Making Sense of the Ever-Changing Medicare Physician Fee Schedule

by Karin Chernoff Kaplan, Director,
and Richard Chasinoff, Principal
and Jack Lacy, Senior Associate

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By now you’ve probably read (whether published by Veralon or another source) that there were significant changes made to the 2021 Medicare physician fee schedule (PFS). The entire program was originally intended to be budget neutral, but reimbursement was restructured to increase payments to cognitive specialties (such as primary care and other medical specialties) and […]

Hospital M&A Series Part 6: Hospital M&A: Is This a Fair Deal? What to Consider

by Daniel Grauman, Managing Director & CEO
and Kevin Cope, Manager

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Board members of not-for-profit community hospitals face enormous pressure to protect their community’s access to care. Even when the economic reasons for hospital mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are compelling, the decision to give up control to another system cannot be made based on purchase price alone. It’s just one reason why not-for-profit board members must […]

4 Myths of Physician Compensation

by Karin Chernoff Kaplan, Director
and Richard Chasinoff, Principal

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There are a number of common beliefs about setting physician compensation that are pervasive. When closely examined, they turn out to be untrue. Once you know the facts, you can do a better job of establishing appropriate compensation structures and levels.   Contact the Authors: Karin Chernoff Kaplan, Director, kkaplan@veralon.com Richard Chasinoff, Principal, rchasinoff@veralon.com

A Post-COVID Alternative to Physician Employment

by Karin Chernoff Kaplan, Director
and Richard Chasinoff, Principal

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Independent physician practices took a financial beating during the first months of COVID-19—and not just due to postponement of elective procedures. Today, consumers remain fearful of returning to a physician office environment, with office visits down 20 to 30 percent compared with pre-COVID levels. Now, many of these practices are coming to hospitals to make […]

Hospital M&A Series Part 4: Finding the Right Partner During COVID-19: 3 Considerations for Hospitals

by Scott Stuecher, Manager

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As hospitals rethink their approach to care delivery during the pandemic, many also are weighing whether partnership is needed. Now is a good time for leaders to consider: What would make an ideal partner? Even as hospitals face extreme financial pressure following COVID-19, some independents are finding that their financial standing may not be as […]

Physician Enterprise Optimization

by Rudd Kierstead, Principal
and Robert F. Hill, Jr., Principal

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Prior to the pandemic, we learned something quite surprising.  In a Veralon survey, only 42% of respondents viewed the financial losses on employed physician enterprises as “unacceptable” or a “major priority.” Perhaps “surprising” is too tame a description.  We were “shocked.”  At the time of our survey, the level of losses typically varied between $150,000-$200,000 […]

3 Ways to Build Relationships with Independent Physicians Now



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It is the opportune time to build relationships with independent physicians. As always, one answer does not fit all so leadership needs to assess each individual physician and the appropriate models with care and attention. After more than two months into the COVID-19 pandemic, the situation for many independent practices remains shaky. Practices are struggling […]