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Month: September 2018

Compartmentalization vs integration: Is it okay for physicians to grieve?

An oncologist colleague once said to me at a funeral, “People assume that as oncologists, we understand more about death than other people.  But we really don’t.”   He then faced a church filled with mourners and delivered a heartrending eulogy. I’ve thought of his words often since.  Every time I counsel a patient and family…

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Capturing patient stories, or capturing a billing code?

Is the duty of the physician to capture the patient stories, or capture a billing code? In July 2018, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed revamping Medicare payments for office visits. CMS plans to collapse Medicare fees for levels 2 through 5 office visits into a single price beginning in 2019, as…

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