El medico ante la publicidad de la industria farmaceutica / Doctor facinf pharmaceutical industry publicing

La industria farmaceutica, por medio de sus visitadores, folletos, conferencias, revistas y libros, es la principal fuente de informacion cientifica para los medicos y su apoyo economico le otorga cierto control sobre publicaciones, congresos e investigadores independientes. Para mantener el sistema de funcionamiento, el paciente debe consumir gran cantidad de medicamentos caros; mientras los objetivos de la investigacion, la formacion, la difusion de conocimientos y la practica medica, preventiva o curativa se desplazan hacia aquellas areas que permiten un mayor consumo de farmacos. Se propone que el control economico de la investigacion, publicacion y educacion medica pase de manos de la industria a las de otros agentes (Administracion, universidades, asociaciones cientificas y profesionales, asociaciones ciudadanas...)

Analyzing vendor and supplier contracts.

Contracts increasingly govern the way medical groups operate their businesses. While physician employment contracts and contracts with HMOs and PPOs usually receive significant scrutiny and analysis, little attention has been paid to the myriad contractual relationships by which physicians secure services for their own practices.

The manager's checklist: how to keep your group legally up-to-date.

Most groups depend on their administrators to lead them through the maze of legal rules, regulations and arrangements that businesses in health care must now confront, writes Keith Korenchuk, J.D., M.P.H. He, therefore, presents an indispensable checklist to aid administrators in systematically keeping their group legally up-to-date.

Giving credit its due in the group practice setting. How credit cards can improve cash flow.

The health care industry is moving toward more patient service, and one aspect of service often overlooked is billing, writes Marcia Pear. Some practice managers believe credit cards aren't cost effective. In reality, they can actually accelerate cash flow and allow patients to resolve financial obligations sooner.

Preventive medicine in primary care. Moving from theory to practice.

Primary care physicians are in a unique position to offer preventive services. They have access to patients when intervention may be most successful, and they see most patients over a long period, which allows for adequate follow-up. The challenges are choosing the most effective interventions and organizing records and office staff to facilitate delivery of preventive services. Preventive medicine may not be as dramatic or as immediately successful as curative medicine, but it can have a tremendous long-term impact on health and well-being.

Using a computer database to increase efficiency in the practice setting.

A computerized database is an invaluable tool for planning and managing patient care. The design and function of two databases for an ambulatory cardiology setting are discussed in this article. Information about patients with hyperlipidemia and with permanent pace-makers was entered into the custom-designed databases. The benefits of using computers for record keeping, such as improved organization and efficiency, are also addressed.

Dealing with reimbursement difficulties in today's payment environment.

Medical groups nationally are struggling with reimbursement levels, writes author Suzanne Anderson. Groups effectively dealing with the problem realize the solution is not restricted to the billing office but rather begins prior to providing service and lasts until well after payment is collected.

Patient, revenue and cost analyses for medical practices.

Authors Robert Stevens and Thomas Chatham write that revenue and cost analysis can be performed by medical groups from historical data they maintain. Such analysis provides the administrator with a data base for developing realistic objectives and identifying areas which should be more fully developed or even eliminated.