Dear Imaging Center Insider,
Whenever a group of people work together, some will inevitably feel they are carrying more of the workload than others. This often leads to the sort of internecine squabbling that can tear a group asunder.
The ability to determine workload accurately can not only nip resentment in the bud, it can help determine shortfalls in a practice that need to be addressed. One such method is the use of relative value units (RVUs), which are based on the resources used for furnishing physician services.
In a poster presentation at the recent Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) meeting in San Francisco, healthcare consultant Melissa Dill discussed the implementation of an RVU-based physician workload management system at a 21-member radiology facility.
Rather than forcing physicians to remember actual RVU component values as determined by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the radiology group opted for a daily point targets system. A chest x-ray was selected as the basic procedure common to all the radiologists, and assigned a value of one point. Point values for all other procedures were based on the chest x-ray value.
It took several months to fine-tune the system and begin the process, and although the group found some of its productivity preconceptions validated, others were disproved. Get the rest of the story about physician productivity here. As an AuntMinnie.com Imaging Center Insider, you have access to this article days before our other members.
In other news, be sure to stop by this Friday and check out our coverage of the 2004 Economics of Diagnostic Imaging national symposium from Arlington, VA. We'll be on the scene to provide you with the latest news in practice management.
