Ask Spine Surgeons is a weekly series of questions posed to spine surgeons around the country about clinical, business and policy issues affecting spine care. We invite all spine surgeon and specialist responses. Next week's question: How often do you renegotiate contracts with implant vendors? Please send responses to Laura Miller at laura@beckershealthcare.com by Wednesday, May 23 at 5pm CST.
Dennis Crandall, MD, Founder and Medical Director of Sonoran Spine Center, Phoenix: Working with managed care payors to get appropriate and timely reimbursed for what we do. The hours we spend collecting from insurers seems to be increasing as the reimbursements are decreasing.
Jaideep Chunduri, MD, Spine Surgeon, Beacon Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine, Cincinnati: The biggest inefficiency in my practice that I feel hampers my staff and myself is dealing with the insurance company from precerting surgeries and then getting paid on the back end. A lot of time is spent trying to get surgery approved. There is a big difference from what we learn as we go through training and read the books to what the insurance companies "deem" medically necessary. There are a lot more patients that I feel I can help if the insurance companies would allow us to practice medicine in the way that we learned it.
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Q: What is the biggest inefficiency in your practice?
Dennis Crandall, MD, Founder and Medical Director of Sonoran Spine Center, Phoenix: Working with managed care payors to get appropriate and timely reimbursed for what we do. The hours we spend collecting from insurers seems to be increasing as the reimbursements are decreasing.
Jaideep Chunduri, MD, Spine Surgeon, Beacon Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine, Cincinnati: The biggest inefficiency in my practice that I feel hampers my staff and myself is dealing with the insurance company from precerting surgeries and then getting paid on the back end. A lot of time is spent trying to get surgery approved. There is a big difference from what we learn as we go through training and read the books to what the insurance companies "deem" medically necessary. There are a lot more patients that I feel I can help if the insurance companies would allow us to practice medicine in the way that we learned it.
More Articles on Spine Surgeons:
8 Spine Surgeons on the Future of Spinal Fusions
6 Spine Surgeons on How Young Surgeons Can Position Themselves for Success in the Future
What Percentage of Your Spine Practice is Medicare Patients?