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Staff overtime can cost practices thousands of dollars yearly. Learn how to control overtime.

A rule proposed in the health reform legislation would allow health insurers to sell plans across state lines.

While primary care physicians, by and large, worked as much in 2008 as they did the previous year, the number of patients seen increased just marginally, according to Medical Economics' annual productivity survey.

It may be time in the profession to value quality over quantity.

The Department of Health and Human Services will join state multi-payer patient-centered medical home demonstration programs next year as a payer.

Exceptions that permit referrals under Stark are complex, therefore determining a violation has happened and the preferred way of managing are also difficult.

Alfred J. Maher, MD, differs from most hospital physicians in that he didn't begin working as a hospitalist soon after residency.

As you prepare to start a new job, read your employment contract carefully, make sure you understand all of its provisions, and, if necessary, let a lawyer have a peek.

The Society of Hospital Medicine's most recent bi-annual survey, which covers 2007-2008, indicates that hospitalists are young (the mean age is 40) and almost two-thirds (65 percent) are male.

Whether just done with residency, an experienced hospitalist seeking new work, or a private practice physician transitioning to hospitalist work, a job hunt, at the outset, is an exercise in information-gathering.

More than 140,000 (23 percent) of all office-based physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants in the U.S. are now using electronic prescribing, according to Surescripts. At the current pace, the company projects, the total number of health care professionals prescribing medication electronically via its network this year will more than double from the 74,000 active electronic prescribers who used it at the end of last year.

Users of Google Health who have scheduled telehealth consultations with physicians or mental health therapists via MDLiveCare will be able to share medical records with their doctors before the appointments and receive records from the doctors after the appointments, thanks to a new collaboration between the two companies.

Health-care information technology (HIT) has the potential to cut costs, increase access and improve quality in the U.S. health care system, according to results of a Harris Interactive survey of a nationwide sample of 2,200 adults aged at least 18 years commissioned by the Career College Association and TechAmerica.

Abnormal results on outpatient imaging tests sometimes may not receive timely follow-up even when clinicians receive and read results in an advanced, integrated electronic medical record system, according to a report in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

A new Web initiative to be launched in Ohio by several health plans is designed to benefit patients and practices by reducing the time, effort, and expense associated with the paperwork required for office visits.

There are a number of disease processes that must be managed, and doing so offers opportunities for reimbursement that you might not have been aware of.

In these difficult economic times, you may find that more patients are refusing to pay for services rendered and others are complaining more about their care.

I sometimes practice medicine with poor vision too. Here are some of my ailments.

An extraordinary number of physicians fail to stay current in their knowledge of coding, resulting in reduced reimbursement or delayed and denied claims.

Rising operating costs, maintaining physician compensation levels, and implementation of electronic health record systems were the top concerns among Medical Group Management Association members this year.

Diagnosis coding under ICD-10 is similar to that of ICD-9, but will use seven letters or digits, whereas ICD-9 uses three or four digits.

A few colleagues are proposing merging into a small group practice and have invited me to join. How do I determine if this is a good idea?

Are there any types of policies that allow me to change my policy benefits in the future?

The California Nurses Association reported in September that health plans in the state rejected more than one in five claims from 2002 through June 30 of this year.

The decision about when to retire varies considerably from physician to physician and hinges on numerous factors, from age, health, and lifestyle to available assets, debt, and responsibilities.

Medical interventions for patients with type 2 diabetes won't reduce health costs over the long term, according to a recently published study, but that doesn't mean they don't offer benefits.

Buying a local competitor's practice at the right price is often a cost-effective way to grow your existing practice.

Some of the long-term care insurance policies I am researching allow for an indemnity benefit. Can you explain what that means and what advantages it may provide?