Proponents of lower payments for primary care providers argue that work requiring less mental challenge and stress should pay less. The problem with that “relative value” position is that, according to a recent study, overall work intensity actually is quite similar across medical specialties. Find out why researchers believe the instruments currently used to measure physician work intensity are flawed.
Here’s a straightforward way for Congress' Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to save $62.4 billion over 10 years without cutting payments to healthcare providers: Institute meaningful medical liability reform. That was what the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of Physicians and more than 90 other state and specialty medical societies told the so-called “supercommittee.” Read on to see the specific recommendations.
Who are you going to hire to help implement and maintain your increasingly sophisticated electronic health record systems over the next few years? Depending on where you live, that could be a real challenge, according to the American Health Information Management Association. The group warns that, in many parts of the country, no one will be available without concerted training and incentives. Find out what's being done to increase the supply of trained professionals for practices such as yours.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has finalized the rules for the federal e-prescribing incentive program.
Managing your online presence involves more than just creating a Web site.
Claims and suits against physician assistants and their supervising physicians are rare, and the outcomes are usually favorable for the defense.
Learn how to deal with aggressive salespeople.
Electronic health records are changing the paradigm of medical practice by making increasing volumes of information more central to patient care.
Find out whether patient surveys are worth the time and expense.
The Federal Trade Commission is levelling sharp criticism at pharmaceutical manufacturers for what it calls sweetheart deals with manufacturers that delay the introduction of low-cost generic drugs.
October 1, 2013, the way you code your claims will change from ICD-9 to ICD-10.
Florida officials are cracking down on the illegal sale of prescription drugs.
Federal healthcare fraud prosecutions are on pace to increase by 85% over last year due to a new emphasis on enforcement.
The author discusses a moving realization she experienced related to those who are unemployed with no health insurance during her attendance at an annual AAFP meeting.
Learn the ins and outs of billing in a concierge practice.
Hospitals are hiring more doctors to try and gain market share through referral bases and admissions, according to a new study.
Although a surprising number of family physicians depend on themselves for financing their practices, putting money into or withdrawing money from a medical practice should not be tackled by amateurs.
As an investment adviser to many physicians, the author has the opportunity to frequently think about and discuss the best long-term strategies for management of retirement funds.
How to purchase a life insurance policy as a means of making a charity donation.
Although most primary care physicians report being busier than ever, as paperwork and other demands eat up their time, the number of patients they saw overall in 2010 actually was down from previous 2 years.
Understand legal liability in selling weight loss products.
As part of its anti-fraud campaign, Medicare will ask about 750,000 physicians and more than 1.4 million healthcare professionals to revalidate their enrollment records by 2013.
How to conduct an investigation of staff to get to the bottom of thefts.
More than two-thirds of adults in the United States are overweight, and about one-third are obese, according to NHANES data.
With the new high-deductible health plans requiring more out-of-pocket contributions from patients, it's essential for your practice to optimize time-of-service collections.
Slightly more than half of physicians have changed their retirement plans since the recession began.
Is it possible to charge interest on late payments?
The Medicare sustainable growth rate formula remains in place, despite efforts by numerous physicians and their associations to get it repealed during negotiations over raising the nation's debt ceiling.
When to consider giving up on the stock market.
Know your options for paying back student loans during residency.