Practice Management

After provider compensation, costs for support staff are the biggest expense of running a medical practice. Even with good practice management, you and your office manager often may feel as if you never can get staffing levels just right, which is understandable. Here are three steps to determining the appropriate staffing balance for your practice.

Our readers respond to the February 25 cover article, "The Obesity Epidemic."

With a national EHR system, you can seize the opportunity to help establish the appropriate standard of care, one that opens up a new era of patient care while also setting reasonable parameters on what a healthcare provider should be responsible for when an errant entry lurks in the medical file.

Physicians and their practice managers are starting to see that complying with recent laws and mandates will require a greater use of information technology (IT) and are exploring the pros and cons of using a single vendor versus multiple vendors for their IT needs.

Remote health monitoring system automatically sends readings from anywhere in a patient’s house.

Epic has attracted several notable critics, who warn that its market dominance could have harmful effects on the future of health information technology, EHRs and even patient care. Worse, these critics warn, Epic has achieved much of its market dominance on the backs of taxpayers.

In an unprecedented move, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology has revoked the certifications of two electronic health record systems that had been certified for providers to use to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid EHR incentive programs.

Find out how you compare with your peers in a wide range of financial preparedness areas – retirement savings, top financial concerns, estate planning, disability insurance, and more

Work stations enable physicians to integrate technology into their practices.

Physicians can remotely monitor patients and provide distance medical services via video conferencing.

New updates to the Food and Drug Administration program of post-market surveillance of medical devices are designed to incorporate more feedback from you and your patients to help ensure patient safety.

The good news: Health cost growth has slowed down so much in recent years that it's increased at the lowest rate since the government began tracking it 50 years ago.

If you don't report quality data this year through the federal government's Physician Quality Reporting System program, you will be docked 1.5% of of their Medicare reimbursements in 2015.

Under economic stress, it might be difficult not to focus on dollar signs when searching for a professional opportunity as a physician, but it's also important to focus on finding a positive work environment.

The healthcare system needs more primary care physicians, and at least two new schools are trying to answer that call.

Doctors who are fed up with the state of today's electronic health records technology have some new friends in a group of six Republican senators.

As patients begin to spend more of their own money on their healthcare, they are also increasingly looking to rating systems to help select providers.

Physicians, beware: If you're making patients wait more than 20 minutes before seeing you for an appointment, you could be at risk of losing those patients.

A new study in JAMA Internal Medicine by researchers from Johns Hopkins University suggests that that number could be reduced-at least a little bit-by making physicians aware of the cost of each test they order.

The hospitals and group practices that are looking to hire doctors are recruiting with a sense of urgency.

Primary care professors reported a median compensation of $203,777, compared with $291,101 for specialty professors, according to a survey from the Medical Group Management Association.

The American College of Physicians and the Federation of State Medical Boards have released a policy paper to help physicians protect patient interests and be professional in online settings.

The latest installment in Medical Economics' Business of Health series examines the societal costs of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and how physicians can address them in their practices.

Your reimbursement likely will be tied to outcomes soon. Some experts say that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) penalties for not participating in the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) signal that the pay-for-performance trend is not fading away-likely will be adopted by private payers.

The American Medical Association has filed a brief in federal court in support of a Georgia law that was created to curb “unfair business practices” by companies that pay medical bills.

Now is the time for all physicians to come to the aid of themselves, their professions, and their patients.

The government wants to accelerate health information exchange and “build a seamless and secure flow of information to help transform the healthcare system” this year.

This issue's question focuses on the recent crack down on modifier 25 claims and what it could mean for your practice. Find out the answer to this pressing question.

The law regarding self-referral, or the Stark statute, can be a bit mystifying. Find out how to ensure that you remain compliant.

Physicians and consultants share advice on communicating electronically with patients.