Crafting a Model
UMMC & Jackson Medical Mall Collaborate on Landmark Program to Benefit Underserved Mississippians  One of few collaborations of its kind nationwide and possibly creating a model for other states... Read More

 



Current Mississippi Medical News

Crafting a Model | Federally Qualified Health Center, FQHC, University of Mississippi Medical Center, UMMC, Jackson-Hinds Comprehensive Health Center, JHCHC,  Jackson Medical Mall Thad Cochran Center, Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees, Jasmin Chapman, Central Mississippi Civic Improvement Association Inc., JHCHC, James Keeton
Crafting a Model
UMMC and Jackson Medical Mall Collaborate on Landmark Program to Benefit Underserved Mississippians
A landmark event involving an academic medical center's educational and training efforts at a federally qualified health center (FQHC) occurred quietly last month in Central Mississippi, marking one of few collaborations of its kind nationwide and possibly creating a model for other states.

 
Health Insurers Tackle Deluge of Changes | J. James Rohack, Kris Haltmeyer, Robert Zirkelbach, health reform, American Medical Association, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, America's Health Insurance Plans, health insurance exchanges
Health Insurers Tackle Deluge of Changes
Reform Regulations Are Kicking In Already Healthcare reform requires changes of all stakeholders, but probably none more so than third-party payers, usually portrayed as wearing the black hat in this ongoing drama. In fact, President Obama hasn’t hesitated to cast insurers in the role of characters more worried about money than patient care.
 
An Innovative Approach | NewSouth NeuroSpine, NS2, Frank York, Jack Moriarity, Rahul Vohra, Jeff Summers, River Oaks Hospital
An Innovative Approach
NewSouth NeuroSpine a Combination of Five Groups with Focused Plan
FLOWOOD—Several years ago, leaders of three spine surgery groups, a physical medicine and a pain management group in Central Mississippi began discussing ways to establish a more effective and efficient practice for their patients.

 
MEDICAL ENTREPRENEURS: How to Leverage Social Media | Martin Willoughby, medical entrepreneurs
MEDICAL ENTREPRENEURS: How to Leverage Social Media
Legend has it that a Western Union Company executive in an internal memo in 1876 concluded that "the telephone has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us." Similarly, if you would have polled business owners or healthcare professionals in the mid-1990s on the value of having a website for their business, most would probably have said "why would I want that?"
 
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Comprehensive Smoke Free Ordinance Takes Effect in Jackson
 
Reflex Testing: Compliance, Billing and Coding

A "reflex" test is a procedure routinely added-on to a patient order when the initial test results are at a level that meets the clinician’s threshold to automatically add specific tests. In a nutshell, they are protocols that specify if this then that. While this makes a great deal of common sense, care to dot all the I’s and cross all the T’s is the mainstay of billing and coding compliance. The documentation for dotting and crossing I’s and T’s is the heart of the compliance step.


 
RX FOR THE BOTTOM LINE: Higher Collections, Better Control, Reduced Management Concerns among Benefits of Outsourcing Medical Billing
Physicians facing uncertainty about changes taking shape in the healthcare industry should consider outsourcing their medical billing functions.
 
Healthcare Reform: A Look at Employer-Based Wellness Programs
On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), otherwise recognized as the healthcare reform law and subsequently amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010. A reflection of President Obama's belief that preventive medicine is "one of the best ways to keep our people healthy and our costs under control," wellness program initiatives can be found throughout PPACA with some of these initiatives taking effect as early as next year.
 
HEALTHCARE LEADER: Staying Focused on the Bigger Picture
HEALTHCARE LEADER: Staying Focused on the Bigger Picture
MSMA President Emphasizes State’s Health Status
The ongoing issue of reimbursement rates is no small matter — but it shouldn’t distract Mississippi physicians from focusing on the great health challenges of their home state.

 
Provider/Payer Relations Focus

Maximizing Reimbursements | Reimbursements, Physician Payer Relations, Elizabeth Woodcock, Jeffrey Milburn, MGMA, Healthcare Contract, Fee Schedule
Maximizing Reimbursements
In an environment of rising costs and diminishing returns, it's easy to hone in on contracted rates as the sole source of financial woes. Certainly, negotiating favorable reimbursements with payers is key to a healthy bottom line, but it's really only half the story.
 
Pediatrics Focus

Children Are Not Small Adults | Edward R.B. McCabe III,  nanopediatrics, Mattel Children's Hospital, Pediatric Research
Children Are Not Small Adults
Nanopediatrics Emerges to Ensure Nanotechnology Encompasses Kids
Imagine a pump the size of a molecule delivering medicine directly in the body where it's needed. Or a miniscule tool programmed to seek out and destroy the first cancer cells of a tumor. That's the promise of nanomedicine, medical applications in the much broader field of nanotechnology. Yet, as such customized medical innovations are being researched, Edward R.B. McCabe III, MD, has one reminder: Kids are different.

 
Physician Spotlight

Mildred Ridgway, MD | Mildred Ridgway, Gynecologic-Oncologist, Mississippi Gynecologic Cancer Group, Women's Specialty Center
Mildred Ridgway, MD
Gynecologic-Oncologist, Mississippi Gynecologic Cancer Group at Women's Specialty Center, Jackson
Mildred Ridgway, MD, is often referred to as a quarterback.
More specifically, she's well-respected as the leader for the medical team assisting women with gynecologic cancers.

 

Low Vitamin D Linked to Heart Failure Deaths
Title: Low Vitamin D Linked to Heart Failure Deaths
Category: Health News
Created: 9/1/2010 11:11:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 9/1/2010 11:11:12 AM Posted Wednesday, September 1, 2010 2:00 am CDT

Selenium May Protect Against Bladder Cancer
Title: Selenium May Protect Against Bladder Cancer
Category: Health News
Created: 9/1/2010 11:01:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 9/1/2010 11:01:05 AM Posted Wednesday, September 1, 2010 2:00 am CDT

Gene Test, Preventive Surgery Save Women's Lives
Title: Gene Test, Preventive Surgery Save Women's Lives
Category: Health News
Created: 9/1/2010 10:55:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 9/1/2010 10:55:19 AM Posted Wednesday, September 1, 2010 2:00 am CDT

Timing of Delivery May Affect Cerebral Palsy Risk
Title: Timing of Delivery May Affect Cerebral Palsy Risk
Category: Health News
Created: 9/1/2010 10:36:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 9/1/2010 10:36:01 AM Posted Wednesday, September 1, 2010 2:00 am CDT

Casual Sex Can Lead to Long-Term Relationships: Study
Title: Casual Sex Can Lead to Long-Term Relationships: Study
Category: Health News
Created: 8/31/2010 10:10:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 9/1/2010 Posted Wednesday, September 1, 2010 2:00 am CDT

Health Tip: Spot Symptoms of Ringworm
Title: Health Tip: Spot Symptoms of Ringworm
Category: Health News
Created: 8/31/2010 10:10:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 9/1/2010 Posted Wednesday, September 1, 2010 2:00 am CDT


Bruce Native Returns Home, Joins Calhoun Medical Clinic - Calhoun County Journal

Bruce Native Returns Home, Joins Calhoun Medical Clinic
Calhoun County Journal
Dr. Stegall is board certified in family medicine, and is a member of the American Osteopathic Association and the American College of Osteopathic Family ...

Posted Wednesday, September 1, 2010 7:30 am CDT

People in the News -- August - AAFP News Now

People in the News -- August
AAFP News Now
Previously the program director at the North Mississippi Medical Center Family Medicine Residency in Tupelo, O'Dell also served as chief quality officer and ...

Posted Tuesday, August 31, 2010 5:51 pm CDT

Darby joins Hattiesburg Clinic - Hattiesburg American

Darby joins Hattiesburg Clinic
Hattiesburg American
His professional affiliations include the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine and Mississippi Academy of Family Physicians. ...

and more »
Posted Sunday, August 29, 2010 6:34 am CDT



Medical News Feedback

How to use this section
You must have a user name and password to post your opinions to this site. Please go to Member Options in the top navigation bar and go to Free Signup. Once you have your user name and password, you can log in and post opinions. If you have any trouble, please email to web@medicalnews.com.


How do you like our paper?
Click on the question above to tell us what you think about our paper.

How do you like our website?
Click on the question above to give us your opinion of our Web site.