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Learn whether Medicare is paying for preventive services, how to bill for meningococcal vaccine, as well as coding for Medicare Advantage plans.

Learn whether you are responsible to pay off debt in your deceased spouse's name.

The best way to maximize payment from insurers for the services your practice provides to patients is to keep your knowledge current regarding American Medical Association Current Procedural Terminology coding so that you correctly report your services to the payers the first time you submit a claim.

A fully automated cell phone-based telemonitoring system that involves patients in their care significantly improved blood pressure control among patients who had diabetes and uncontrolled systolic hypertension, according to a study by Alexander G. Logan, MD, of the University of Toronto, and colleagues.

Insufficient privacy protection with social networking sites such as Facebook may have an impact on the doctor-patient relationship, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Medical Ethics.

Americans remain divided over the nation's healthcare reform package, with 40% of adults wanting to repeal all or most of the legislation while 31% favor keeping all or most of the reforms, and 29% uncertain, according to results of a poll.

The most current Report to the Nation on Fraud by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners estimates annual fraud at $952 billion, an increase of more than 46% from the 2008 figure of $652 billion.

It's natural for people to worry about that which they do not understand. As learned professionals, our reassurance can go a long way toward soothing our patients.

The consequences of incomplete information at the point-of-care can be inconvenience, inefficiency, increased costss, and adverse, even life-threatening outcomes for patients.

Understand how Social Security spousal benefits work.

Patient education always has been a priority in this author's office.

Burnout threatens sometimes when the frank reality of what you have to do overtakes the feeling of altruism that led you to do it in the first place.

The American Medical Women's Association is the oldest multispecialty organization for women in medicine.

Learn about target date of mutual funds.

Understand the rules for coding a rectal exam performed at an office visit when billed with an E/M code.

Letters discuss maintaining hobbies and use of electronic health records.

How can my small group practice compete with the larger practices and the health system-owned practices, you may be asking?

How would you react if your doctor told you that you have 6 months to live?

Determine whether to use money from a 401(k) account to pay a mortgage.

Discover ways to finance your practice.

Whether to switch to a concierge practice is weighed.

The U.S. Congress passed a bill in December that exempts doctors, nurse practitioners, and non-medical professionals from the Federal Trade Commission's "Red Flags" Rule, which helps protect consumers from identity theft.

To settle or not to settle? Read the article to determine how to discern the best choice.

Policies that require physicians to ask permission from a patient's insurance company before performing a treatment negatively impact patient care, according to survey results.

Physician-patient encounters are full of teachable moments.

Medicare provides access to physician care that is equal to or even better than care available to Americans with private plans, according to a survey conducted in September 2010 from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC).

Surgeons married to physicians appear to face more challenges in balancing their personal and professional lives than do surgeons whose partners work in a non-physician field or stay at home, according to a recent study.

Lower-income families in high-deductible health plans are more likely to delay or forgo care due to cost than higher-income families who have similar coverage, according to researchers from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars program, Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.

Most frequent medication errors and adverse drug events in primary care practices are communication problems and lack of knowledge, according to a recent study. Researchers from the Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University School of Medicine studied urban, suburban, and rural primary care practices in California, Connecticut, Oregon, and Texas that used MEADERS (Medication Error and Adverse Drug Event Reporting System) for 10 weeks, submitting 507 confidential event reports. Of the reports, 70% included medication errors only, whereas 2% included both medication errors and adverse drug events. Average time spent reporting an event was slightly more than 4 minutes.

Socioeconomic factors such as income and education levels, although strongly associated with broadband Internet use, are not the sole determinants of use, according to ?Digital Nation II,? a new report issued by the Department of Commerce?s Economics and Statistics Administration and National Telecommunications and Information Administration.