Practice Management

The surprising changes the Affordable Care Act is bringing to primary care practices

Congress will likely move to forbid non-disclosure clauses in EHR contracts with healthcare providers, but final action won’t occur until 2016 when the House and Senate come together to align their different, more far-ranging proposals on EHRs.

Depression, coupled with diabetes, can lead to poor clinical outcomes and a number of comorbidities, according to new research.

Thirty minutes of high-intensity interval exercise five days a week can delay diabetes development, according to new research.

We asked our ICD-10 Diary physicians to weigh in on the pros and cons of the new code set. Here's what they said.

In a presentation, Nancy Brown, CEO of American Heart Association, highlighted key findings of the AHA’s CEO Roundtable conducted to learn more about the state of workplace health and employee perceptions in the United States.

"Prevention of heart failure readmissions begins with effective in-hospital treatment and efficient care transitions," says Akshay S. Desai, MD in a presentation at the 2015 AHA Fall Conference meeting.

An American Heart Association Scientific Statement about the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of using mobile health technologies to reduce CVD risk behaviors was the cornerstone of the presentation of Lora E. Burke, PhD at the AHA meeting.

In her presentation at the 2015 AHA Fall Conference, Laura L. Hayman, PhD spoke family history of cardiovascular disease and family interventions in lifestyle management to improve heart health.

Clinical nurse researcher Pamela J. McCabe, PhD, presented information about the improvement of health-related quality of life care for patients with atrial fibrillation at the 2015 AHA Fall Conference.

In a presentation at the 2015 AHA Fall Conference, Daniel E. Singer, MD, spoke about identifying patients with an increased bleeding risk with the long-term use of oral anticoagulants and whether or not there is a benefit in those cases.

In her presentation at the 2015 AHA Fall Conference, Nanette K. Wenger, MD, spoke about management of high blood pressure in the elderly. Wenger showed case studies to illustrate variations of blood pressure among elderly patients and how to manage them.

In a presentation at the 2015 AHA Fall Conference, Peter Zimetbaum, MD spoke on the burden of atrial fibrillation and the association with a risk of stroke in AF patients.

A new study shows that qualified patients who decreased their asthma medications under physician supervision fared no worse than those that maintained their medication regimen.

A new study finds that children with asthma that became obese by their 20s experienced increased airway obstruction-but without worsening symptoms.

Nearly all patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections should receive direct-acting anti-viral agents, according to updated guidelines by the American Association for the Study for Liver Diseases and the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

Clinical studies that rely on diagnostic codes or biopsies to provide evidence of cirrhosis may be underestimating the extent of the disease among hepatitis C patients, according to a new study.

Medical Economics sat down with John Halamka, MD, MS, to ask questions about the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' issuing of a Final Rule for attesting to Stage 3 of Meaningful Use programs as well as physicians' demands for delays of the 2017 starting.

Forty-five days after ICD-10 became a reality, small annoyances seem to be outweighing large payment problems, according to our latest ICD-10 Diary entries.

In this First Take, Linda Cornfield, MD writes how she discusses end-of-life care with patients and their families. End-of-life care is an important and complicated conversation to have with patients and they need help finding their way down this path.

I’m often asked what a pension is “worth.” The question is important, because it factors into the assessment of a physician’s ability to retire comfortably.

Changing payment models means primary care physicians will increasingly take part in palliative care

Team-based care is here to stay, so find ways for physicians and advanced practitioners to work together

Doctors need a financial playbook that responds to their distinct careers. Keeping the cashflow to your practice flexible is important when starting out, but don't forget to plan for retirement.

Physicians should assume leadership roles both inside and outside of their practices

The idea of converting my practice into a patient-centered medical home (PCMH) came into focus as we, like many, struggled with flattening reimbursements, limited time with patients, and a payment system that rewards volume rather than value. We’ve embraced PCMH not just as a stepping stone towards payment transformation but as a noble recasting of our essential care delivery model.

In this Last Word, George G. Ellis Jr., MD, FACP expresses his dissatisfaction with the current behavior of ABIM and its certification problems, as well as offering advice to ABIM.

Medical Economics recently convened a panel of leadership experts to discuss the future of medical schools and whether or not medical schools are preparing new doctors for the changes in the medical community.

Claims are being accepted, but some physicians wonder if they are accurately reflecting diagnoses in this week's ICD-10 Diary entries.

From questioning diagnoses to spending more time coding, ICD-10 is causing more physicians to take additional time away from practicing.