APMA News Brief

The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) eliminated the notorious sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula last year, but what will the new MACRA payment policies mean for your practice?

Visit http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/ama-wire/post/macra-matters-practice to view the full article online.

Primary care physicians only correctly estimate Medicare beneficiaries' adherence to their medication regimens about half of the time, and they are more likely to overestimate adherence than underestimate it, according to a study in the Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy. 

Visit http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/hospital-physician-relationships/primary-care-physicians-significantly-overestimate-rate-of-medication-adherence-among-medicare-beneficiaries.html to view the full article online.

An interested mother and reader of our columns asked if children’s feet take a beating in sports.

Visit http://www.westport-news.com/news/article/The-Sports-Doctor-Causes-of-foot-injuries-in-6875301.php to view the full article online.

Diabetic foot ulcers are sores or wounds that are usually located on the ball of the foot or on the bottom of the big toe. 

Visit http://lubbockonline.com/health/2016-03-07/tech-doc-feet-first-diabetic-foot-ulcers-need-early-action#.Vt8XakIrJhE to view the full article online.

Imagine feeling excruciating pain every time you take a step. For some cyclists and runners, years of devotion to their sport results in something called fat pad atrophy; fat at the balls of the feet wears away, leaving nothing but bone.

Visit http://www.ksat.com/web/ksat/health/foot-fat-transplant to view the full article online.

If you're struggling with foot or leg pain, consider a pair of shoe inserts to provide extra support.

Visit http://health.usnews.com/health-news/articles/2016-03-08/health-tip-considering-shoe-inserts to view the full article online.

Victoria Beckham recently confessed that she "can’t do heels anymore" — and that revelation, from a style icon known for her sky-high stilettos (especially at the airport, where they were an essential part of her travel uniform), rocked the fashion world.

Visit https://www.yahoo.com/style/the-high-heel-hiatus-podiatrists-1380786443903030.html to view the full article online.

Patients give the same doctors different ratings depending on where their visit took place, according to a small U.S. study.

Visit http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-physicians-quality-ratings-idUSKCN0W626I to view the full article online.

It is time to perform an assessment of your facility or practice in order to evaluate your ICD-10 progress and to uncover potential issues that might affect productivity, risk, or cash flow. 

Visit http://www.icd10monitor.com/enews/item/1590-assessing-your-icd-10-transition to view the full article online.

Diabetic neuropathy is the leading cause of amputation in the United States, resulting in more than $10 billion in healthcare costs annually.

Visit http://www.mcknights.com/news/smart-socks-may-prevent-diabetic-foot-ulcer-problems/article/481016/ to view the full article online.

Is it time for new costumes in the long-running improv act featuring doctor and patient?

Visit http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/03/07/the-costumes-that-obscure-doctor-and-patient/?ref=health&_r=1 to view the full article online.

Medical practices spend an average of 785 hours per physician and $15.4 billion annually reporting quality measures to Medicare, Medicaid and private payers, according to a new report in Health Affairs.

Visit http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/quality-reporting-costs-doctors-more-154-billion-year-health-affairs-says to view the full article online.

Although value-based payment models, such as accountable care organizations, may involve a capitation payment to the overall organization, the vast majority of physician practices are still paid on a fee-for-service basis, according to a study published in Health Affairs.

Visit http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/95-of-physician-visits-reimbursed-under-fee-for-service-6-findings.html to view the full article online.

Independent physicians have long wondered why their hospital-owned competitors are reimbursed at higher rates for the same services.

Visit http://medicaleconomics.modernmedicine.com/medical-economics/news/leveling-payment-playing-field to view the full article online.