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Most of my investments are in mutual funds. A friend of mine told me that I should pay attention to a fund's expense ratio and seek funds with low expenses. What does this expense ratio include?

A crossover is done on claims paid by Medicare based on the eligibility information reported.

Medicare will pay for treatment up to and including pronouncing time of death.

Some ZIP codes have more than one Medicare payment locality. These require the four-digit extension for payment to be rendered.

It's widely known that obesity translates to a higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, hospitalization, and early death. So why don't more doctors discuss it with their patients?

The process of ordering and managing medical and office supplies and drugs gets little attention from most primary care physicians and their staffs. But as pressure mounts to reduce costs, improving inventory management can be a fruitful place to look for savings.

The government's relief package comes with considerable tax breaks for professionals.

Don't overlook these possible deductions when it's time to file your 2008 taxes.

Every physician should recognize the need for tax planning and the benefits that can result from it. The simple goal is to defer or reduce your practice's tax bill whenever possible.

"Rental" agreements, in which new health plans use a Preferred Provider Organization network from a plan you're contracted with to discount your fees without your permission, may soon be more transparent if a ruling by the National Conference of Insurance Legislators evolves into state laws.

With so many vendors and systems, finding the right electronic health record system software is just part of the struggle practices face in the transition from paper to digital.

In an economic speech prior to his inauguration, President Barack Obama endorsed a goal set by the Bush administration of establishing an electronic health record for every patient by 2014.

Only a small number of consumers are visiting the estimated 1,100 retail health clinics nationwide.

An agreement between the state of New York and UnitedHealth Group may drastically affect out-of-network care reimbursement for you and your patients.

Downcoding, pharma freebies, vaccine costs

The early days of the Obama administration give the estimated 83 percent of doctors without an electronic health record system valid reason to sit tight for a while longer.

How one urinalysis reflects the state of U.S. health care.

In many ways, it was like practicing in a Third World refugee camp, where you have no choice but to adapt quickly to countless shortcomings.

Health insurer Wellpoint plans to collaborate with health plans in four states on a new online cost transparency initiative.

Patient education company Vivacare has expanded its free, online library of patient handouts to include a wider range of specialties, including family medicine.

Two healthcare information technology experts have penned an open letter to President Obama, warning him against investing too many federal dollars in existing electronic health records systems.

The Medical Group Management Association launched a national campaign earlier this month to require health insurance cards to be machine-readable and accepted at every medical practice by 2010.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services earlier this month granted a two-year deadline extension to 2013 for the transition from ICD-9 codes to the greatly expanded ICD-10 codes.

Physician retirees face unique challenges when looking for volunteer options, but their skills are needed.

Do I absolutely need to buy tail coverage before I retire?

How would we go about finding a group purchasing organization? Are there any guidelines to keep in mind when shopping around for one?

Can you describe the two or three most important benchmarks for a family medicine practice and the ideal target ranges for each one?

A dose of humor from the pages of Medical Economics