Practice Management

The 21 percent reduction in Medicare physician rates has been postponed for another six months. This matter will come up for review again after the fall elections.

One in five medical claims are processed inaccurately by health insurers, according to an AMA analysis.

Rising operating costs and uncertain Medicare rates dominated this year's challenges for medical groups, accordin to survey results.

With money market and short-term U.S. government yields not very different from hiding your dollars under a mattress, huge amounts of investment dollars have gone into bond funds.

Decide whether to buy into a practice that has issues.

Physicians in every specialty, in every city and town, in every state in the country lament almost daily the reimbursement levels and other frustrations associated with caring for Medicare patients.

Learn how to code for laceration repair and suture removal.

The goal is to not only find joy in your daily practice, but also outside of it. Learn from the stories of various medical professionals as to how they've captured joy in practice and beyond.

The main problem with midlevels is that they are being used in a manner in which they are neither trained nor competent to perform.

Through practice, I've come to realize that my influence and interactions matter with every personal encounter with patients.

We have been looking for the past 2+ years for an internist to take over the practice of our senior partner, whom we knew would be retiring.

Whether you've been in practice 40 years or 40 days, there are likely some workdays that stand out from others--some for good reasons, some for not-so-good reasons.

Nurse practitioners and physician assistants are not in competition; rather, we are here to complement each others' services.

Midlevels are NOT physicians and do not have the training and or experience to diagnose and treat complicated problems.

Discover whether the IRS is cracking down on employer withholding tax compliance.

Sixty-five percent of established recruited physicians were placed in hospital-owned practices and 49 percent of physicians hired out of residency or fellowship were placed within hospital-owned practices in 2009, according to a salary survey.

Understand whether it is appropriate for MAs, LPNs or RNs to perform athletic evaluations.

What would it take to make your job more satisfying?

Clarify any confusion regarding definition of 'great vessels'

Determine whether it is appropriate to bill for a mesh inserted during a herniorrhaphy.

Be aware of the tax changes in the health reform legislation.

In most patient satisfaction surveys related to the medical practice setting, patients' main concern is long wait times. Even though a long wait time is not likely to be the main complaint in a lawsuit, it does not endear the doctor to the jury. A proactive approach and communication are key.

Understand how the Stark and antikickback laws apply to patient referral incentives.

"Marketing" is any action to attract or keep patients, which includes many activities.

The financial crisis of 2008-2009, along with more recent concern over the large debts run up by Greece and some other members of the European Union, has made debt a frequent topic of meetings with clients.

When the medical malpractice insurance market came crashing down and premiums skyrocketed a decade ago, physicians began to focus on the cost of medical malpractice lawsuits.

You obtain a signed ABN (waiver of liability) from a Medicare beneficiary to convey that the Medicare program is not likely to provide coverage in a specific case.

International locum tenens may be a practical way to fulfill dreams left unfulfilled.

Understand whether to offer free care to the family and staff of referring doctors.

A two-year national demonstration project of the patient-centered medical home concept of 31 primary care practices shows that the model does improve care, but patients still complain of lack of income and personal relationships with physicians, according to study results.