Frank Irving

Investor appetite for medical office buildings has been strong since 2012 and that trend has continued into 2013 and looks like it will persist.

Salaries for doctors are predicted to grow in 2014, with some classifications experiencing a larger bump than others.

Physicians are worried about the future. Some are downright pessimistic.

While healthcare costs continue to skyrocket, medical malpractice payments fell to a new low, undermining the argument that malpractice litigation costs contribute significantly to healthcare costs.

Doctors acknowledge they have a role in helping to contain healthcare costs but they lack enthusiasm for cost containment achieved through changes in payment models.

Under a proposed rule issued this week, CMS would make a separate payment to physicians for managing select Medicare patients' care needs beginning in 2015. Currently, Medicare only pays for primary care management services as part of a face-to-face visit.

Physician residents and fellows are starting their job searches earlier finds a new survey released by Cejka Executive Search.

Medicare eligible professionals (EPs) who do not demonstrate meaningful use for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program may be subject to a payment adjustment beginning Jan. 1, 2015. To ensure that Medicare EPs are aware of the adjustments -- and how to avoid them -- Healthcare Finance News' sister publication, PhysBizTech, recently spoke to Rob Anthony, deputy director of the HIT Initiatives Group at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which administers the EHR Incentive Programs.

CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield reported last week that the second year (2012) of its patient-centered medical home (PCMH) program yielded cost savings of $98 million for 1 million members covered by the effort.

A new index that gauges the financial and operational health of physician practices forecasts a downward trend in profitability for the year ahead.