This series explores legal issues related to physician burnout and potential solutions. Our first post addressed how healthcare organizations can foster the psychological safety and emotional wellbeing of their physicians. Clients regularly report that charting and documenting, and communicating with patients via EMR is a substantial contributor to physician burnout. Here, we discuss artificial intelligence as a potential way to attract, support and retain clinicians overwhelmed by ever-growing to-do lists, allowing them to focus on delivering clinical care.Continue Reading Solving for Physician Burnout: How Organizations Can Deploy AI Solutions to Effectively Support Physician Workloads and Avoid Legal Pitfalls

On July 31, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) issued its proposed rule (“Proposed Rule”) for the 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, which includes implications for telehealth services reimbursable by Medicare. Although the majority of telehealth waivers enacted during the COVID-19 public health emergency (the “PHE”) are set to expire at the end of 2024 in the absence of legislative action, CMS has proposed to leave certain key flexibilities in place, including the allowance for physicians and other practitioners to furnish remote “direct supervision” through their immediate availability via audio-video technology.Continue Reading Key Telehealth Updates in the CY 2025 Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule

The U.S. has long had a shortage of physicians in various practice areas. The shortage is even more pronounced in rural areas. International medical graduates (IMG’s) who come to the U.S. to complete a residency in a specialty area primarily come to the U.S. on J-1 visas. By statute, any physician who enters the U.S. on a J-1 must return home for 2 years before applying for H-1B status or permanent residency.Continue Reading Having Trouble Recruiting Physicians? The Conrad 30 Window is Opening Soon