THE MEDICAL ECONOMICS LIBRARY

Semi-Annual Index of Articles
January-June 2002

Alternative Medicine

• The year I chucked conventional medicine. Jun 21, p. 31

Assistants

• Hiring—and keeping—good clerical staff. Jan 11, p. 51
• Practice Pointers: How to find and keep top-notch clinical staff. Mar 8, p. 36
• Practice Pointers: How to find a billing boss who fits the bill. Mar 22, p. 73
• Practice Pointers: Is your practice staffed correctly? Jun 21, p. 66

Billings

• Coding Consult: E&M—Out with the new, in with the old. Feb 8, p. 20
• Coding Consult: Fraud busters have their eye on you (still). Mar 8, p. 20
• Practice Pointers: How to find a billing boss who fits the bill. Mar 22, p. 73
• Practice Pointers: Increase collections—watch those EOBs! Apr 26, p. 35
• Practice Pointers: Don't let dollars walk out the door. May 24, p. 58
• Coding Consult: Answers to your questions about . . . Jun 21, p. 17

Cars

• Keep your car from eating your cash. Jan 25, p. 61
• Car options: Must-haves and forget-its. Feb 22, p. 51
• How to talk an elderly patient off the road. May 24, p. 45

Colleagues

• Calming the waters in group practice conflicts. Feb 22, p. 31
• The day I learned how to be a doctor. Mar 8, p. 93
• Why etiology matters. Apr 12, p. 130

Compensation

• Does your compensation formula pass the smell test? Feb 22, p. 72
• The Feds ease antitrust rules—cautiously. Jun 21, p. 55

Computers

• Computer Consult: Toward a handheld EMR. Jan 11, p. 26
• Computer Consult: More "dumb" questions smart doctors ask. Feb 8, p. 24
• Your 2001 taxes: Get the software you need. Feb 8, p. 87
• Computer Consult: Voice recognition programs speak your language. Mar 8, p. 25
• Computer Consult: Drowning in documents? Scan 'em! Apr 12, p. 31
• EMRs cost too much? This group says No Way! Apr 12, p. 34
• EMRs boost efficiency, too. Apr 12, p. 38
• Computer Consult: I'd rather give up ATMs. Jun 7, p. 30

CPT Coding

• Coding Consult: New codes for 2002. Jan 11, p. 21
• Coding Consult: E&M—Out with the new, in with the old. Feb 8, p. 20
• How I cracked the CPT codes. Feb 22, p. 26
• Coding Consult: Fraud busters have their eye on you (still). Mar 8, p. 20
• Coding Consult: Low-level codes can bring in high revenue. Apr 12, p. 25
• Demystifying the art of coding. Apr 12, p. 140
• Coding Consult: Answers to your questions about. . .using the right after-hours code; coding an anxious patient's blood test. Apr 26, p. 19
• Practice Pointers: Increase collections—watch those EOBs! Apr 26, p. 35
• Coding Consult: How to code minor derm procedures. May 10, p. 24
• Coding Consult: Answers to your questions about. . .how to code a get-acquainted visit, billing for an office visit and a hospital admission, the right code for fracture care. May 24, p. 14
• Coding Consult: Make sure you're paid for counseling. Jun 7, p. 24
• Coding Consult: Answers to your questions about. . .charging for time spent on paperwork, coding when you can't get a history from the patient, billing for travel time. Jun 21, p. 17

Death & Dying

• Mercy—or murder? Jan 11, p. 34
• A gentle goodnight. Mar 8, p. 46
• "Take my life, but spare my son's". Apr 12, p. 111
• DNR: Did Helen still want to die? May 24, p. 50
• "We can take care of ourselves, Dad". Jun 7, p. 114
• What caused this young mother's sudden death? Jun 21, p. 47

Drugs

• Mercy—or murder? Jan 11, p. 34
• In my practice, computers replace brown paper bags. Jan 25, p. 56
• Watch out for these drug scams. Mar 8, p. 81

Education

• How to pump up college savings. Jan 25, p. 43
• Doctors Who Go The Extra Mile: Giving students a taste of medicine. Apr 12, p. 117
• The Way I See It: CMEzzzzzzzzzz. Apr 26, p. 50
• Student debt: Is one bill better? May 24, p. 39

Employment

• Hiring—and keeping—good clerical staff. Jan 11, p. 51
• What's on the horizon for primary care? Feb 8, p. 26
• How to keep your job in a tight market. Feb 8, p. 104
• 8 ways to escape your employer. Feb 22, p. 88

Ethics

• To tell or not to tell? May 10, p. 101

Family

• A gentle goodnight. Mar 8, p. 46
• "Take my life, but spare my son's". Apr 12, p. 111
• Coping with your own child's illness. Jun 7, p. 125
• Take your kids on a cruise? They'll love it—and so will you. Jun 7, p. 108

Fraud & Abuse

• Are those lab payments really kickbacks? Jan 25, p. 74
• Does your compensation formula pass the smell test? Feb 22, p. 72

Government & Politics

• Washington outlook: Action on health care in 2002? Jan 25, p. 22
• Coding Consult: Fraud busters have their eye on you (still). Mar 8, p. 20
• My patients are also my constituents. Jun 7, p. 69

Group Practice

• How to keep your job in a tight market. Feb 8, p. 104
• Calming the waters in group practice conflicts. Feb 22, p. 31
• What makes a group practice thrive. Feb 22, p. 65
• 8 ways to escape your employer. Feb 22, p. 88
• Cut out the insurance middleman? Mar 8, p. 89
• Little things work wonders. Apr 26, p. 93
• Questions to ask before joining a multispecialty group. May 10, p. 124

Health Insurance

• Cut out the insurance middleman? Mar 8, p. 89

Health Policy

• Washington outlook: Action on health care in 2002? Jan 25, p. 22

Home

• Set up your home office the right way. Mar 22, p. 52
• Get the best deal on your next house. May 10, p. 80
• How to keep property taxes in check. Jun 7, p. 78

Hospitals

• Malpractice: Why I would have sided with the plaintiffs. May 10, p. 53
• Do Good Samaritan laws protect you in the hospital? May 10, p. 92
• This doctor's peer review suit cost him $240,000. Jun 21, p. 26

Humor

• How I cracked the CPT codes. Feb 22, p. 26

Insurance

• Keep your car from eating your cash. Jan 25, p. 61
• Options for boosting your disability coverage. Mar 8, p. 50
• Travel insurance: Should you leave home without it? May 10, p. 63

Internet

• At Kaiser, a vision of the connected future. Feb 8, p. 52
• Order supplies online? You bet! Mar 8, p. 55
• Computer Consult: I'd rather give up ATMs. Jun 7, p. 30

Investments

• Investment Consult: You need more than stocks. Jan 25, p. 18
• Investment Consult: Should a team manage your portfolio? Feb 22, p. 16
• What—better returns with less investment risk? Mar 8, p. 31
• What's your financial IQ? Apr 12, p. 102
• Investment Consult: Time to tune up your portfolio. May 24, p. 28
• Bad brokers: Dr. Maderazo fought back. So can you. Jun 7, p. 130
• Investment Consult: Is it a scam? Tips for the wary investor. Jun 21, p. 18

Investment—Mutual Funds

• Get ready for the market recovery. Mar 22, p. 39
• Investment Insider: Don Phillips on mutual funds. Apr 12, p. 76
• How 5 top mutual fund families stack up. Apr 26, p. 84
• Investments: Don't put all your eggs in the US basket. Jun 21, p. 36

Investments—Stock

• Investment Insider: John McCamant on the future of biotech. Jan 11, p. 43
• Get ready for the market recovery. Mar 22, p. 39
• Investment Consult: Investing after Enron. Apr 26, p. 20
• 10 stocks that will lead the recovery. May 10, p. 34
• Investments: Don't put all your eggs in the US basket. Jun 21, p. 36

Law

• 20 phone calls later, I got help for my patient. Jan 11, p. 90
• 8 ways to escape your employer. Feb 22, p. 88
• Opening the door on Medicare peer review. Mar 8, p. 110
• How to win your case before it reaches court. Apr 12, p. 54
• When the HMO says No. May 10, p. 43
• Do Good Samaritan laws protect you in the hospital? May 10, p. 92
• No expert, no lawsuit? No longer. May 24, p. 34
• When an HMO denial is practicing medicine. Jun 7, p. 100
• The Feds ease antitrust rules—cautiously. Jun 21, p. 55

Location & Distribution

• My patients built me a practice. Apr 12, p. 123

Malpractice

• Mercy—or murder? Jan 11, p. 34
• Malpractice: Why you may be forced to settle. Feb 22, p. 20
• Malpractice: Don't wait for a lawsuit to strike. Mar 22, p. 82
• How to win your case before it reaches court. Apr 12, p. 54
• Are you sure the patient is sick? Apr 26, p. 24
• When a joint defense is no defense. Apr 26, p. 67
• Malpractice: Why I would have sided with the plaintiffs. May 10, p. 53
• Do Good Samaritan laws protect you in the hospital? May 10, p. 92
• No expert, no lawsuit? No longer. May 24, p. 34
• A $10 million allergy case: Could it happen to you? Jun 7, p. 36

Managed Care

• HMO quality: Does for-profit status matter? Jan 25, p. 53
• Dump a health plan? How to decide. Mar 22, p. 29
• When the HMO says No. May 10, p. 43
• When an HMO denial is practicing medicine. Jun 7, p. 100
• The Feds ease antitrust rules—cautiously. Jun 21, p. 55

Medical Economics Interview

• Investment Insider: Don Phillips on mutual funds. Apr 12, p. 76

Medical Economics Surveys

• Financial Survey: No brakes on family spending. Jan 11, p. 75

Medical Profession

• Doctors Who Go the Extra Mile: Fighting hunger and death half a world away. Feb 8, p. 43
• Put fun back in your practice. Apr 12, p. 95
• Doctors Who Go The Extra Mile: Giving students a taste of medicine. Apr 12, p. 117
• The Way I See It: CMEzzzzzzzzzz. Apr 26, p. 50
• Doctors Who Go the Extra Mile: Taking good works up, up, and away. Jun 7, p. 119

Medicare/Medicaid

• Washington outlook: Action on health care in 2002? Jan 25, p. 22
• Are those lab payments really kickbacks? Jan 25, p. 74
• Opening the door on Medicare peer review. Mar 8, p. 110
• I was wrong. Medicare is great! May 10, p. 71
• No good deed goes unpunished. May 10, p. 136

Midlevel Providers

• Practice Pointers: How to find and keep top-notch clinical staff. Mar 8, p. 36
• Practice Pointers: Is your practice staffed correctly? Jun 21, p. 66

Office

• Set up your home office the right way. Mar 22, p. 52

Patients

• 20 phone calls later, I got help for my patient. Jan 11, p. 90
• 6 nonbillable events that paid me handsomely. Jan 11, p. 67
• Is the war ever over? Jan 25, p. 36
• So much for snap judgments about patients. Jan 25, p. 48
• When your patient lies. Feb 8, p. 95
• Sarah's last visit. Feb 22, p. 47
• My best quit-smoking aid: Philip Morris. Feb 22, p. 82
• Watch out for these drug scams. Mar 8, p. 81
• The day I learned how to be a doctor. Mar 8, p. 93
• Taming the difficult patient. Mar 8, p. 100
• The ABCs of courage. Mar 22, p. 63
• Credit my wife with saving my patient. Apr 12, p. 89
• Put fun back in your practice. Apr 12, p. 95
• Why etiology matters. Apr 12, p. 130
• I'll always wonder: Could I have done more? Apr 26, p. 43
• It's the patient, stupid! Apr 26, p. 77
• To tell or not to tell? May 10, p. 101
• How to talk an elderly patient off the road. May 24, p. 45
• DNR: Did Helen still want to die? May 24, p. 50
• Get personal in seven minutes? Sure you can. May 24, p. 69
• Why your patient won't let you touch her. Jun 7, p. 47
• From fingersticks to chopsticks. Jun 7, p. 61
• The importance of being curious. Jun 7, p. 65
• Running late. Jun 7, p. 94
• "We can take care of ourselves, Dad". Jun 7, p. 114
• What caused this young mother's sudden death? Jun 21, p. 47
• White coats, drowning horses. Jun 21, p. 59

Peer Review

• This doctor's peer review suit cost him $240,000. Jun 21, p. 26

Personal Finances

• Financial Survey: No brakes on family spending. Jan 11, p. 75
• How to pump up college savings. Jan 25, p. 43
• Financial Makeover: Could you climb out of this financial hole? Feb 22, p. 61
• Laying your path to early retirement. Apr 12, p. 47
• What's your financial IQ? Apr 12, p. 102
• What Retirement Is Really Like: "Time is much more elastic now". Apr 26, p. 57
• Want to have more? Spend less. May 10, p. 108
• Student debt: Is one bill better? May 24, p. 39
• Bad brokers: Dr. Maderazo fought back. So can you. Jun 7, p. 130
• Financial Makeover: Scrambling to catch up. Jun 7, p. 84

Personal Life

• AFib? But I'm only 38! Jan 25, p. 69
• "I'm not a doctor. I'm an ophthalmologist". Feb 8, p. 4
• How a "crash course" in medicine changed my life. Mar 8, p. 67
• The year I chucked conventional medicine. Jun 21, p. 31

Practice Management

• To keep your practice humming, get the right help. Feb 8, p. 32
• Practice Pointers: How to find and keep top-notch clinical staff. Mar 8, p. 36
• Order supplies online? You bet! Mar 8, p. 55
• Recredentialing? It's a two-minute job. Mar 8, p. 62
• Practice Pointers: How to find a billing boss who fits the bill. Mar 22, p. 73
• EMRs cost too much? This group says No Way! Apr 12, p. 34
• EMRs boost efficiency, too. Apr 12, p. 38
• Going solo: My leap of faith paid off. Apr 12, p. 64
• Our secret for saving time, money, and grief. Apr 12, p. 85
• What I learned from an "old school" nurse. May 10, p. 119
• Practice Pointers: Don't let dollars walk out the door. May 24, p. 58
• Get personal in seven minutes? Sure you can. May 24, p. 69
• Running late. Jun 7, p. 94
• Practice Pointers: Is your practice staffed correctly? Jun 21, p. 66
• Take-home advice from a stand-up consultant. Jun 21, p. 50

Primary Care

• What's on the horizon for primary care? Feb 8, p. 26
• I'm a primary care physician—and proud of it! Feb 8, p. 61
• Dear specialist: Please don't dump your job on me. Mar 22, p. 106

Professions, Other

• To keep your practice humming, get the right help. Feb 8, p. 32
• Your 2001 taxes: Find the right adviser. Feb 8, p. 75
• Malpractice: Why you may be forced to settle. Feb 22, p. 20
• What I learned from an "old school" nurse. May 10, p. 119
• Details, details: What your colleagues think of drug reps. Jun 7, p. 41
• My patients are also my constituents. Jun 7, p. 69

Records

• Computer Consult: Toward a handheld EMR. Jan 11, p. 26
• At Kaiser, a vision of the connected future. Feb 8, p. 52
• Computer Consult: Drowning in documents? Scan 'em! Apr 12, p. 31
• EMRs cost too much? This group says No Way! Apr 12, p. 34
• EMRs boost efficiency, too. Apr 12, p. 38
• Our secret for saving time, money, and grief. Apr 12, p. 85
• Computer Consult: I'd rather give up ATMs. Jun 7, p. 30

Retirement

• Take charge of your 401(k). Jan 11, p. 80
• Answers to your tax questions. . .On retirement plans and IRAs. Mar 8, p. 74
• Laying your path to early retirement. Apr 12, p. 47
• What Retirement Is Really Like: "Time is much more elastic now". Apr 26, p. 57

Solo Practice

• Going solo: My leap of faith paid off. Apr 12, p. 64

Specialty Practice

• Dear specialist: Please don't dump your job on me. Mar 22, p. 106
• Doctors Who Go The Extra Mile: Giving students a taste of medicine. Apr 12, p. 117
• From fingersticks to chopsticks. Jun 7, p. 61

Taxes

• Answers to your questions. . .On personal exemptions and deductions. Jan 11, p. 62
• Answers to your tax questions on. . .claiming business expenses. Jan 25, p. 29
• Your 2001 taxes: Tips from the experts to minimize your bill. Feb 8, p. 66
• Your 2001 taxes: Find the right adviser. Feb 8, p. 75
• Answers to your tax questions. . .On dividends and interest. Feb 8, p. 78
• Your 2001 taxes: Get the software you need. Feb 8, p. 87
• Answers to your tax questions. . .On gain or loss from the sale of assets. Feb 22, p. 42
• Answers to your tax questions. . .On retirement plans and IRAs. Mar 8, p. 74
• Answers to your tax questions. . .On special situations. Mar 22, p. 35
• How to keep property taxes in check. Jun 7, p. 78

Travel

• "I'm not a doctor. I'm an ophthalmologist". Feb 8, p. 47
• How a "crash course" in medicine changed my life. Mar 8, p. 67
• Travel insurance: Should you leave home without it? May 10, p. 63
• Take your kids on a cruise? They'll love it—and so will you. Jun 7, p. 108

Article Index for January - June 2002.

Medical Economics