Legal

One of the most important things that a practice can do is provide for adequate staff training on a new EHR system. Here are four steps for success.

The courts sided with North Carolina physicians over claims that UnitedHealthcare wrongly and systematically denied medical claims. Perhaps the tides are changing?

A new study published in the Annals of Family Medicine shows that healthcare information technology is not helping providers with the aspects of care coordination they need most.

As a result government incentives, new care standards, and the demands of a more technologically sophisticated society, use of patient portals is becoming increasingly commonplace. But physicians must be aware that the specific functionalities of the portal directly impact the risk management strategies that must be employed by the practice to protect itself from liability.

Denials may evoke dismay, frustration and even resentment for your business office, but they can actually be harnessed to improve the performance of your practice. It all starts with identifying the specific denial and the reasons for it.

Electronic health records (EHRs) promised to revolutionize healthcare delivery. In some respects, they have. But for physicians deluged by patients, EHRs have yet to fulfill their lofty promises and, in many cases, have added considerable strain to the daily workload of physicians. In this article, physicians discuss with Medical Economics how EHRs should-and must-improve to reach their potential.

For patients to receive high quality care, healthcare providers must find ways to work together and ensure continuity of care between primary care physicians, specialists and hospitals. For a variety of reasons, continuity of care has not worked as advertised, but many physicians have ideas for how this collaboration can be improved.

Physicians can take steps, ranging from documentation training to taking out a line of credit, to keep their practice financially healthy during the transition to ICD-10

Physicians are highly unsatisfied with the maintenance of certification process and question its efficacy, according to an exclusive reader poll

Independent physician practices can start increasing their cash flow and reducing their bad debt immediately-and they don’t need fancy software or renegotiated reimbursement agreements to do it. All they need is to have some simple systems in place.

Underlying much of the controversy surrounding MOC is the question of how much-or even whether-the process as currently structured actually improves physician performance and/or patient outcomes.

The simmering controversy over requirements for maintenance of certification (MOC) and accompanying physician unhappiness with theAmerican Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM), long confined to the medical community, burst into public view in March.

Medical Economics Editorial Advisory Board members weigh in on the effectiveness of MOC

Prepare yourself for the potential of malpractice cases by maintaining good relationships with your patients and by following thorough rules.

When patients visit your office, they may already have a diagnosis in mind. Google says that one of every 20 searches on its search engine are conducted to obtain health-related information. With that in mind, how can a primary care physician (PCP) win a patient’s trust and resolve conflicts if the patient wants tests or treatments that the physician believes are unnecessary?

Little guidance is available to help physicians determine how finding information about a patient online may affect the relationship with the patient.

In the current medical practice landscape, physicians are increasingly frustrated when it comes to the issue of payment for the care they provide. Doctors and their staff members often find themselves chasing patients and insurance companies to get paid, and frequently are forced to write off bills that could and should be paid.

By a vote of 92-8, the U.S. Senate last night approved legislation ending the long-reviled formula for determining Medicare reimbursements. The vote came just hours before a 21% reimbursement cut would have gone into effect. The measure, which the U.S. House of Representatives passed three weeks ago, now goes to the president, who is expected to sign it.

Physicians today must understand a myriad of laws and regulations that govern not only how they practice medicine, but also how they bill and refer their patients for services both within and outside their own practice.

The push is on for physicians to embrace the concept of high-value care, providing patients with appropriate treatment while avoiding wasteful or unnecessary tests. But high-value care requires physicians to navigate many pitfalls, including lack of time to talk with patients and malpractice pressures.

It appears that the highly-anticipated repeal of Medicare’s Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula-also known as the “doc fix”-will have to wait at least a couple of weeks longer.

As the annual Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) deadline approaches March 31, legislators are once again scrambling to avoid a cut in physician payments, which this year would be about 21%. Physicians have long lobbied for a permanent fix to the problem, and lawmakers came close last year but couldn’t agree on how to fund it.

A study of 34 physician practices jointly sponsored by RAND Corporation and the American Medical Association found that alternative payment models are changing the way physicians and medical practices operate. However, changing the payment system doesn't always ensure patient care improves.

While a doctor may discharge a patient for any nondiscriminatory reason, termination is not without pitfalls. Physicians should follow a careful process so as to avoid claims of patient abandonment.

Physicians across the country are witnessing the advent of new payment models such as patient-centered medical homes, bundled payments, accountable care organizations, and other risk models. What do physicians need to know to incorporate-and succeed with-these payment models?