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REINVENTION IS THE NAME OF THE GAME IN MEDICINE TODAY, A S E XPANDED REGUL ATIONS FORCE PHYSICIANS TO REMAIN NIMBLE IN THE FACE OF CONSTANT CHANGE. " Physicians who understand how IT plays a role in improving efficiencies and clinical outcomes — and why it is an essential tool for helping to keep individuals healthy — will have an advantage as healers and as business leaders." NIR MENACHEMI, PHD, MPH, PROFESSOR AND DEPARTMENT CHAIR IN HEALTH POLICY AND MANAGEMENT AT INDIANA UNIVERSITY RICHARD M. FAIRBANKS SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH A S J U S T O N E E X A M P L E , w it h i n a few years, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services wants three-quarters of Medicare payments routed through payment models that place a premium on care that generates better quality and lower costs, Modern Healthcare noted in a recent article. That a nd ot her r u les, say ex per ts, mean physicians must have a high level of business and technologica l sav v y. "The main challenge is maintaining a high-quality, reliable revenue stream in the face of healthcare documentation and coding requirements ...," says Robert Robinson, MD, Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at Southern Illinois University (SIU) School of Medicine. "Each physician has the ability to posi- tively a• ect the fi nancial stability of their practice. The best way to achieve that is by understanding your role in healthcare reimbursement and how healthcare qual- ity a• ects reimbursement, and working to make sure the hard work you do as a physician is well-documented." Dr. Robinson leads a lecture series at SIU that focuses on topics including compensation, evaluation and manage- ment coding, medica l documentation, and physician qua lity. " We d i s c u s s i n d e t a i l . . . h o w t o implement complex rules in rea l-world practice," he says. "[Physicians] have to develop these skills to do well." THE IT FACTOR Critica l to proper documentation a nd en ha nced qua lit y of ca re is f luency in i n for mat ion tech nolog y (IT), wh ich h a s g r o w n v a s t l y m or e i mp or t a nt since t he introduction of EH R s. The benef its of acquiring that f luency a re threefold, says Nir Menachemi, Ph D, MPH, Professor a nd Depa r tment Cha ir i n He a lt h Pol ic y a nd M a n a gement a t I n d i a n a Un i v e r s it y R i c h a r d M . Fa irba n ks School of Public Hea lth. " Fi rst , comput ers ca n help cor re - late d ispa rate pieces of i n for mation a nd ma ke complex infor mation from m u l t i p l e s o u r c e s a v a i l a b l e t o t h e decision-ma ker at t he point of ca re," Menachemi says. "Second, IT ca n help prov ide the latest , most cut ting-edge information about a treatment or dr ug that may not yet be known to a provider. La stly, IT ca n help reduce ba rriers to ca re a nd improve patient-centeredness a nd patient convenience." Developi n g t hese a nd ot her sk i l ls for s uc c e s s i n t he med ic a l m a rket- pl a c e t a k e s pa s s ion , s ay s Ph i l ippa K e n n e a ly, M D, M P H , C P C C , P C C , F o u n d e r a n d P r e s i d e n t o f T h e Ent repreneu r i a l M D, a Ca l i for n i a- ba sed physicia n coa ch i n g busi ness. However, s he say s , t hose apt it ude s c a n b e m a s t e r e d i n f o r m a l l y a n d orga n ica l ly, a s wel l a s by obt a i n i n g a n additiona l deg ree. "Be creative and imaginative as you f ig ure out how to ga in new skills ...," Dr. Kennea ly says. "Join networks of people who are not just doctors. Find out how to mingle with people who do have business skills, and be OK with not knowing and with asking questions." ■ Technological Acumen Increasingly Vital to Physician Success BY K ATY MENA•BERKLEY B U S I N E S S O F M E D I C I N E 1 5 1 5 M D N E W S .C O M /// M D N E W S L O N G I S L A N D ■ 2 016