All Posts Written By Shawna Spiller, Author at Diederich Healthcare

March 27, 2014
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Learning from the Past: Georgia leads the way in developing statewide patient safety initiatives

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Recently, MagMutual, a medical liability insurance company governed by the Medical Association of Georgia, has invested $50 million dollars in new patient safety initiatives. The investment came as a result of a net gain in MagMutual’s profits resulting from an overall reduction in claim activity against its insured’s since 2005. The company currently insures over 18,000 physicians in Georgia and will utilize all of their historical claim data to develop statistical analyses in an effort…

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March 17, 2014
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The Agency Advantage: Utilizing your Professional Liability Agent for Maximum Premium Credits

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As a result of an increased number of lawsuits involving medical malpractice due to poor risk management practices, many professional liability carriers are now offering multiple opportunities for physicians to learn best practices while also earning credits toward their premium.  The training focuses on quality assurance through identifying risk, minimizing risk, and reducing the impact when losses occur.1   By implementing strategies for improving existing methods, both the physician and the carrier benefit by reducing the…

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February 25, 2014
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Changing Practice Models & The Affordable Care Act

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Undoubtedly, one of the largest issues facing physicians today is the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as the ACA. The bill, which was passed on March 23rd, 2010, outlined comprehensive health care reform initiatives that will eventually change the landscape of physician practice as we currently know it. Although opinions on the Act and what it means for health care delivery are highly divided, one thing is for certain – the changes…

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February 24, 2014
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Effective Physician/Patient Communication

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Multiple studies have revealed a disparity of the perceived effectiveness of communication from the standpoint of the physician and from that of the patient. The manner in which a physician communicates health information to a patient is often as important as the information itself. In a recent survey of patients treated by orthopedic surgeons, 75% of the physicians believed they communicated satisfactorily with the patients, while only 21% of patients felt they received adequate communication….

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December 02, 2013
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Navigating Digital Technologies: A Social Media Guide for Physicians and Practices

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The scope and reach of physicians are expanding rapidly due to an increase in user-created content and online media in the digital age. Social media sites, such as Twitter and Facebook, internet-based applications, blogs, texting and emailing, media-sharing sites, and networking sites have all led to an increase in the communication between physicians and their patients, physicians and the public, and among physician colleagues. In fact, over 60% of physicians use some type of social…

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December 02, 2013
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Know the Factors that Affect Professional Liability Premiums

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As professional liability agents, one question we often are asked is, “how can I reduce my premium?”  Although this question might appear simple, premiums are directly correlated to multiple factors, including practice profiles, policy types and features, physician background, and even market conditions.  Diederich Healthcare employs a highly skilled staff that is able to navigate the market, armed with the practice profile, in order to provide physicians and their staff with tailored, cost-effective solutions regarding…

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December 02, 2013
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Comparative Models of Healthcare Delivery in the Midst of an Expected Physician Shortage

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The Affordable Care Act of 2011 has changed the conventional model of healthcare delivery and payments in an effort to meet the “triple aim” of the IHI goals: Improve the general health of the defined population, enhance the patient care experience, and reduce the per-capita cost of care. Although the ACA will greatly increase patient care, physician access is still expected to be an issue due to increases in the newly insured and aging populations….

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January 23, 2013
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HITECH Breach Notification Final Ruling Provides Additional Regulation of Protected Health Information (PHI)

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On January 18th, 2013, the Department of Health and Human Services released their final ruling on modifications to the HIPAA Privacy, Security, Enforcement, and Breach Notification Rules. These rulings will affect the way in which an individual’s health information is shared and will identify the consequences when there has been a breach of privacy. While the law has been less defined in the past, it will now be much more highly regulated through these provisions….

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