Practice briefs
Special Medigap open enrollment continues this month
Physicians should advise their elderly patients that a special six-month open enrollment period for supplemental health insurance plans (commonly called Medigap) ends June 30.
This special open enrollment period applies to patients who turned 65 between Nov. 5, 1991, and Jan. 1, 1995, but who were getting Medicare earlier because of a disability or end-stage renal disease. Under Medicare rules, beneficiaries cannot be refused a Medigap policy or charged a higher price because of a pre-existing condition or past claims experience.
For information about Medigap open enrollment, call 800-638-6833. The TTY number for the hearing and speech impaired is 800-820-1202.
68%--That's what Medicare pays you
According to the congressional Physician Payment Review Commission, the gap between what Medicare pays physicians and what the private insurance pays for the same services is narrowing. Medicare's physician fees are now 68% of the typical private sector fee, up from 64% a year ago.
The change is due in part to Medicare's annual increases and to the smaller increases in fees paid by the private sector, the PPRC concluded. Consumer prices for physician services rose 4.4% in 1994, according to the Labor Department. PPRC researchers said 1994 was the first time since 1989 that the gap had shrunk.
Registry of CLIA consultants available
If you are looking for a skilled laboratory technologist or specialist to hire as a consultant to help you get through CLIA, the American Society of Clinical Pathologists (ASCP) has compiled a directory that may help.
The 400 non-physician technologists listed in the 1994-95 Technical Consultant Directory are certified by the ASCP Board of Registry and have met certain educational and professional criteria set by ASCP.
The directory costs $35. Information: 800-621-4142 in Illinois, or 312-738-1336, ext. 139. Write to Technical Consultant Directory, ASCP Board of Registry, 2100 W. Harrison St., Chicago, Ill. 60612-3798.
Accommodating obese patients
To better accommodate obese patients, doctors can provide a few high, extra-firm, armless chairs in waiting rooms and exam rooms, consultants recommend.
The National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, an advocacy group, has other tips. Information: 800-442-1214.
Collect histories in Spanish more easily
If you need to collect medical histories from Spanish-speaking patients for preoperative assessments, and you don't speak Spanish, you may want to investigate a new battery-powered electronic product that allows patients to enter their medical histories in Spanish.
HealthQuiz PreScreen, made by Nellcor Inc. of Pleasanton, Calif., allows a patient to complete a questionnaire in Spanish. The clinician can have the device print a one-page summary report in English.
Information: 800-NELLCOR.
Spotlight: Patient education materials
- The National Kidney Foundation has created a new patient education library on "Living with High Blood Pressure." The kit includes seven brochures, a medication reminder and a personal blood pressure record card. Kits, which were made possible through support from Sandoz Pharmaceuticals Corp., are available to physicians by calling 800-622-9010.
- The newest in the "CareSheets" series of patient education brochures from Palo Alto Medical Publishing Inc. addresses the issue of fibrocystic breasts and contains information about breast health for all women. Cost is 69 cents per brochure, and a free catalog of CareSheets is available. Information: 800-373-PAMP or 408-379-7267.
- Two new 10-minute patient education videotapes on urinary incontinence are available from Milner-Fenwick Video Counseling Library. "Urinary Incontinence in Women" and "Surgery for Urinary Incontinence in Women" can be previewed for free by health care professionals, and cost $250 each. Information: 800-432-8433, or fax preview requests to 410-252-6316.
- A new 26-minute videotape, "The HIV Test: Who Should Take It? What Does It Show?" is available to all health care professionals for a free 15-day preview. The video is closed captioned and is also available in Spanish. The purchase price is $200, with some discounts available. Information: Milner-Fenwick Inc., 800-432-8433.
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