How trauma hospitals helped Houston weather the state’s most devastating storm

Special to Medical Journal – Houston By TED SHAW, President/CEO, Texas Hospital Association From car crashes, falls, assaults or accidents, traumatic injuries can take many forms. When a traumatic injury occurs, trauma care is needed quickly. And when a large-scale natural or manmade disaster occurs, the entire trauma care system is needed. This was never clearer than when Hurricane Harvey struck Texas’ Gulf Coast in August 2017. In the parlance of emergency preparedness professionals, a...

Minimizing employment litigation risks and reducing associated costs when a lawsuit does arise

By Kevin Troutman, Partner, Fisher Phillips Litigation is a painful process, especially for defendants. The experience is costly, time-consuming, distracting, potentially-embarrassing and, of course, stressful. The legal department, human resources, participating supervisors and other witnesses all feel this pain to varying degrees. And this occurs even when you win. During employment litigation, personal accusations and strong feelings can make the litigation seem more like a nasty divorce than a business dispute. Allegations like sexual harassment,...

An integrative approach to the M word: Menopause

BY Zuleica Santiago, Resident Physician, Family Medicine, UTMB-Health Menopause is a biological transition that all women go through; however, studies have found that the culture and lifestyle have influence upon the severity of the symptoms and the significance of this new change in a woman’s life. Research shows that Mayan women looked forward to this moment, since it provided newfound freedom and status. The idea that menopause is a disease rather than a transition desired...

Use billing reports to test managed-care contracts

By Reed Tinsley, CPA, CVA, CFP, CHBC Too many practices simply accept every available managed-care plan on the premise that something always beats nothing. Don’t be one of them. Your billing system probably contains some of the tools needed to truly evaluate the value a managed care contract can bring to your practice. Use the information from your billing system and a payer-performance table to evaluate whether a managed care contract is truly worth your...

Judge rules Affordable Care Act unconstitutional

By Elizabeth Jepson and Allison Shelton, Brown & Fortunato, P.C. In 2019, the health care industry will be watching a case from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. In Texas v. United States, Judge Reed O’Connor ruled that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is unconstitutional and invalid. Judge O’Connor’s decision was appealed on January 3, 2019. If upheld, the decision will significantly affect the regulatory and compliance landscape as we know...

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