The Federal Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires Medi-Cal to reimburse certain primary care services for eligible physicians at parity with Medicare rates for dates of service in 2013 and 2014. The purpose of this reimbursement rate increase is to acknowledge the...
By Stuart A. Bussey, M.D., J.D., UAPD President We all know by now that a good EHR system can be used to reduce medical errors and improve patient outcomes in diabetes and other diseases. The downside of technology is the reduction of human contact in the...
By Stuart A. Bussey, M.D., J.D., UAPD President There is a delicate balance between documentation and insurance reimbursement. Insufficient records can mean rejected claims, while excessive and unsupported coding can invite an audit, EMR templates may tempt a provider...
For more than a quarter of a century, Deane Hillsman was the conscience of the UAPD. Whenever a physician whistleblower got into trouble for telling the truth about an important medical issue, Dr. Hillsman would stand up to support the doctor regardless of how...
By Stuart A. Bussey, M.D., J.D., UAPD President As an aviation medical examiner I have had to give first class airline pilots the bad news that they are not medically eligible for their pilot license after they reach the age of 65. Fortunately, this mandatory...
By Stuart A. Bussey, M.D., J.D., UAPD President With summer on the horizon the heat will be increasing on medical providers. Last week Peter Lee, director of the new Covered California health insurance exchange, announced that 13 health plans have been selected to...