Special Feature

The term “hospitalist” was first used by Robert Wachter, MD, of the University of California, San Francisco, in a 1996 article written for the New England Journal of Medicine. Dr. Wachter, generally considered the academic leader of the hospitalist movement, might have done well to copyright the term, because today it’s practically a household word.

When a patient with health insurance receives healthcare services, generally his/her out-of-pocket costs are limited to copays and deductibles. Lately, however, some healthcare providers with a beef against health insurers have been slamming patients with balance bills, according to

The Bush administration has apparently had it with unscrupulous agents who peddle inappropriate Medicare plans to unsuspecting seniors. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services recently unveiled proposed new rules that would bar agents from using aggressive tactics

Despite the recent slide in home prices, people who have lived in their homes for several years are still likely to sitting on a large pile of home equity. The house you grew up in, for example, is probably worth a lot more than it was when you were living there.

The bad news from the IRS is that there will be more tax audits this year, especially for higher-income, self-employed taxpayers, a description that fits many physicians. Here's a tip if the IRS calls you for an

Five years ago, physician concerns with the nation’s healthcare system were two-fold: They said they were spending less time with patients, and they needed to work harder to maintain an income. Those same concerns are often voiced by today’s medical doctors.

You can get some nifty tax breaks if you employ family members in your medical practice, including a business deduction for salaries as well as benefits like health insurance coverage. If you opt to go this route, however, you must make sure your family members are legitimate

In a rare unanimous vote, the US Senate passed a bill last week that would outlaw discrimination against a person based on his/her genetic profile. Aimed at both health insurers and employers, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act would bar insurance companies from

Earlier this year, some US consumers who put their phone numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry were advised that they had to renew their registration, which was set to expire after five years, or be dropped from the list. No more.

The idea that preventing disease is cheaper than waiting for the illness to appear and then treating it is almost axiomatic in the healthcare arena. As it turns out, however, this is one of those axioms that isn’t true.

Nearly 80% of the wealthiest Americans think prices in the current real estate market have created a real buying opportunity and 40% are actively looking to buy into it this year. That's according to a survey of high-income Americans by American Express and Harrison Group, a market research

The credit crisis has caused some banks to cut back on credit card solicitations, but you're still likely to see offers of low, low credit card interest rates show up in your mailbox. Most of these offers claim that the interest rate is "fixed," but according to the fine print in the credit

When automated teller machines were introduced, banks billed them as cost-saving machines. Bank customers who expected to see some of those savings have been sorely disappointed, however. Last year, Bank of America raised it ATM fee for non-customers to $3,

The folks down in DC, as usual, have turned a relatively simple idea and added complex rules to make it confusing. Congress has decreed, for example, that the economic stimulus rebate should go to people who don't pay taxes, which means that even those who don't usually file a tax return will have to file one this year to get in on the goodies.

Now that you've written (or will write) that tax check to the IRS, you may wonder what the government can do for you in return. If you're a bargain hunter, you might want to check out the Federal government's auctions. Various Federal agencies periodically auction off surplus

The deadline for filing your 1040 is less than a week away and you're not anywhere near ready to sit down and figure it all out. Don't panic; just file a request for an extension (IRS Form 4868). That gives you until October 15 to get your act together and file your 2007 tax return. The IRS reminds you, however,

Dickering with a car dealer over the price of a new or used car is part of the American way, but old-fashioned bargaining has fallen off when it comes to other consumer goods. With the economy in the doldrums, however, driving a hard bargain is making a comeback, even at big-box stores

Etching your car's vehicle identification number (VIN) onto the car windows is such an effective theft deterrent that many insurance companies will offer you a discount on your auto insurance if you have it done. That's because thieves like cars with untraceable parts.

A physician's family members often look on him/her as a source of money when their cash flow gets tight (an all-too-common occurrence nowadays), or when they want to finance a car, a home, or a fledgling business. Experts caution, however, that if a relative is looking for a loan, it may be best to think of it as a giftâ€"the chances of getting paid back are often

Withdrawal, anger and depression, and social isolation are all classic symptoms of certain addictions. A March 2008 article in the American Journal of Psychiatry, however, added a fourth—a constant need for new and better computer equipment—and ascribed them to a newly

Is the scale in your medical office in a common area, where visitors can view the patient being weighed in? If so, there’s an excellent chance that some of your patients, especially women, are skipping needed

Tax time can be most taxing for physicians and there's a real temptation to chuck all that paperwork once it's over. Don't do it. It's vital that you keep your actual tax returns forever. As for documents that support your deductions and exemptions, you need to

Physicians and lawyers in Pennsylvania have joined forces in a pilot project aimed at preventing medical malpractice claims from getting to a courtroom. Members of the Montgomery County Bar Association and the county medical society have joined with

The recent collapse at Bear Stearns brought on a couple of lawsuits filed by stockholders and by members of the firm's stock ownership plan. Observers note that the suits may be the harbingers of what could be a flood of litigation against Wall Street investment

There are days when it seems like the only bull left in New York's financial district is the famous statue that stands in Bowling Green Park, around the corner and down Broadway from the New York Stock Exchange. Some financial forecasters, however, are looking into their crystal balls and seeing rays of sunshine

The sales of prescription drugs grew 3.8% last year, to $286.5 billion, the lowest rate of increase since a 3.3% rise in 1961, according to a recent report from IMS Health, a pharmaceutical marketing

Fuel is the life’s blood of any automobile, pumping its way through the engine and powering the vehicle along its path. Without that constant, steady flow of fuel, the engine would falter and the car would stop in its tracks.

With stocks in free-fall, many physician-investors are looking for safer havens and many are choosing US Treasury bonds and notes. But heavy buying has caused an increase in bond prices, which has caused yields, which move in the opposite direction, to sink to new lows. If you're looking for investment income, you may be better off with tax-free municipal bonds.

Healthcare costs are too high, say 90% of the people surveyed in a recent poll by the Mayo Clinic. But eight out of 10 also say it’s very or extremely important that patients be free to choose whatever physicians or hospital they want to go to. And more than seven out of 10 don’t think that pre-existing conditions should be a barrier to coverage.

They may be wearing the green in Foley's Pub in New York City, but there will be no singing of "Danny Boy" during the month of March. Among the many reasons, according to pub owner Shaun Clancy, is the nature of the tune. "It's depressing," he says. "It's ranked among the 25 most