Becker’s Healthcare is the leading source of cutting-edge business and legal information for healthcare industry leaders. Check out some recent interview features with our own Dr. Richard Kube!
Will spine services face bundled payments in the future?
Richard Kube, MD, Founder, CEO, Prairie Spine & Pain Institute, Peoria, Ill.: Yes. I think it will be viewed as another way to cut costs. It will also be viewed as a way to decrease the number of parties at the negotiation table. Smaller groups can get left out of the bundled payment talks when super-providers (huge hospital and practice conglomerates) carve up the business. I believe [CMS] sees it as a way to drive more providers into employment which, based on their actions, seems to be a goal. It will be important for providers to collect data and be able to support their roles as this movement matures.
What Would You Change in the Healthcare Industry?
Dr. Kube: There needs to be [more] accountability for insurance carriers. It has come to the point that they essentially do whatever they want. The amount of resources that a practice has to spend to collect money that is contractually due is unheard of in any other industry that I know. Without a change, many unprepared practices are going to be strangled out of business due to cash flow crunches. They should have to pay their bills or face real consequences like anyone else.
What Are/Is the Most Influential Book(s) You Have Read in 2015?
Dr. Kube: How to Drive Your Competition Crazy by Guy Kawasaki. Great book for anyone building a business, especially if you want that business to grow rapidly and be disruptive in the marketplace. Great foundational principles for sales and management teams in that book.
What Excites Spine Surgeons Most?
Dr. Kube: We are excited to be providing stem cell treatment to large joints and spinal discs. I think this technology has promise and will provide yet another option for those with debilitating degenerative orthopedic conditions.
These articles (1), (2), (3), (4), originally posted on BeckersSpine.com.