Practice Management

Explanations of benefits offer a wealth of information on payments and denials. Learn how to profit from them.

False positives can have devastating results. How can you protect your patients, and yourself, from an erroneous diagnosis?

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It only seems like it takes magic to code claims accurately. Here's how some practices teach their doctors to circle the right numbers.

Computerizing records allowed this group to boost productivity, avoid new hires, and increase collections.

Your cash flow depends on a staffer whose job consists of far more than getting the charges out the door.

Indemnity awards are up, especially for primary care cases. Here are the latest statistics--and what you can do to keep safe.

You'd better believe it--or be prepared to serve prison time, pay stiff fines, and be expelled from Medicare, as in this Florida case.

Does your office have a revolving door? Here's expert advice on stopping it.

A consultant urged the author to avoid doing anything he couldn't bill for. His response: Those encounters can be the most rewarding kind.

Code diagnoses and services on a PDA, and watch revenues soar.

Organized medicine is seeking a legislative solution to prevent a dramatic drop in reimbursement rates next year.

A department head's liability for a colleague's mishap

Your liability when you recommend a private duty nurse

In unprecedented legal battles, doctors and patients declare "all-out war" on HMOs.

Payers have devised dozens of ways to deny or delay reimbursement. Is your practice doing enough to fight back?

Let Rep. Pete Stark's intent, and this article, guide you in structuring your practice to keep within those confusing laws.

Could careless management be costing you "at least 12 percent of revenue," to quote one expert? Here's how to find and fix the nine most common dollar leaks.

A court upholds a suit against an HMO for deciding medical necessity based on Milliman guidelines.

Milliman's USA's advisories on hospital stays are coming under intense attack. How insurers use them may be as problematic as their scientific validity.

Time pressures are no excuse for insensitivity to patients' needs, the author stresses.

Can a hospital limit C-section privileges to ob/gyns? A California court says Yes.

Many health plans are gearing up to process physician claims online in real time. That means faster payments, less chasing after payers, and the ability to collect the patient&s share before she leaves the office.

The tales of two St. Louis doctors illustrate why you can't take freedom of speech for granted when you're somebody's employee.

The new regulations try to enhance patient protection while minimizing physician hassle. Brace yourself for even more changes.