According to (Meuter et al, 2015.) Miscommunication in the healthcare sector can be life-threatening. The rising number of migrant patients and foreign-trained staff means that communication errors between a healthcare practitioner and patient when one or both are speaking a second language are increasingly likely. However, there is limited research that addresses this issue systematically. This protocol outlines a hospital-based study examining interactions between healthcare practitioners and their patients who either share or do not share a first language. Of particular interest are the nature and efficacy of communication in language-discordant conversations, and the degree to which …show more content…
The data resulting from this study will inform policy and practical solutions for communication training, provide an agenda for future research, and extend theory in heath communication. Barriers to effective and equitable healthcare can result from linguistic differences between patients and clinicians. (L1) is not the majority language. Patients who are linguistic minority migrants, a group also increasing in number, must similarly use a second language (L2) during their healthcare encounters, or rely on the availability and accuracy of an interpreter. Thus growing numbers of patients using a country’s healthcare system do not share an L1 with their practitioner and vice versa. Language discrepancies may result in increased psychological stress and medically significant communication errors for already anxious patients, something to which patients in language-congruent encounters are less vulnerable. Moreover, it is not just a language that can cause barriers to equitable healthcare: inequities inherent in the social dynamic of the patient-practitioner encounter are well documented, and these inequities occur independent of whether L1 is …show more content…
Reimbursement involves more than just what you get paid; it is a long, and often convoluted, process that starts when a patient first contacts your office. In order to appropriately maximize your reimbursement, it is imperative that you know the basics. This includes correct coding. The key to begin to understand this aspect of the business of medicine is to understand the basics of Medicare. While private payers vary in their reimbursement rates and policies, most are tied in some form to the Medicare system. Physician reimbursement from Medicare is a three step process: appropriate coding of the service provided by utilizing current procedural terminology, appropriate coding of diagnosis using ICD-9 code and, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services determination of the appropriate fee based on the resources-based relative value scale. CPT, is a proprietary product of the American Medical Association. CPT is a uniform coding system that was developed in conjunction between physicians and the Health Care Financing Administration, and was first published by the AMA in 1966. The initial purpose of the system was to help standardize terminology among physicians and record clerks. Since 1970, CPT has undergone yearly updates based on changes in medical and surgical procedures and the development of new