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Owning a second home is a common goal for many families.

Physicians attribute 26 percent of overall healthcare costs to the practice of ordering extra tests, referrals, procedures, and hospitalizations to protect themselves from medical malpractice lawsuits.

It's critical that developers or purchasers of electronic medical records systems consider more than billing function.

When it comes to accommodating people with hearing, visual, mobility, speech, and other impairments, the ball has been in the physician's court since Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act went into effect in 1992.

In the face of flat or shrinking reimbursements, physicians tend to order more profitable Medicare services.

Get your questions answered on credentialing and HMOs.

Some top malpractice attorneys explain what non-medical mistakes physicians make that get them into deep legal trouble.

While this author was away from home at a conference, he found himself wondering about life and how scared he had always been of death.

Get your questions answered on how Medicare impacts reimbursements.

Barry Lang, MD, JD, a medical malpractice plaintiff's attorney and orthopedic surgeon, admits that doctors have the advantage in most medical malpractice lawsuit trials.

Understand the ins and outs of billing new patients, coding for supplies and handling patients who have other managed care plans not covered by your office.

Book on managing money is addressed

Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius March 2 proposed a two-part approach for establishing a certification program to test and certify electronic health record systems.

Physicians? overall perceptions of electronic health record systems are positive, according to two recent surveys that gauged physician usage and plans for the systems.

The concept of ?meaningful use,? together with an improving economy, appears to be spurring an increase in healthcare information technology spending, suggest recently released results of the 21st annual Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society Leadership Survey.

To close the broadband connectivity gap that exists among healthcare practices, the Federal Communications Commission is proposing transforming its Rural Health Care Program, which is authorized to spend $400 million per year, to help healthcare delivery locations meaningfully use health information technology.

"Healthcare information technology is the instrument that will transform healthcare . . . [and] improve quality, safety, access, and cost-efficiency," said Barry P. Chaiken, MD, MPH, Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society board chairman, March 1 in his opening remarks at the HIMSS annual conference in Atlanta.

Although it's been nine years, Jeff Pearson, DO, clearly remembers hearing actor Stephen Furst speak about his battle with diabetes at the 2001 annual convention of the American Osteopathic Association.

Understand the changes for 2010 in billing for inpatient services and how to bill for pulse oximetry.

Cardiovascular diseases have not captured public awareness as much as the seventh leading cause of death in women: breast cancer.

The False Claims Act (FCA) prohibits the "knowing" submission, or causing of a submission, of a false claim to the federal government. The Federal Enforcement Recovery Act extends the reach of the FCA to medical practices that fail to notify the government of overpayments received. This situation creates potential liability for practices that fail to pay careful attention to their billing and collection processes.

Investment options are addressed

In May, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and 15 hospitals statewide will try to reduce preventable hospital readmissions.

The U.S. economy is in turmoil, real estate values are generally down, the stock market has not fully recovered, and T-bill returns are miserly. Investors are looking for alternative, advantageous opportunities.

Get your questions answered on coverage and filing limits.

I didn't know Dennis "Denny" Sandlin, MD, personally, but the colleagues we have in common tell me he was a great human being.

Spring comes, the blood stirs, and physicians' thoughts turn to conventions.

Can you justify the time and cost away from your office to attend a conference? If you go, how do you get the most for your time and money?