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 One Question, February 27, 2009


Please choose from the following list the 2-3 most important challenges and/or opportunities that you will face over the next year. 

78.0% - Declining reimbursement
21.3% - ER Hand Call
19.9% - Maintenance of certification
12.8% - Liability insurance
53.2% - Increasing costs
18.4% - Attracting new patients to your practice
31.2% - Quality of life
14.2% - Increasing work hours
10.6% - Keeping up with new educational innovation and procedures

Please list any other challenges or opportunities that you will face in the coming year. 

 

 1.

Looks like the continuance of a general trend.......more work for less dineros :-(

 2.

Figuring out the Medicare quagmire of rules and codes...

 3.

EW call, attract a new colleague to my hospital, increasing work hours, etc

 4.

As a hand surgeon, competing with general and general orthopedic surgeons for care of upper extremity conditions. The society needs to make a more concerted effort to educate the general public about the value of consulting with a hand surgeon for their hand problems.

 5.

liability risk, competition from non-Hand surgeons, staffing

 6.

Recruiting a new (replacement) surgeon to my practice

 7.

Compensating for lost revenue in my retirement plan. I an over 65 and have a shoet horizon.

 8.

Attacting plastic surgery residents to pursue a career in hand surgery.

 9.

The steady march toward socialized medicine in this country.

 10.

animosity from local insurers and hospitals to "squeeze" ancillary income away from physisians

 11.

increasing office overhead

 12.

Brace yourself, people. We are all about to experience a substantial decline in reimbursement and income with the policies of this new Administration

 13.

making expenses

 14.

Trying to provide adequate care for patients with hand injuries without letting the administration force me to practice below the standard of care.

 15.

Government interference

 16.

The national socialization of health care with treatment dictated and directed by legislation, not by physicians.

 17.

only hand surgeon in a large rural setting

 18.

More time with family

 19.

Practicing "evidence-based" medicine when there is no evidence, or the evidence is crap.

 20.

Taxes

 21.

adjusting to a new associate

 22.

building my new office and surgery center

 23.

Shrinking retirement fund

 24.

Transition to a new practice

 25.

Declining Reimbursement

 26.

The rise of unqualified plastic surgeons taking hand call as their cosmetic practices decrease. They "cherry pick" the insured patients and attempt to dump underfunded one. In addition to frequently poorly treating the insured ones.

 27.

Obamanomics

 28.

MOST STRESSFUL : Taking the General orthopaedics portion of the boards in September!

 29.

Insurance restrictions on reimbursement for procedures done at surgeon-owned surgery centers

 30.

recruiting a third orthopaedist

 31.

More uninsured patients