Legal

The FDA has approved the supplemental biologics license application (sBLA) for licensure of its 4-strain influenza vaccine, Fluzone Quadrivalent vaccine (Sanofi Pasteur).

Could you or your practice be at risk of complicity in Medicare fraud or abuse? The answer is almost certainly, YES.

Primary care physicians in a handful of states have already begun to receive higher Medicaid fees, but what's taking so long everywhere else?

Subspecialists recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS), or American Osteopathic Association (AOA) qualify for the higher payments.

For years there’s been discussion in Congress about fixing the flawed SGR, but legislators have never been able to agree on a solution. But now, serious proposals are on the table to replace the SGR formula, with both Republicans and Democrats working together to reach a solution to this long-standing problem.

Direct primary care (DPC) is a retainer-based model for primary care practices, but does not come with a standard set of rules like many other models. Instead, there is a common set of goals or characteristics, and DPC practices are making their own rules as they go.

The AAFP suggests exploring the following steps before embarking on a transition to a direct primary care model.

Here are eight tips to help you keep your patients’ accounts out of collection.

If a patient does not have capacity, another person may be designated to consent on the patient’s behalf. For a minor, the parents are usually the legal guardians and have the right to consent or refuse to give consent on behalf of the child.

Patients are paying nearly one-quarter of “the amount that health insurers set aside for paying physicians,” according to the National Health Insurer Report Card from the American Medical Association (AMA).

Primary care physicians are less likely to accept new Medicaid patients than office-based physicians in general, according to a new analysis in Health Affairs. But primary care physicians' acceptance of new Medicaid patients varies widely by state.

As retail clinics expand their care beyond low-acuity conditions, the greater threat they pose to existing primary care practices, according to an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

One of the key goals of accountable care organizations (ACOs) could put these new models of healthcare delivery in greater danger of being hit with malpractice lawsuits, according to an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

This list highlights the 20 medical institutions that are the top producers of primary care graduates by percentage of total graduates, citing data from a recent study in Academic Medicine.

Maintenance of Certification requirements have sparked intense debate among primary care providers, but that won't stop Medicare penalties from going into effect in 2015 for non-compliers.

Learn how the new Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations pertaining to audits will affect your private practice.

The perceived current and future shortage of primary care physicians has been attracting lots of attention from U.S. health policymakers, but a recent policy brief from the Graham Center suggests the U.S. is facing a bigger primary care problem: an uneven distribution of physicians.

For physicians who share that "Don't-Tread-On-Me" mindset, a recent report from nonprofit group The Physicians Foundation can be seen to represent a laundry list of what's ailing the medical profession.

More than two-thirds (67%) of physicians who participated in an ACO last year reported no personal financial benefit, such as a bonus or shared savings agreement, as a result of their participation, according to a survey of about 3,500 physicians from a healthcare staffing firm.

Some policy analysts have suggested expanding the roles of physician assistants and nurse practitioners as one potential way to help alleviate some of the burden on physicians, and a new study published in Health Affairs shows that consumers are open to that idea.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has 700 full-time staffers devoted to the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and some pundits believe that number may grow to a minimum of 5,000 employees, according to a recent report in Forbes.

As more people become eligible for healthcare under the Affordable Care Act, the question of access will become paramount. Discover how care coordinators can help ensure access for all.

More market efficiency is needed in healthcare, but a completely unregulated free market actually may increase costs without improving quality, according to one expert.

A federal judge's decision last week that could result in individual doctors' Medicare claims data being made public - though the ruling does provide doctors with a degree of protection.

It's called the "dean's lie," and Andrew Morris-Singer, MD, and his nonprofit advocacy group Primary Care Progress are out to expose this fallacy that gives Americans a false sense of security that the nation's primary care shortage is being addressed.

A reader responds to an opinion essay from a Medical Economics editorial board member with a defense of government's role in the nation's healthcare system.

Payment rates under the Medicare physician fee schedule for practices with 100 or more physicians will be subject to a value-based payment modifier starting in 2015. The requirement will extend to all physicians, regardless of practice size, by 2017. The modifier is based on performance from the previous 2 years, meaning that the 2017 modifier will be judged using 2015 performance. Here's what you need to know now to obtain maximum payment.

Mental health problems and suicide risks have lawmakers questioning whether new rules surrounding the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) ultimately “interfere with patient care and public safety.”

Although the Congressional Budget Office recently downgraded the 10-year cost of repealing the sustainable growth rate (SGR) to $138 billion, the American College of Physicians (ACP) took to the Hill advocating a phased approach to repealing it and moving to value-based models.

Republicans sharply criticized U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius in trying to jump start fundraising efforts to non-profits to implement the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The action follows repeated congressional budget denials for the healthcare law, now estimated at $1.3 trillion over 10 years, according a recent report in the Washington Post. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) called the effort “absurd” and demanded an inquiry.