For the first time, five generations are currently employed in the workforce. From traditionalists to gen Z—here are insights into the communication styles of each generation…
The Real Story on RA: Survey Finds Communication Gaps Between Physicians & Patients with RA
Survey results released earlier this year found that communication difficulties exist between patients and their rheumatologists for many reasons—possibly resulting in more disease activity despite advances in RA treatments. Here are tips for communicating with your patients and helping them be more proactive in their care…
Email Remains Dominant Communications Method in Medicine
Forty-five years ago, a computer engineer in Boston sent an electronic message between two computers some 10 feet apart. It took another 10 years or so before the electronic mail message was dubbed email—a term now, perhaps, more ubiquitous than any other in the lexicon of modern communications. Despite the seemingly definitive place email communication…
Online Portals Can Function as Important Physician–Patient Communication Tools
Patient portals are online programs and applications that help patients and physicians interact. Although there are many different implementations, most will have some sort of messaging component to help with communication between the doctor and the patient, as well as access to at least some elements of the chart, such as test results. “Patients should…
Patients Leaving Hospitals Often Don’t Understand Care Plans
(Reuters Health)—Many patients leaving the hospital don’t understand follow-up care plans because the instructions are tailored to people with higher reading levels and more education, a recent U.S. study suggests. The American Medical Association already recommends that written health information be targeted to a sixth grade audience because nearly half of the U.S. population is…
Revenue Cycle Management in Physician Practice Improves with Staff Communication, Training
One month has passed since the U.S. healthcare system overcame a historical milestone with the conversion from billing ICD-9-CM to ICD-10-CM. Although the transition to ICD-10 had a major impact on coding operations, its far-reaching tentacles go beyond coding alone and are deeply rooted in the entire revenue cycle. There is room to criticize the…
FDA’s ‘Breakthrough Drug’ Terminology Confuses the Public
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—What the Food and Drug Administration calls a ‘breakthrough’ drug is often not the same as what a layperson would call a breakthrough, a new study shows. The FDA uses the term more often, and for smaller advances, than people use it colloquially, and this may lead patients to have unwarranted confidence…
How Rheumatologists Can Boost Patient Understanding of Educational Materials
Choosing appropriate, pre-written disease fact sheets, or writing your own educational documents can help patients with low health literacy comprehend information about their condition
Practice Page: The ACR’s Insurance Subcommittee Facilitates Better Communication With Health Insurers for Rheumatology Practices
Committee is working to develop policy and programs to help ACR members deal with the administrative requirements of health insurance plans
Physician Texting Could Violate HIPAA
HIPAA requires that healthcare providers maintain administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to protect patient information. This safeguard requirement has many physicians’ attorneys worried that their clients are violating HIPAA on a regular basis.