Ron Figura

surgeon | educator • avid reader / re-tweeter • motorsport & live music enthusiast

[Terry Moran 🇺🇸 @TerryMoran]

The most dangerous people in modern life are the social-media/tech oligarchs who enrich themselves by seeding and harvesting human rage, fear, jealousy and resentment.

The Lords of the Algorithms weaponized these platforms against us. They should be publicly shamed and shunned.

[Ron Figura @RonFigura]

#NeverForget

[Robert Reich @RBReich]

Under Dr. Oz, Medicare is launching a pilot program that will use AI to determine whether patients would be covered for certain procedures.

Companies running the program will be paid a share of the savings from rejecting claims.

Who in their right mind voted for this? No one.

[Jay Zawaski @jayzawaski]

RIP Ozzy.

Dude did a farewell concert and raised $190 million for charity 17 days ago.

What a legend.

[Prof. Frank McDonough @FXMC1957]

BBC Radio newsreader John Snagge gives the first news of the D-Day landing at 9:32 AM to the British public.

[J&L Historical @Jason_R_Burt]

81 years ago today, paratroopers bound for Normandy. 🇺🇸

[Dr. Bryan Leyva @DrBryanLeyva]

A 32% claim denial rate is INSANE

[Congressman Greg Murphy, M.D. @RepGregMurphy]

As a surgeon I am not waking my patient up with their belly wide open because some greedy insurance company wants to kill their patients.

[Jerome Adams @JeromeAdamsMD]

Final point- my masters in public health degree is actually in chronic disease prevention. Cardiovascular disease and cancer are now the top killers in our country. But that’s only because vaccine preventable diseases and infections stopped being top killers long ago- we can’t go backwards by de-emphasizing public health and vaccination. A focus on chronic disease prevention is predicated on a foundation of sound infectious disease prevention.

[Torrey Smith @TorreySmithWR]

If your vote didn’t matter, there wouldn’t be fake bomb threats.

[Jay Cummings @LongFormMath]

This must be tweeted every Halloween. I don’t make the rules

[Greg Price @greg_price11]

Every year on 9/11, I watch ESPN's "The Man in the Red Bandana," which tells the story of Welles Crowther, a former college lacrosse player who saved a dozen people in the South tower.

If you've never seen this, take 13 minutes and watch it now.

[Hamilton County 9-1-1 @HC911ECD]

In the bottom of this photo, you can see Ladder 118 crossing over the Brooklyn Bridge on their way to the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. This is their last known photo. Every single firefighter on that truck perished just a few minutes later. We vowed to never forget. #SupportYourFirstResponders

[Ron Figura @RonFigura]

#NeverForget911

[Tom Rogers @RogersHistory]

Take a moment, and remember you don't need to face this at 6am tomorrow, but they did... on the longest day #dday80 #dday #rememberandhonor

[ARCHIVED - NASA Moon @NASAMoon]

Oops I did it again 🤭

#TotalSolarEclipse

[Scott Gottlieb, MD 🇺🇸 @ScottGottliebMD]

This day in history: Jonas Salk, working as the director of the Virus Research Laboratory at University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, announced that he had created the first polio vaccine. Cases fell from about 50K per year before the vaccine to 910 by 1962. H/T @FXMC1957

[Ron Figura @RonFigura]

@DrRianCharles @BrighamWomens @DartmouthHealth @BrighamSurgery @BrighamThoracic Congrats!

[CMS Office of Healthcare Experience - Parody @CMS_Burden_GOV]

Congressman Murphy is not wrong.

Medicare practices are not sustainable as the costs easily overwhelm revenue.

For a fairly busy practice with one physician, the math is simple: at 7,000 wRVU (roughly 15,000 total RVU), Medicare reimbursement is $480,000 at $32 per RVU.

Just the top 6 expenses at least: $465K cost
CMS reimbursement: $480K "revenue"

Doctor's take-home salary at CMS rates: $15K/year ($7.5/hr if 40 hours).

Conservatively,

rent/office expenses (heat/electricity/cleaning): $50,000-$70,000

Billing/office manager is $70K ($25-35/hr plus benefits = $90K

5 staff (Front Desk, 2 Medical Assistants, Receptionist) = $60K + 15K benefits = $75K * 5 = $300K

Malpractice depending on specialty/location: $10-$50K.

Office supplies (gloves, etc): $15,000

EMR/associated services (clearinghouse): $15K