apr 2017 by Leila Larsen No Comments

How the Travel Ban Could Adversely Affect Health Care

Healthcare Blog

President Donald Trump has made immigration reform a priority for his administration, issuing two executive orders that restricted travel from several predominantly Muslim nations in the first few weeks of his new presidency. Although the first travel ban was struck down for being too broad, a reworked ban targets immigration from Syria, Iran, Libya, Sudan, Yemen, and Somalia (Iraq had been on the prior order). The more recent ban stalls refugee entry for 120 days and suspends entry from the stipulated countries for 90 days. The latest order is currently under judicial review. Trump has said that immigrants from these nations are more likely to have terrorist ties and pose a threat to national security. Although his national security concerns do have some merit, these new restrictions are having a deleterious effect…

23Mar 2017 by Leila Larsen No Comments

Republican Effort to Repeal the Affordable Care Act Faces Enormous Challenges

Healthcare Blog

For years, the Republican party has promised to abolish the Affordable Care Act, and with the election of Donald Trump to the Presidency, the moment appeared to have arrived. However, the GOP—which now controls the executive branch as well as both legislative houses—is having difficulty creating a legislative package that appeals to the entire party. The first GOP bill, the American Health Care Act, was authored by House Speaker Paul Ryan and appears to be a divisive proposal that many conservatives are unwilling to support. The American Health Care Act was introduced on March 6, 2017 and replaces government subsidies under ACA with tax credits. It would retain the health insurance marketplaces and allow children to remain on their parents’ plans until age 26. While it would also bar insurers…

22Mar 2017 by Robert Moghim, M.D. No Comments

Physician Shortage and Impact on the Physician Staffing Industry

Healthcare Blog

As a result of health care reforms and systemic changes within the health care sector, the physician shortage has become a crisis. The Association of American Medical Colleges predicts that there will be a shortage of 14,900 to 35,600 primary care physicians and 37,400 to 60,300 specialty physicians by 2025. However, many of the issues that are fueling this shortage, including rising number of retirements, professional burnout and increasing administrative requirements are being exacerbated by a new issue—President Donald Trump’s travel ban. With almost a quarter of physicians in the U.S. foreign born, the travel ban not only prevents qualified medical professionals from entering the U.S., it has also had a chilling effect on medical school student applications from predominantly Muslim countries. Many of the physicians and students from these nations are…

28Feb 2017 by Robert Moghim, M.D. No Comments

The Forgotten Middle Class in Health Care

Healthcare Blog

Of the three economic classes in America, the middle class is having the most difficult time paying for health care. While the wealthy possess the resources to obtain medical care independently, and the poor are qualifying for government assistance through programs like Medicaid and Obamacare, the financial burden has grown for those American households caught in between. The Brookings Institute found that middle income families now spend 8.9 percent of their annual income on health care, up from 5.9 percent in 1984. Much of this is related to employer health plans that are shunting a greater financial responsibility onto workers. On average, working Americans pay about $440 a month for full family coverage, while their employer pays about $1,075 per month. Since 2010, the average deductible has risen 67 percent,…