In Brief
In Brief
MGMA offers new recruitment service
Looking for the perfect physician for your practice? The Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) in Englewood, CO, is introducing a new service to help practices find the right doctor. Interactive Career Opportunity Network features an on-line database in which group practices and other organizations can list the qualifications they seek in physician applicants. More than 1,100 job opportunities have been listed with the service since it went live at the end of last year.
The network also allows physicians seeking new positions to browse through an employment opportunities database by state, region, and specialty, and then reply to openings on line or by touch-tone telephone 24-hours a day.
Physicians can access the database free through MGMA’s Web site, www.mgma.com or by phone toll-free at (877) 700-0203. An additional feature allows physicians to register in a confidential positions-wanted section and post their resumes on line.
Employers using the network receive instant on-line access to candidate responses to position openings. They also may look in the positions wanted section for potential candidates.
Fees for employers to use the program are based on the length of time a position is featured and the number of opportunities listed. For additional information about the Interactive Career Opportunity Network, call (877) 877-6462.
Y2K solutions offered
To help health care providers deal with the year 2000 problem, American Health Consultants, publisher of Practice Marketing and Management, offers the Hospital Manager’s Y2K Crisis Manual, a compilation of resources for nontechnical hospital managers. This 150-page reference provides answers to questions such as these:
• Will your computers and software work?
• What does Y2K mean for patient care?
• What will happen to your medical devices?
• How can you make sure your vendors are Y2K compliant?
• Are you at legal risk due to Y2K?
• Are you prepared if Y2K delays HCFA payments?
The manual is available for $149. For details, contact American Health Consultants’ customer service at (800) 688-2421 or www.ahcpub.com.
Part B spending drops as HMO presence grows
Here’s one more item to factor into your practice’s budgetary and strategic planning: As commercial managed care’s percentage of a given market increases, researchers have uncovered a related "spill-over" phenomenon that results in less traditional Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) spending, along with a subsequent change in physician practice patterns.
In fact, Part B Medicare FFS spending falls an average 1.5% per beneficiary with each 10% change in local HMO enrollment levels, says the study, "Association of Man aged Care Market Share and Health Expenditures for Fee-for-Service Medicare Patients,"published in the Feb. 3 Journal of the American Medi cal Association. The study found Medicare FFS spending fell by 2.5% when HMO penetration rose from 20% to 30% and dropped 3% when penetration rose from 30% to 40%. Similarly, Medicare Part A spending also fell 2% to 3% with each 10% increase in local area managed care penetration.
FFS spending tends to increase as Medicare HMOs expand their presence in a market, the study found. In fact, a 9.4% jump in Medicare FFS spending occurs when HMO Medicare enrollment rises from 10% to 20%, according to the study.
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