2014 fee schedule and CPT code changes will affect surgical practice.

An overview of provisions in the Medicare physician fee schedule final rule and changes in CPT coding that will affect physician reimbursement in 2014. Key elements of the final rule for the fee schedule center on the potential reduction in payment due to the conversion factor update, payment for in-office procedures, PQRS reporting options, public reporting via CMS' Physician Compare website, and the value-based payment modifier. Fundamental changes in CPT coding affect consultation codes, drainage of skin and subcutaneous structures, complex repair, skin flaps and grafts, breast biopsies and imaging, and other surgery-related codes.

Palliative and end-of-life care training during the surgical clerkship.

Background: In 2000, the Liaison Committee on Medical Education required that all medical schools provide experiential training in end-of-life care. To adhere to this mandate and advance the professional development of medical students, experiential training in communication skills at the end-of-life was introduced into the third-year surgical clerkship curriculum at Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine.

Materials And Methods: In the 2007-08 academic year, 97 third-year medical students completed six standardized end-of-life care patient scenarios commonly encountered during the third-year surgical clerkship.