Legal

As the number of people using text messaging steadily increases, many physicians similarly feel the urge to use text messages to communicate with their patients and colleagues. However, using text messaging in your practice can present legal issues that you may not have considered.

While direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription medications means patients are coming to the doctor with drug-related requests, some see an opportunity to educate.

A reader writes that narrow networks may contain costs, but they don't provide value.

A reader objects to the time and expense of the certification process.

A reader writes that the proposed replacement for the Sustainable Growth Rate formula will not control healthcare spending or improve the quality of care.

Good news for physicians concerned about the 90-day grace period: Most health exchange enrollees have paid their premiums

Physicians are facing a new set of administrative challenges for ACA exchange patients, ranging from verifying coverage to coping with narrow networks.

Healthcare organizations are getting better at protecting patient data, but employee errors and negligence still are significant challenges.

EHR vendors and other healthcare IT stakeholders contested and criticized new certification rules proposed by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology for 2015 in a Health IT Policy Committee hearing.

Hospitals across the country have been purchasing practices at a rapid pace, but a new study shows that increased hospital ownership may lead to higher prices for patients.

Critics of maintenance of certification should make their opinions known to the certifying boards

Though almost 15,000 physicians have signed a petition rallying against new Maintenance of Certification rules, the American Board of Internal Medicine says that MOC enrollment is growing.

With claim denial rates expected to rise in coming years, here are some of the most common reasons for non-payment and suggestions for ways to capture revenue for your practice.

Suicide is the third most-frequent cause of death in persons aged 10 to 54, so primary care physicians need to be prepared for the ethical and legal ramifications.

How does the American Board of Internal Medicine spend the revenue it obtains from physicians' maintenance of certification fees? This chart breaks it down.

A reader writes that too much healthcare spending is for overhead, and not enough is for patient care.

Many chronically ill Americans suffer from food insecurity, study finds

Based on industry data collected through April 15, the GOP-led House Energy and Commerce committee estimates that only 67% of healthcare exchange enrollees have paid their premiums.

Language in a new CMS rule implies that October 1, 2015, is now the date for using the new coding system.

More than 10,000 physicians have signed an online petition demanding that the ABIM repeal recent changes to its MOC process that petitioners say could cost physicians more time and money.

A reader writes that he has seen no financial benefit from adopting electronic health records in his practice.

A reader predicts that the financial burden of converting to the ICD-10 coding system will bankrupt many practices

Even though Congress failed to repeal Medicare's Sustainable Growth Rate formula last month, the odds are good that it will happen in the not-too-distant future. Here's what repeal may mean for your practice.

The controversy over copy-paste in EHRs has been around for a long time, but it has recently gained new urgency.

Keeping patient data private has never been more important, and requires medical practices to navigate a web of mandates, analyses, and agreements.

Primary care shortages lead many states to reform laws that restrict midlevels

Implementation costs, alert fatigue cited as obstacles for practices

Shortly after announcing the enrollment of 7.5 million people in ACA health insurance exchanges, Kathleen Sebelius resigned as secretary of the of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Patients with private insurance have a better chance of scheduling appointments with doctors than those with Medicaid, according to a new study.