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Republicans sharply criticized U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius in trying to jump start fundraising efforts to non-profits to implement the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The action follows repeated congressional budget denials for the healthcare law, now estimated at $1.3 trillion over 10 years, according a recent report in the Washington Post. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) called the effort “absurd” and demanded an inquiry.

Nearly three-fourths of eligible professionals have registered for the government’s electronic health record (EHR) incentive programs, according to a recent report from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

The National Society of Certified Healthcare Business Consultants has released information on medical practice overhead percentages, average monthly charges in accounts receivable, full time equivalent staff ratios, and more in its 2012 Joint Statistics Report of Medical and Dental Statistics on Income and Expenses.

From misunderstandings about the role of healthcare inflation to cost controls in the Affordable Care Act (ACA), three economic myths must be addressed for the healthcare system to function properly, says Theodore R. Marmor, PhD, Yale University professor emeritus of public policy and management as well as political science. He recently spoke with Medical Economics Editor-in-Chief Lois A. Bowers, MA.

After provider compensation, costs for support staff are the biggest expense of running a medical practice. Even with good practice management, you and your office manager often may feel as if you never can get staffing levels just right, which is understandable. Here are three steps to determining the appropriate staffing balance for your practice.

from the Trenches

Our readers respond to the February 25 cover article, "The Obesity Epidemic."

With a national EHR system, you can seize the opportunity to help establish the appropriate standard of care, one that opens up a new era of patient care while also setting reasonable parameters on what a healthcare provider should be responsible for when an errant entry lurks in the medical file.

Physicians and their practice managers are starting to see that complying with recent laws and mandates will require a greater use of information technology (IT) and are exploring the pros and cons of using a single vendor versus multiple vendors for their IT needs.

The American Medical Association has filed a brief in federal court in support of a Georgia law that was created to curb “unfair business practices” by companies that pay medical bills.

Now is the time for all physicians to come to the aid of themselves, their professions, and their patients.

The government wants to accelerate health information exchange and “build a seamless and secure flow of information to help transform the healthcare system” this year.