Program DescriptionThe 2009-10 Medical-Dental-Legal Update
"I really enjoyed this series! Excellent overall and very convenient."J.W., MD - SHREWSBURY, MA
MONDAY
Physician Compensation Structures: Alternatives and Considerations
Bruce A. Johnson, JD, MPA
Veteran healthcare law attorney, Bruce A. Johnson, JD, MPA, offers a comprehensive physician compensation plan survey beginning with a review of the current practice environment, key legal issues and limitations impacting compensation plans including the Stark self-referral and the anti-kickback rules, and then digs into the options, strengths and weaknesses related to compensation structures associated with the "individualistic" vs. "team-oriented" approaches.
"Things I Wish I Knew Last Year"
Louis Kuritzky, MD
Practitioner and academician, Louis Kuritzky, MD, reviews more than a dozen clinically relevant items that, despite their utility, are not well known. His discussion includes differentiating the risk of sulfonamide allergy attendant to antibiotic sulfonamides versus non-antibiotics, a look at diverse tools for prevention of migraine, including ACE inhibitors, ARBs, and montelukast, and antiviral treatment of pityriasis rosea.
Practical EHR: Solutions for Compliance, Productivity
and Quality Care
Stephen R. Levinson, MD
Physician and EHR expert, Stephen R. Levinson, MD, explores healthcare practice
requirements of electronic medical records and then offers a toolkit for
analyzing the strengths and possible pitfalls of current electronic H&P
designs and functionality, as well as the stages of and action plan for
EHR implementation.. His discussion includes measures and benchmarks for
evaluating a system's quality care compatibility, compliance, usability,
efficiency, data integrity, and productivity. Also overviewed are the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s EHR incentives, disincentives and
the definition of “meaningful use”.
Asset Protection: The Legal Tools
Claudio A. De Vellis, Esq.
Estate planning and asset protection specialist, Claudio A. De Vellis,
Esq., walks through a variety of legal tools and mechanisms which
are effective at both estate planning and protecting professionals’
personal and business assets from malpractice or other litigation. Areas
explored include exemption laws, irrevocable and other trusts, wills, business
entity structures and captive insurance companies.
TUESDAY
Fitness, Fatness and Mortality
Barry A. Franklin, PhD
Internationally renowned cardiovascular physiologist, Barry Franklin, PhD, reviews the scope and causes of the current obesity epidemic, its relationship to mortality and the value of physical activity and structured exercise as treatment modalities.
Healthcare Practice Employer Risk: Understanding It, Reducing It
Robert J. Conroy, JD, MPH
Employee lawsuits constitute the second greatest source of complaints against physicians. Between whistleblower statutes, sexual harassment, federal statutes and discrimination claims, the opportunitie and incentives are many. Longtime healthcare specialist, Robert J. Conroy, JD, MPH, explains the various pitfalls and advises on how they may be avoided.
Managed Care Organizations: What You Need to Know
Michael T. Goldstein, MD, JD
From the perspective of a practicing physician and healthcare attorney, Michael T. Goldstein, MD, JD, offers a helpful overview of the history and variety of managed care organizations as well as insight and advice relative to bargaining and contractual realities, MCO-physician conflicts, recovery audits and malpractice liability.
Prescription Drug Diversion: Pitfalls and Safeguards
Commander John J. Burke
Over the last 30 years, prescription drugs have been the most abused drugs in the country. Commander John J. Burke draws upon over 40 years of law enforcement to provide an overview of prescription drug diversion. His discussion includes a look at top drugs of abuse such as Hydrocodone, Oxycodone and Benzodiazepine, drug seeker characteristics and methods, as well as some techniques physicians can implement to help safeguard their practices.
WEDNESDAY
Asset Protection: The Non-legal Tools
David B. Mandell, JD, MBA
Attorney and financial consultant, David B. Mandell, JD, MBA, reviews the
characteristics, advantages and disadvantages of important, non-legal tools
available for protecting professional and personal assets. Included in his
discussion are qualified retirement plans, non-qualified and "hybrid" plans,
exempt assets, practice buy-sell arrangement and disability income protection.
Disclosure and Apology: The Five Key Facts
Douglas B. Wojcieszak
SorryWorks! Coalition founder, Douglas B. Wojcieszak,
reviews the five key facts doctors should know about disclosure following
an adverse event including how disclosure benefits healthcare providers,
the synergy between customer service and successful disclosure, elements
of an appropriate apology, next steps after disclosure, and proper staff
training.
Physician-Hospital Alignment: Current and Emerging Alternatives
Bruce A. Johnson, JD, MPA
Reimbursement, payer, regulatory and provider generational changes have transformed healthcare and given rise to a realignment of the physician-hospital relationship. Healthcare specialist, Bruce A. Johnson, JD, MPA, reviews the factors contributing to this shift and then compares "old school" models with new realignment strategies along with the strengths, weaknesses and legal considerations associated with each. Alternatives discussed include the clinical integration model/MSO, the PSA/hospital clinic staffing model, captive and parent/subsidiary models, and direct hospital employment.
Business and Legal Risks Affecting the Healthcare Practice
Joel M. Greenberg, Esq.
Veteran healthcare attorney, Joel M. Greenberg, Esq., gives a nuts and bolts survey of medical practice litigation and financial risks, and specific techniques available to minimize them. Areas discussed include practice structure alternatives, business insurance options, employment and partnership agreements, professional misconduct, and criminal liability.
THURSDAY
Streamlining Office Workflows: Enhancing Efficiency and the Bottom Line
Sue Houck
Practice workflows have a real effect on practice profitability and patient satisfaction. Practice redesign expert, Sue Houck, identifies workflows and explains specifically and with actual case studies how they can be streamlined. Areas covered include scheduling, patient history reporting, office teams and how they function, increasing staff support, check-in processes, performance metrics, and leveraging office space.
Reducing Malpractice Exposure and Frivolous Claims
Jeffrey Segal, MD, JD
Medical Justice, Inc. CEO, Jeffrey Segal, MD, JD, surveys eleven classic ways to reduce malpractice exposure and then, recognizing the high incidence of non-meritorious suits, offers a novel, contractual approach to minimizing frivolous claims.
Prescription Drug Diversion: Protecting the Healthcare Practice
Commander John J. Burke
Warren County, Ohio, Drug Task Force Commander, John J. Burke, first reviews the characteristics and methods of typical drug seekers and then focuses on specific practices which can be implemented by the medical practice to frustrate abusers and minimize the risk of diversion. Areas covered include new patient screening techniques, proper documentation, prescription monitoring programs, pharmacist and office staff collaboration, safe script writing practices, patient education, pain agreements and dealing with suspected diverters.
Payer Risk and Ways to Manage It
Michael J. Schoppmann, Esq.
Managed care contracts and relationships present myriad risks and obligations, some obvious and others much less so. Healthcare attorney, Michael J. Schoppmann, Esq., surveys contract clauses, payer tactics and retrospective audit issues while offering specific advice for managing risk associated with each.
FRIDAY
Defining, Understanding and Managing Gout
Louis Kuritzky, MD
Gout is a sufficiently commonplace rheumatologic disorder that primary care clinicians need to have a comfortable level of mastery to address both acute symptomatic flares and chronic urate control. Practicing family clinician and national speaker, Louis Kuritzky, MD, overviews the disease's definition, clinical symptomatology, pathophysiology and management.
Robert J. Conroy, JD, MPH
Healthcare attorney, Robert J. Conroy, JD, MPH, offers a wealth of concrete advice for dealing with the difficult patient. He then shifts gears to review ways practitioners can advance their interests in the event of an adverse medical outcome including proper disclosure, documentation, insurance carrier collaboration and physician engagement in the litigation process.
Understanding and Managing Third Party Risk to Your Practice
Michael J. Schoppman, Esq.
Due in part to the National Practitioner Data Bank, payer, hospital, state licensing board, federal agency and malpractice actions are now interconnected. Healthcare law expert, Michael J. Schoppman, JD, explains the practical implications of this interaction, the nature of each category of risk, particularly those associated with government agencies, and concrete ways for practitioners to manage their exposure.
Online Professional Defamation: Problems and Solutions
Jeffrey Segal, MD, JD
Malpractice expert and former neurosurgeon, Jeffrey Segal, MD, JD,
explores the new phenomenon of online physician defamation and the unique
defense challenges posed by the Internet. He then offers an effective, contractual
way to protect your professional reputation in cyberspace.
Production Note: All presentations are between 50 and 60 minutes in length and were produced between June 2, 2009 and July 31, 2009 except Fitness, Fatness and Mortality, produced July 3, 2005.
"I've been coming for years and I always come away with a couple of pearls."T.R., MD - SALISBURY, MD
Retake the Course at No Charge
When you register for The 2009-10 Medical-Dental-Legal Update you will receive an AEI Seminar Card with your confirmation. The Seminar Card entitles you to retake or complete the course as our guest through October 1, 2010 at any of our open classrooms, anytime you choose. And there's no need to reregister. Simply present your Seminar Card when you arrive and you will be issued a full set of new documentation and course materials.