"You did a good job, doc," the unit clerk called out as I put my coat on to leave the hospital. Simple words but profoundly meaningful at this time in my professional life. I had just delivered one of my OB patients, and it had gone exceedingly well. This delivery meant a lot to me and to my patient because she had suffered a stillbirth the summer before she became pregnant with this baby.
One in five Americans chose not to seek medical care for a recent illness or injury, with 4 out of 10 citing cost as the primary factor, according to one survey.
Even in states with economic damage caps in malpractice suits, physicians remain highly concerned about being sued, suggesting that tort reform proposals may do little to deter the practice of defensive medicine that contributes to unnecessary health spending, according to one study.
Determine a reasonable amount to spend on office rent for a new family practice office.
A medical practice has a lot of moving pieces, so the management function-the integration of the parts-is especially important.
Physician recounts becoming a patient in addition to his doctor status, following an ice skating adventure that involved an arm injury.
How to weigh whether to buy an office space or renew a lease.
The total number of osteopathic physicians this year is 70,480 up from 67,167 last year, according to a report released in September.
As part of the federal government's strict mandate to reduce waste in all departments and to eliminate fraud and abuse in Medicare and Medicaid, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have significantly revised and improved their calculations of Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) improper payments using "a more rigorous method" in calculating error rate.
In this era of expensive and modern testing, it is important to remember the lessons garnered from listening, touching and empathizing with patients.
AAFP President Lori Helm,MD, recently disputed an article by White House advisors in the Annals of Internal Medicine that stated that healthcare reform would lead to fewer solo and 2-physician practices.
Leaving a group, employment, the state. Dying, becoming disabled or retired. If you have claims-made insurance, these are all occasions when you likely will need "tail coverage."
Discover whether there is a way that spouses combined can contribute more than $13,000 annually to children's 529 accounts.
Determine how to set a rate for subletting office space to another physician.
When looking for a new physician, patients are often encouraged to select those who are board-certified or who have not made payments on malpractice claims.
Everyone has a story to tell-and we want to hear yours. The entries are already starting to pour in for Medical Economics' 2011 Doctors' Writing Contest, and we would like nothing more than to add your compelling story about practicing medicine or the business of medicine to the mix.
I wrote an article last year outlining what I considered to be the "utopian" medical practice ("One doctor's vision of the utopian practice: The future of medical office technology is taking shape today," June 19, 2009). Technology that exists now is already making the utopian medical practice a reality in some places. But what is the next step? How does that translate into improving patient care? And how will it pay for itself, or more accurately, provide the mechanism by which it will pay for itself?
401(k) plan?
Retirement benefit options I can
Today's independent physician is overwhelmed by the challenges posed by the 3 "big Rs": reimbursement, regulation, and recession. As a result, many are falling victim to hospitals, which see the opportunity to buy up individual practices unable to cope with the 3 Rs, and thereby control healthcare in their region.
Employers that offer their employees limited medical plans are impacted by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, since they are considered group health insurance plans.
Two recent studies have refocused attention on the question of whether apologizing for medical errors can reduce the cost of malpractice.
Determine whether gold is a safe investment.
The financial services reform legislation passed in July contains numerous provisions, two of which will be of interest to physicians. One concerns banking and lending; the other involves investing.
Some physicians have held their financial ground during the tough economy by innovating at their practices. Anne Trussell, MD, a solo internist in Little Rock, Arkansas, added ancillary cosmetic services to boost revenue at her practice when some patients limited office visits due to the cost. She always has kept her overhead low, so expanding services was the solution during these challenging times.
I felt numb, confused, and a bit scared as I sat in my car, staring at the steering wheel and going nowhere. Then the tears came. I could not believe that I had just quit the only remotely stable job I had held, after 11 years, and I was going to have to leave the office staff that had become like family. For what purpose? More money? Was I having a mid-life crisis? I didn't have an answer for myself, but I had opened my mouth in frustration and said 7 words to my long-time employer and friend that haunted me for months afterward: "I will have to make other plans." Meanwhile, how was I going to pay the bills?
Letter addresses AAFP position on electronic health record adoption.
The majority of office visits in 2008 were by patients 45 years old and older, according to a CDC study.
Offer my employees instead of a
If cost is a significant consideration and you can tolerate the hospital's primary care EHR templates, you should research any offers by local hospitals to subsidize your EHR purchase if you choose their system