Practice Management

Flipping the switch on your EHR system tests your staff’s productivity, relationship with patients, and the reliability of your new system

Has your medical practice received unexpected Medicare denials? Coding expert Renee Stantz helps to sort through the confusion, and she offers more advice for ICD-10 preparation.

During his keynote address at the 2014 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society conference, Aetna’s CEO Mark T. Bertolini calls for transformative healthcare change focused on wellness, aligned incentives, and a crackdown on wasteful spending.

The number of young adults enrolling in exchange health plans may be less important than the overall health of all new enrollees.

More patients are aware of websites that rate physicians, and they make a growing impact on which doctor they pick.

The debate over the necessity of annual mammograms continues as a recent study suggests that the screenings for breast cancer do not reduce the number of deaths from the disease.

The costs to medical practices for implementing ICD-10 have been grossly underestimated, according to a recent study.

Close to 1.1 million signed up in January, data show

Congress has agreed on legislation to repeal the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula. But the changes not only affect physician reimbursements. The proposed legislation also overhauls current incentive programs, establishing the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System.

The vast majority of practices have done nothing to get ready for ICD-10 or are only "somewhat ready."

Another deadline for the $27 billion Medicare EHR Incentive Program has been extended by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Providers will now have until March 31, 2014, to submit their data for the 2013 reporting year.

A reader says that the business pressures of running a medical practice makes it no longer enjoyable.

A reader proposes alternatives to the need to obtain insurance company preapprovals for treatments and procedures.

A reader says that doctors today are under too much scrutiny and have too many requirements placed on them.

A reader writes that the ongoing controversy over maintenance of certification requirements echoes another episode in American medicine a century ago.

A table showing the dollar amounts physicians may bill Medicare for administering vaccines under various CPT codes.

Will reimbursement data on individual physicians lead to better healthcare or leave doctors exposed?

Experts offer best practices related to smart purchasing, inventory control, and reducing waste of vaccines.

This chart takes a look at why some doctors don't make as much money as the public thinks they do.

A summary of the most common adult and pediatric vaccines, their brand name, cost per dose, and manufacturer

In today’s era of smart phones and tablets, the question is no longer whether physicians and their staff members should send text messages containing protected health information, but rather what is the safest way to do so.

Medical Economics collected hundreds of comments from physicians about electronic health record (EHR) systems. While respondents noted the benefits EHRs provide in functions such as e-prescribing and mobile applications, they say cumbersome systems have drained cash from their practices, and worsened patient care because of inefficiencies.

Probably the least understood and greatest exposure and risk for practices attesting to Meaningful Use (MU) is the need to complete a security risk analysis.

Like it or not, ICD-10-CM is coming in October, which means medical practices are going to have to code and document their physicians’ patient encounters with more detail and complexity, or they won’t get paid. To help physicians prepare, we highlight some examples of ICD-10-CM coding in action.

Why a national outcry from physicians on EHR cost, functionality, and customer satisfaction will shake the health information technology sector

Physicians, consultants, and vendors offer real-world advice on getting your EHR up and running.

Lean Six Sigma (LSS) is a process mapping strategy that helps businesses become more efficient. Here’s how implementing LSS as part of your strategic planning process can help your practice save time and money.

Use the experience your practice gained during its first EHR implementation to make your new system work for you.

So, what’s really driving physician dissatisfaction with EHRs? These data tables guide you through the results of the exclusive Medical Economics survey.

When calling patients about appointments, tests and other information, practices must comply with the rules in the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.