Practice Management

It is possible to bill patients up front for the cost of treatment to get around slow third-party payments. But there is a lot to consider before going this route.

If nurse practitioners are going to treat patients outside the office, they should be credentialed independently, so they can bill their services under their own provider numbers.

From top-dog Sermo to upstarts like Ozmosis.com and iMedExchange.com, the number of networking sites dedicated to physicians have proliferated recently.

Family and internal medicine doctors were in high demand in 2008, but saw only a modest increase in compensation, according to a report by the Delta Companies.

One of Washington state's largest health systems is putting $20 million behind the concept of a patient-centered medical home.

Certain models of the concierge practice method of medicine could be construed as engaging in the insurance business, according to a report issued by the Maryland Insurance Administration.

Coders, software firms, and physicians were granted another two years to prepare and comply with the greatly expanded set of disease diagnostic codes.

Our fee schedule hasn't changed in a while, and I'm concerned that we're undercharging for some procedures. What can we do to learn whether our fees are at appropriate levels?

Which is more important: Having a chart co-signed promptly by a physician regardless of whether that doctor is listed as the overseeing physician that day, or leaving it open until the overseeing physician can sign it?

When is the right time to refer an account to a collections agency? Generally, is referring accounts to a collections agency worth the time, expense, and effort?

A crossover is done on claims paid by Medicare based on the eligibility information reported.

Medicare will pay for treatment up to and including pronouncing time of death.

Some ZIP codes have more than one Medicare payment locality. These require the four-digit extension for payment to be rendered.

The process of ordering and managing medical and office supplies and drugs gets little attention from most primary care physicians and their staffs. But as pressure mounts to reduce costs, improving inventory management can be a fruitful place to look for savings.

"Rental" agreements, in which new health plans use a Preferred Provider Organization network from a plan you're contracted with to discount your fees without your permission, may soon be more transparent if a ruling by the National Conference of Insurance Legislators evolves into state laws.

Only a small number of consumers are visiting the estimated 1,100 retail health clinics nationwide.

The early days of the Obama administration give the estimated 83 percent of doctors without an electronic health record system valid reason to sit tight for a while longer.

Health insurer Wellpoint plans to collaborate with health plans in four states on a new online cost transparency initiative.

Patient education company Vivacare has expanded its free, online library of patient handouts to include a wider range of specialties, including family medicine.

The Medical Group Management Association launched a national campaign earlier this month to require health insurance cards to be machine-readable and accepted at every medical practice by 2010.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services earlier this month granted a two-year deadline extension to 2013 for the transition from ICD-9 codes to the greatly expanded ICD-10 codes.

Physician retirees face unique challenges when looking for volunteer options, but their skills are needed.

How would we go about finding a group purchasing organization? Are there any guidelines to keep in mind when shopping around for one?

Can you describe the two or three most important benchmarks for a family medicine practice and the ideal target ranges for each one?

CMS now mandates that retroactively billing for a physician in the credentialing process must be completed within 30 days.