Author: Andrew A. Gonzalez , MD, JD, MPH

Andrew A. Gonzalez, MD, JD, MPH is a general surgery resident at the University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System in Chicago and a lecturer in health policy at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) College of Medicine.

Estimating Operating Room Time Improves Medicare Billing

Posted onAuthorAndrew A. Gonzalez , MD, JD, MPH

Currently, physician fees for surgical services furnished to Medicare beneficiaries are largely governed by the resource-based relative value scale. Under this framework, relative value units (RVUs) are used to measure the physician time and effort associated with a particular procedure. Continue Reading …

Provider-led cost control

Posted onAuthorAndrew A. Gonzalez , MD, JD, MPH3 Comments

In an era of increasing government pressure to contain costs, policymakers have encouraged providers to re-evaluate the use of expensive medical devices for cost-effectiveness. This requires physicians to be familiar with the pricing of commonly used devices, and to actively choose less expensive alternatives. However, physician knowledge of Continue Reading …

EHR’s & Physician Productivity

Posted onAuthorAndrew A. Gonzalez , MD, JD, MPH3 Comments

A majority of doctors are dissatisfied with EHRs citing productivity losses. But a new study debunks their feelings. The revolution in health information technology (HIT) holds the promise of improving patient care. Since the passage of the Health Information Technology Continue Reading …