Articles Written By Our Practice Brokers

HHS announces new incentives for providers to work together through Accountable Care Organizations when caring for Medicare beneficiaries

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently released final regulations regarding Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). These additional changes were based on over 1,300 comments received after the spring proposal of the rule. ACOs are designed to increase the efficiency of care delivery and payment, which in effect would save federal healthcare dollars and improve patient care. This offers another option for healthcare providers to collaborate in the care of Medicare beneficiaries. However, unlike managed care plans, Medicare patients will not be required to see a restricted group of physicians.

Transition Consultants helped us to sell our primary care practice in 2 weeks. We had the urgency to relocate and did not have the luxury of time. This is when I got help from David and his company in bringing us a valid buyer who could understand and take over our practice within two weeks. David and Transition Consultants worked hard on and after hours and weekends to help us make this transition happen.

The Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General (OIG), recently released an advisory opinion pertaining to a pathology lab management arrangement (the "Proposed Arrangement"). Advisory Opinion No. 11-15 examines a proposal by a company (the "Requestor") wishing to contract with a Medicare-certified pathology lab. According to the Proposed Arrangement, the Requestor would furnish all the lab's operational needs, including equipment, non-physician personnel, medical billing and marketing. The lab, in return, would pay the Requestor a usage fee based on a fixed percentage of the lab's annual income, which may include reimbursements from Medicare and state health care programs.

A recent advisory opinion was released from the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (OIG), pertaining co-management. Co-management in vision care is the sharing of a patient's care between a surgeon and primary eye care professional. Advisory Opinion No. 11-14 pertains to a proposal from an ophthalmology group (the "Requestor") regarding co-management of cataract surgery patients with independent optometrists. Per the proposal, the independent optometrists would separately charge the beneficiaries for services related to premium refractive intraocular lenses that are not covered by the Medicare program. The group was inquiring whether the arrangement would violate section 1128(b)(7) of the Social Security Act (the "Act"), or the civil monetary penalty provision at section 1128A(a)(7) of the Act, as those sections relate to section 1128B(b) of the Act, the Federal anti-kickback statute.

Optometry Practice Management and Review

Optometric practice owners deal with a confluence of factors which impact the operational efficiency and financial performance of their businesses. With looming changes in the healthcare environment, optometrists in the private practice setting need to be mindful of strategies to stay competitive. The majority of optometry practice owners are responsible for both management as well as clinical care. As they may consider selling their practice at some point, they should be cognizant of operational issues, trends in Optometry, and other macro factors affecting marketability and valuation of optometry practices. Additional discussion on how to value an optometry practice can also be found on our site.