Practice Management

Most primary care physicians love their work, but they are clearly frustrated about their income and the increasing compliance challenges associated with payers and government initiatives, according to results from the 85th annual Medical Economics 2013 Exclusive Continuing Study

The decision to leave a health plan is often still a difficult one, especially with the dominant health plans in your market. However, if you do decide you are through, here is how you can get out of your agreement and start your new life as a non-participating provider.

New compensation models will be key as payers look to reward quality vs. volume

A majority of the U.S. House of Representatives have signed a letter urging House leadership to support repeal of the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula, a long-time revenue threat to physicians.

Actress Angelina Jolie made headlines around the world last May when she wrote an op-ed in The New York Times describing how she elected to have a preventive double mastectomy based on the results of genetic tests. Her decision cast genetic and genomic testing into the spotlight, and widescale product development may soon fuel new patient inquiries-a lot of them.

A reader notes that alternatives exist to the current adversarial system of settling medical malpractice claims.

The author proposes a new way of paying for healthcare that keeps elements of the fee-for-service model but also takes outcomes into account.

Most primary care physicians use electronic health records, but others say they are opting out for good

Though some physicians are facing a decrease in patient volume, experts say the boom is coming

Entering into a relationship with an electronic health records vendor is like entering into a marriage. You need to select a partner with whom you can get along and trust, communicate openly, and who will have your back when times get tough.

The number of urgent care centers in the United States is growing, and many physicians see expansion into urgent care services as an opportunity to grow their practices.

Our office is starting to do a monthly audit of our physician charts. We’re going to be looking at documentation and coding to make sure they are on the right track. When we’re conducting these audits, do we have to use either 1995 or 1997 guidelines or can we combine the two?

Physician practice owners took a pay cut last year, according to the results of the 85th exclusive Medical Economics Continuing Study, an annual survey that examines physician earnings.

A look at the median income of primary care physicians, using data from the 85th annual Medical Economics 2013Exclusive Continuing Study, which collected responses from physicians about their professional life.

Doctors are benefitting from more companies entering the malpractice market, but the Affordable Care Act could end the slide

Trends in medical malpractice premiums for primary care physicians from the 85th annual Medical Economics Continuing Survey

A look at the median income of primary care physicians in the Northeast, Midwest, South, and West regions of the U.S., using data from the 85th annual Medical Economics 2013 Exclusive Continuing Study, which collected responses from physicians about their professional life.

A comparison of the median income of primary care physicians in inner city, urban, suburban and rural communities, using data from the 85th annual Medical Economics 2013 Exclusive Continuing Study, which collected responses from physicians about their professional life.

A comparison of the median income of primary care physicians sorted by gender, using data from the 85th annual Medical Economics 2013 Exclusive Continuing Study, which collected responses from physicians about their professional life.

A look at primary care physician EHR use, costs and Meaningful Use readiness, using data from the 85th annual Medical Economics 2013 Exclusive Continuing Study, which collected responses from physicians about their professional life.

Despite the widespread publicity their complaints have received, fewer than 1% of adults under 65 are at risk of having their health insurance polices canceled.

A reader writes that a previous article in Medical Economics did not include some relevant information.

Medical societies filed a restraining order against UnitedHealthcare, and the AMA is calling for major changes following mass cancellations of physicians in Medicare Advantage Plans in at least 11 states.

Since the 16-day government shutdown in October, the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology reports that 13 complete electronic health record (EHR) systems have been added to the ranks of those achieving 2014 edition certification for Meaningful Use.

One of the top healthcare insurance companies is cutting thousands of doctors from its network. Are there more major cuts from large insurance companies in the horizon?

The healthcare system has the resources to meet much of the demand for primary care services, but tapping into those resources will require structural changes.

A new report suggests that children as young as middle school-aged are smoking e-cigarettes and hookah, which are often believed to be safer alternatives to regular cigarettes.

The federal government allots more than $10 billion per year through Medicare Graduate Medical Education payments to fund residency programs at teaching hospitals throughout the country. But the distributed of that funding is imbalanced, according to a recent study.

President Barack Obama is aiming to fix a broken promise made during the rollout of the Affordable Care Act (ACA): that people can keep their existing health insurance, if they like it, under healthcare reform. Thursday Obama announced that health insurance companies can delay upgrades to existing plans to meet the requirements of the ACA until 2014.

Much of the unmet demand for primary care services can be addressed by making better use of existing resources, say two healthcare policy experts.