Jeff Bendix, Senior Editor

Body fat in the gut is a driver of numerous chronic diseases

Diet changes could improve chronic disease

The role of grain in chronic disease

The goal of Restore Health is to provide an alternative to the traditional approaches to preventing the onset of chronic diseases

Primary care doctors have been reluctant to embrace risk-based care contracts

Confronting implicit bias is not easy, but health care organizations that make the effort often realize benefits

Prior authorizations remain among the most vexing problems facing primary care practices

Insurers could refuse to cover applicants with preexisting conditions

Physicians in independent practice need to embrace change

The revenue gap between male and female physicians is due to differences in visit volume

States have changed restrictions on nurse practitioners

Access points for primary care are rapidly increasing

The study appears in the September 2020 issue of Health Affairs

Fee-for-service medicine will remain for many years to come.

Practices should guarantee as much revenue as possible upfront

It’s been a decade since the launch of accountable care organizations and many still struggle to realize their original goal

Patient demand for telemedicine will remain after the COVID-19 pandemic, and as a result more payers will reimburse for it

Flexibility and the ability to adapt to unforeseen events are key to good financial forecasting

Practices should take advantage of federal and state programs

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for value-based payment models

Practices need to regularly evaluate their revenue and expenses

Could a Biden Administration benefit America’s health care system?

David Zetter, founder of Zetter HealthCare LLC, says practices can ease patients’ safety concerns by informing them of all the safety measures the practice has put in place.

Read on for the highest- and lowest-performing states in each category and several individual metrics.

Practices need to follow CDC guidelines

David Zetter, founder of Zetter HealthCare LLC, says that with careful preparation, practices can profit from telehealth after the COVID-19 pandemic has ended.

David Zetter, founder of Zetter HealthCare LLC, says practices need to closely monitor their payers’ requirements for telehealth billing, because they are changing constantly.

Telehealth and other forms of virtual care have increased dramatically since the onset of COVID-19, and research shows patients prefer it over traditional care.

Practices’ decisions on reopening depend on each practice’s circumstances and how many staff are willing to return.

A recent study finds that doctors in system-affiliated practices are better off than than those in independent practice.