Dr. Michael Lipscomb, ApolloMD Chief Quality and Patient Safety Officer, has practiced emergency medicine for almost 25 years and possesses extensive experience in optimizing both department flow and patient satisfaction. After noticing the impact of stress on his career, Dr. Lipscomb developed a renewed focus on cultivating personal and professional wellness among health care professionals.
The Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), the largest physician value-based care payment program, is aimed at continuous improvement in quality and healthcare costs. Not the first of its kind, MIPS or similar quality and cost related programs are here to stay. Physicians and APCs must understand the 2021 performance year thresholds, how to improve scores and what is on the horizon from CMS for continued success.
In December 2020, two vaccines were granted emergency use authorization (EUA) by the Food and Drug Administration for prevention of COVID-19 in the US. As these vaccines become widely available, we encourage all clinicians, hospital and health system leaders and other clinical professionals to share educational resources and insights about vaccine safety, how the vaccines work and the similarities and differences between the two.
Wellstar North Fulton Emergency Department was recently the primary receiving facility for multiple victims exposed to a life-threatening carbon monoxide as a result of an accident in a nearby townhome neighborhood. This incident was a testament to Wellstar’s ability to mobilize critical resources on a moment’s notice. Multiple departments came together for the common goal of improving the outcomes of critical patients.
It’s been two years since we recapped the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). MIPS remains the largest physician value-based care payment program and
Emergency department (ED) documentation is the sole record of a patient’s ED visit, aside from the clinician’s and patient’s memory. Emergency physicians and advanced practice clinicians (APCs) are expected to be thorough, accurate, detailed, as well as efficient as they capture all patient information.
Approximately 250,000 preventable hospital deaths occur each year, making medical error the third leading cause of death in the United States. The fast-paced, quick-thinking environment of the ED, combined with often sick and complex patients in need of immediate care with little-to-no known medical history, can lead to increased risk of such medical error and adverse events.