Practice Management

Though a little optimism never hurts, it is a fool's bet that politicians alone can fix what's wrong with our system.

In the overwhelming majority of cases, self-referral laws prohibit a physician from referring patients to an entity for a designated health service if the physician (or immediate family member) has a financial relationship with the entity.

Professional courtesy cannot be used as a "reward" or "incentive" to physicians, their families, or office staff for referring patients to you.

How should we bill care provided by a physician who doesn't have her credentials yet?

I've heard that malpractice insurers often revoke your tail coverage if you volunteer outside of the state in which you're insured. Is that true? What should I do about tail coverage?

I am in the process of a divorce, and one of the issues that has arisen is the value of my medical degree and my "enhanced" earnings as a result of it. How would such a valuation be calculated?

Something has gone awry to create an environment that leaves well-intended physicians victimized when government audits reveal their software systems have allowed-even facilitated-submission of non-compliant and potentially fraudulent claims.

More physician leaders have adopted information technology tools, such as electronic medical records and e-prescribing, than five years ago, but they are generally unsatisfied with the products available.

The vast majority of Medicare care-coordination programs of chronically ill Medicare patients showed no significant cost savings or health improvements, according to a study published last month.

Contrary to the conventional wisdom spewed by EHR vendors and the looming mandate presented by the Obama administration, coding claims with electronic health records is not for everyone.

Pharma "rebels," physicians who are deeply dissatisfied with and speak out against pharmaceutical companies, are becoming more prevalent in the U.S., a recent poll indicates. Should Big Pharma be worried?

Most medication errors in primary care practices are prescribing errors--many of which could be prevented by electronic tools, according to a new study by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Federal officials are providing little guidance thus far on how physicians can access funds in the $787 billion federal stimulus package to help offset the cost of buying and implementing electronic health record systems.

It is appropriate for primary care doctors to code for visits for patients who request blood-pressure checks and lab slips but who come in without complaints. Primary care doctors are an important part of effective ongoing patient care.

Will Medicare be giving a 2 percent bonus for e-prescribing, along with an additional 2 percent bonus for reporting quality measures?

The challenge: Ensuring legal compliance with e-mailed patient records and appointment reminders.

What is and is not appropriate information to include in phone messages from auto dialers?

Are there any steps I should take before dismissing a patient who repeatedly shows up late for appointments?

Make sure Medicare gets the complete picture of a patient's long-term hospital stay when submitting a claim-especially when several specialists work on the case. You should include all diagnoses on the claim.

A retired doctor shares his story of rediscovering his passion for medicine by volunteering in a hospice.

Growth in national health expenditures is expected to be 5.5 percent this year, as spending increases from $2.4 trillion in 2008 to $2.5 trillion in 2009-or $8,140 per person, according to CMS.

Last month, UnitedHealthcare launched a patient-centered medical home (PCMH) pilot project in Arizona with employer IBM, which could boost participants' income by as much as 20 percent on top of their current billings

Medpedia, a free online medical encyclopedia for healthcare professionals and consumers, launched last month with more than 7,000 pages of content contributed by 110 organizations.

How is socialized medicine going? Just look to the U.K.'s newspapers.

I have a patient with a high-deductible plan who doesn't want to pay for his visits. I've sent certified letters to dismiss him, but he doesn't accept the letters.