Legal

Whether you use an independent contractor in your practice or work as an independent contractor, be sure to consider several points when formalizing the arrangement.

Numerous studies have highlighted shortages in primary care and have predicted even greater supply problems after the Affordable Care Act is fully implemented. A new study published in Health Affairs puts the shortage in new perspective, however.

The American Academy of Family Physicians has released five new things to avoid as part of the ABIM Foundation’s Choosing Wisely campaign, adding to the existing list of five tests, medical procedures, or treatments that have been deemed to possibly do more harm than good.

Public health experts at the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research say the current gun policy dialogue needs more physician involvement, according to a new paper published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

The government’s healthcare fraud prevention and enforcement efforts led to charges or convictions of providers and others and also removed almost 150,000 providers from Medicare's billing system, according to a new report from the federal government.

With the ICD-10 deadline looming, will physician groups actually be able to keep implementation from happening?

You only have until this Tuesday-February 12-to complete the federally mandated Economic Census.

Renewed efforts to eliminate the flawed sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula have arisen with the introduction of legislation that would permanently repeal the SGR and reform Medicare payment and delivery systems.

Despite federal funding to increase the number of primary care providers, few new positions have been added, according to a new study.

More than 500 organizations have signed on to participate in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Bundled Payments and Care Improvement initiative, which will test whether bundling payments can result in better coordinated care and lower Medicare costs.

Family physicians surpass specialists and other office-based physician on EHR adoption rates, according to a new report.

Only 11 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws or issued regulations to implement the Affordable Care Act’s major health insurance market reforms that go into effect in 2014, according to a new Commonwealth Fund report.

Data collection will begin this August, with reporting to begin in September 2014 for a new rule aimed at increasing financial transparency in the healthcare industry, says the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Although the fiscal cliff was avoided, most Americans will see their taxes increase this year. Find out how you can keep your taxes from being too burdensome.

Nearly 40 national physician groups are calling on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service (CMS) to quash the implementation of ICD-10 for outpatient diagnosis and coding.

Medical Economics readers discuss the need to adapt on the job, AMA guidelines, leaving practice, maintenance of certification, and finding the right electronic health record.

Smartphones can serve a purpose in your office, but they very easily can become a distraction. See how you can keep a cap on usage in your office.

The Business of Medicine’s 2nd Annual Summit - slated for February 23 and 24 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - is focused on helping physicians better hone their operations to create new efficiencies to answer real-world challenges.

Measurements for Medicare's meaningful use stage 3 should focus more on monitoring improvements in patient health than mandating a growing collection of functional measures, according to the American College of Physicians.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has released what one department official describes as "the most sweeping changes to the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules since they were first implemented," but at least one organization is concerned that the requirements may be too burdensome for medical practices.

The United States spends more per capita on healthcare than any other nation, but on average, Americans die sooner and experience higher rates of disease and injury than people in other high-income countries, says a new report from the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine.

The formation of 106 new accountable care organizations is providing care for 4 million Medicare beneficiaries across the country, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Affordable Care Act provisions are already having a substantial effect on reducing the growth rate of Medicare spending, according to a new report issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

A new year means new challenges for your practice. Here are 10 issues that you may have to face.

Loss of chance of survival laws continue to be in a state of flux. See what's changed and what might change in the future.