“War against doctors” has a ring to it, made to order for Republicans. I wonder if they'll use it in the fall? Electronic Medical Records (EMR) should make a doctor’s practice more efficient. Of course, that depends on the database and how it is implemented. If EMR must conform to government standards, could it be that the implementations are suboptimal? To judge by Obamacare--nah, couldn't be. Oh, and doctors must make “meaningful use” of EMR to get paid. How is that measured? Would a bureaucrat recognize “meaningful use” if it bit him on the elbow? I'm sure that DC-10, requiring 70,000 new reimbursement codes, will increase fraud and waste. Here's why: When I worked for a medical billing company, I learned that consultants put on training seminars (in the Caribbean in winter, naturally) for medical officer managers to learn how to maximize revenue through “proper” coding, i.e., by gaming the system. This...(Read Full Post)