Opinion

The rise of electronic health records that don’t always work well can lead to liability risks if managed incorrectly.

Fee-for-service medicine is on the way out. That may be hard to believe if most of your income still comes from such payments, which reward physicians for the volume of services they provide. But it’s clear that payers are increasingly emphasizing reimbursement methods that reward value, rather than volume-and that that transition is accelerating.

What role should physicians have in states where assisted suicide is allowed?

A lot of the questions and answers I see in Coding Insights involve “medical necessity.” Who defines this? How does this directly impact payments?

In today’s evolving healthcare system, physicians are changing practice settings more often than ever.

Employees give up some control but gain freedom from paperwork along with new career opportunities

Physicians are some of the hardest working individuals in the country. Years of rigorous training culminate in long hours at the practice. Even physicians can overlook the importance of protecting their ability to earn a living. When something as trivial as a sprained wrist can prevent a doctor from completing their daily tasks, disability insurance becomes a real consideration.

New certification option grew out of review begun three years ago.

While largely viewed as an unpleasant experience, a little bit of contract negotiation can go a long way for improving a physician’s future.

If you are thinking of changing EHRs or changing practices, there are several lessons to consider to make your transition a success.

For years, physicians have solely held the keys to health information, hoarding precious knowledge from patients because it make them feel powerful, says Daniel Sands, MD, MPH, FACP.

Adopting some elements of the patient-centered medical home model is key, says ACP president.

After initial investment, approach could help reduce outpatient and professional costs while maintaining or improving outcomes, new study says.

New data suggest that neighborhood environments have significant effects on health.

A palliative care expert says internists are forging critical bonds with patients today for difficult discussions that can occur in the future.

CMS acknowledges that smaller practices will face penalties of $300 million under MIPS in year one.

Medical societies are welcoming the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) proposed rule for implementing the legislation that will change the way Medicare reimburses physicians.

The business of medicine has drastically changed over the past 20 years.

“Motivational interviewing” helps patients make needed lifestyle, diet alterations.

Small, independent practices have dealt with no shortage of challenges in recent years: Complex regulatory requirements, increased payer scrutiny and more pressure on physicians to improve patient outcomes.

We already told you the top 12 secondary incomes for physicians, according to the latest edition of the Medical Economics Physician Report.But what about the rest of the financial state of primary care practices in the United States?

Researchers call success of direct-acting antivirals against hepatitis C “a major breakthrough.”

A new report finds that hepatitis B and C can be eliminated as a public health problem.

If you think that you have not had a data breach in your business, you are an ostrich with your head in the sand.

Time and again the medical marvels of exercise have been proven. But there’s still not much coaching going on in exam rooms. Only about 9% of doctor office visits include physical activity counseling.

Hospital and healthcare software security can always be marginally improved, but if we want to lower the risk of healthcare security breaches, we need to take a very different approach.

Much has been written about whether physicians in practice would recommend that their children pursue a career in medicine. The 87th Annual Physician Report by Medical Economics shows only 40% would.

Retail clinics, ABMS, MOC and quality metrics are the hot topics of Your Voice this month.

Maintaining compliance with the rules and regulations that apply to medical practices can be a tall order, especially for small practices with limited resources.

Q:I received a letter from Medicare stating that I had more 99214s than my cohort of internal medicine providers, and that I needed to correct this in six months. I don’t believe that I’ve done anything wrong. How can they do this?