No amount of urging and prodding from an enormous number of physicians and their associations could persuade Congress and President Obama to use the bipartisan debt deal to repeal the controversial Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula. Even worse, the plan that actually was signed into law could mean additional Medicare reimbursement cuts for physicians.
The author discusses the advantages and disadvantages of a hybrid concierge practice.
A recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine says that new information systems tend initially to increase malpractice risks for physician practices, largely because of unfamiliarity with the system and computer-related errors.
When your patients know what to do and why it is important, yet struggle to make lifestyle changes, you could consider a coaching approach. Coaching empowers patients to change ingrained lifestyle patterns and is consistent with patient-centered communication.
Rep. Tom Price, MD (R-Georgia), has introduced a bill in Congress aimed at ending the need for doctors to practice defensive medicine.
Physicians find it more difficult to refer children in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program to specialty care than they do privately insured children, according to the Government Accounting Office.
The number of adult Americans with health insurance continued to decline last year, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, a division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Find out how to set up a wireless network for your office computers.
Find out the advantages of purchasing disability insurance at a younger age.
Oklahoma likely will face the biggest shortage of family physicians due to the broader Medicaid eligibility requirements contained in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, according to a study in the New England Journal
As a physician, whether to treat a patient is up to you. And whether to discontinue treatment is up to you and your patient. The author discusses reasons why you may wish to discontinue treatment and the best way to handle each situation.
Respondents to the 2011 Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) Medical Practice Today survey said four of the top five "considerable or extreme challenges" they face relate to operational issues.
Two information systems designed to detect Medicare and Medicaid fraud are not working as well as they should, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
The author discusses participating versus nonparticipating status with Medicare and opting out.
The requirement for physicians to report quality data electronically would be delayed for at least a year under rule changes proposed recently by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
EHRs may be breathing new life into the mobile personal health record market. The mobile format encourages development of applications that allow patients to manage chronic diseases, make appointments, and perform other tasks.
The interim final rule was released in early July by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and is available for comment until September 6. It requires insurers to use uniform transmission formats and standardized forms when they request information or provide patients' claims and coverage information to doctors.
Learn about the best option when purchasing a practice.
A recent CDC blog seeks to educate Americans on how to prepare for emergencies in a unique way. This physician suggests patient education should also be interesting as well as interactive, effective, and presented in multiple formats (instead of solely providing medical handouts).
The author learns that the value of close communication between doctor and patient-whether through words, appearances, or movements-has no price, no measure of productivity.
Learn how to back up your practice management data using a cloud-based storage service.
Award staff bonuses based on behaviors you want to encourage.
Although it may seem easier to add ancillary services that can be performed in the office, new revenue sources from outside activities offer some advantages.
Learn how to run a better staff meeting.
These practice management pearls are intended to help fill in the gaps of being a better businessperson.
Letters discuss writing kind notes, working "part time," and the justice system here and abroad.
More than 70% of primary care and multispecialty practices are on the path to becoming Patient-Centered Medical Homes, according to a new study, and some new technology is helping them gather the patient information they need to achieve that status. Learn about some products that can help your practice conduct affordable patient surveys.
More affordable medications, courtesy of Medicare Part D, mean that more elderly adults now receive care in your office instead of in more costly hospitals and nursing homes, a new study suggested. See what effect that has had on care as well as cost.
Opponents of Medicare?s sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula are hoping their YouTube video goes viral. The American Academy of Family Physicians and 10 other physician-led groups released the YouTube video as part of a coordinated effort to infect Congress with the desire to eliminate the SGR in any deficit-reduction plan. Here?s a preview.
The effort to cap medical malpractice judgments in North Carolina looked like a lost cause when Gov. Beverly Perdue vetoed the bill, but the state House of Representatives overrode her veto to limit noneconomic damages to $500,000 for a negligent physician. Some 30 states have some form of malpractice caps, but legal challenges abound.