Authors


Joel B. Charkatz, CPA, CVA, CFE

Latest:

How Much Is Your Medical Practice Worth?

Before determine the value of your medical practice, you have to know why you're valuing it and how best to approach the valuation process. Here's a look at what you need to know to find out how much your practice is worth in today's market.


Laurie Kane Burkhardt, CFP

Latest:

Planning for Retirement? Here's Your 10-Year Timeline

The earlier one starts planning for retirement, the more prepared one should be not only financially, but also emotionally.


Mike C. Manoloff, PC

Latest:

The Beginning of the ACA Mandates

A look at the penalties and options available when the individual and employer mandates of the Affordable Care Act become effective in 2014 and 2015.


James S. Lacy, JD

Latest:

The High Cost of Undercoding

Fear of chart audits can lead billing departments to undercode -- and that may be costing you revenue. Benchmarking and analytical tools can help identify undercoding in your practice, to ensure you don't leave money on the table.


Pooja Jaeel

Latest:

Using Google Glass in Hospitals

Famous for its action-packed promo videos, Google Glass is now entering the hospital environment to help strengthen communication and collaboration between providers in a hospital.


Jason O'Dell, MS, CWM

Latest:

What Do You REALLY Know About Your Investment Advisor?

Over the last few years, many physicians have re-examined not only their investment assumptions, but also their relationships with investment advisory professionals after high-profile scams and mismanagement.


Geoffrey M. Tomes

Latest:

I'm Getting a Paycheck! Now What?!

Physicians emerge from medical school with high earning potential but also high student debt. This guide offers a practical look at how physicians should balance paying off that debt with saving for long-term expenses.


Emma Thomasson

Latest:

Novartis Seeks to Buy Rest of Alcon for $39 Billion

Novartis, which was widely tipped to snap up Nestle's stake as soon as its option allowed, also aims to buy out the 23 percent held by minority shareholders for $11.2 billion, ending uncertainty over whether or not it would seek full control.


John Blood, MBA, MS

Latest:

What No One on Wall Street Will Tell You About Investing

While Wall Street is often viewed as the center of the investment universe, a far less exciting – but potentially more powerful – environment exists in the halls of academia. In this environment, professors at schools like Wharton, Yale, MIT, Stanford and the University of Chicago examine decades of financial data in search of patterns and explanatory variables.


Andrew Holloway, Wealth Advisor to Physician Households

Latest:

Why Doctors Need Own-Occupation Disability Insurance

When it comes to disability insurance for doctors, not all plans are going to cover you equally.


Vinay Singh

Latest:

Vivus Launches U.S. Sales of Obesity Drug

Vivus hopes to gain early traction with doctors before rival Arena Pharmaceuticals launches its weight-loss pill in early 2013.


Roger Fontes, MD

Latest:

Negotiating Contracts with Insurance Companies

A collective sense exists among providers and practice managers that negotiating with insurance companies is frustrating, mystifying and, often, unproductive.


Shefali Luthra, Kaiser Health News

Latest:

HHS, Research Community Debate Informed Consent Policy

The federal government has regulated informed consent for decades. But some advocacy organizations are warning that proposed federal guidelines-which could be finalized in the upcoming year-could have a chilling effect on innovation, while fundamentally altering which studies get done.


Marie Daghlain

Latest:

Upstart Biotechs Rake in the Cash as Sector Rally Continues

Small public and private drug developers are experiencing a wave of aggressive financing, while biotech stocks of all sizes extended their rally into a fourth week.


Alecia Powell

Latest:

For Patient Satisfaction, Communication is Critical

When it comes to providing care and increasing patient satisfaction, time is not on anyone's side. As appointment times shrink, quality communication falls by the wayside, leading to loss of information and a fraying of the doctor-patient relationship.


Laura Joszt

Latest:

Johns Hopkins working paper says COVID-19 lockdowns not worth it, sparks fierce debate

Three economists concluded in a Johns Hopkins working paper that lockdowns in response to the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic did not have a significant effect on mortality rates, but the paper's findings have been criticized.


Joel Greenwald, MD, CFP

Latest:

Annuities as a Retirement Income Planning Tool

As physicians near retirement, they often wonder how they can turn the nest eggs they've accumulated into income for the rest of their lives. For some, annuities may be the answer.


Nickole Kerner Bobley

Latest:

Physician Fitness: Walking's Not Just for Zombies

Walking is probably the most highly underrated form of exercise for non-zombie people of all ages and fitness levels who want to be more active.


Becker's Orthopedic & Spine

Latest:

40 of the Most Powerful People in Health Care

On January 5, Becker's Orthopedic & Spine posted a list of the 40 most powerful people in health care, in no particular order.


Eric Meermann, CFP, AVA, EA

Latest:

Don't Panic! Strategies for Coming Higher Capital Gains Taxes

Long-term capital gains rates will go up substantially in 2013 unless Congress acts. But that doesn't necessarily mean you should take your gains before the end of the year. Here are some strategies and tactics to consider.


Susan Jaffe, Kaiser Health News

Latest:

Seniors' Wait for a Medicare Appeal is Cut in Half

The progress follows an announcement last January that officials were going to work through a crushing backlog by moving beneficiaries to the front of the line and suspending hearings on cases from hospitals, doctors and other providers for at least 2 years.


Philippa Kennealy MD MPH CPCC PCC

Latest:

Five Resources for Bootstrapping a Startup

Founding your physician start-up on mostly your own finances can seem like an overwhelming task at times. Fortunately the Internet has come to the rescue with a huge array of services.


David Walters, CFP, CPA

Latest:

This New Year, Don't Forget Your Digital Estate

When you die, you leave behind more than just physical assets. You also leave behind a "digital estate" of financial data, documents, photos, and more. Planning ahead can help smooth the transfer of those digital assets.


H. William Wolfson, DC, MS, MPASSM, CFP®

Latest:

Professional Financial Advice Is Alive and Well

When we think of a professional, such as a physician, attorney, or CPA, there is an expectation of prudent advice or exemplary service rendered. Unfortunately, negative press because of the shenanigans by Wall Street executives, bankers, and unscrupulous firms.


Shirley Mueller

Latest:

Broken Confidence: New Directions in Risk Assessment

A new risk-mitigation concept called the comprehensive risk assessment seeks to insure investors against significant downturns through scenario analysis; incorporation of behavioral and neuroscience into decision making; and utilizing wider diversification.


Jim Edholm

Latest:

Dental as a Key Part of Your Practice's Health and Wellness Program

Employers of all types and sizes realize that healthy employees are happier and more productive. Your practice's wellness program shouldn't overlook dental insurance - good oral health can help reduce diabetes, heart disease, cancer and even premature births.


Brian O’Neill

Latest:

4 Electronic Tools to Make Your Office More Efficient

As healthcare reform brings millions of newly insured patients into a system that already sees shortages in primary care physicians and select specialties, we need to be smarter in how we communicate and interact.


Brian O'Neill

Latest:

Don't Leave Money on the Table

Every year doctors and surgeons top the annual list of best-paying jobs in America. But, as all physicians know, this comes at a price.


Alan Olsen, CPA

Latest:

A Taxing Question: An "Alternative Investment" or Just a Hobby?

Many wealthy investors are turning to rare and collectible items, such as art, race cars and race horses, to protect their wealth from financial market fluctuations. But what you consider an investment may be seen as just a hobby by the IRS -- and that can have serious tax consequences.


Gayle Turim

Latest:

From Patients to Patience: A Retired MD's Birdwatching Passion

A retired physician has found a rich second act as a birder and nature photographer. He jokes that he doesn't know how he finds time to be retired.