Index of Articles: Jan-Sep 2006

Ancillary Services

• Adding Ancillaries: Clinical trials. Jan 6
• Adding Ancillaries: Counseling for smokers. Jan 20
• Adding Ancillaries: Botox injections. Feb 3
• Adding Ancillaries: Flexible sigmoidoscopy. Feb 17
• Adding Ancillaries: Waived lab services. Mar 3
• Adding Ancillaries: Counseling services. Apr 7
• Adding Ancillaries: Bone density testing. May 5
• Adding Ancillaries: Holter monitoring. May 19
• Adding Ancillaries: Physical therapy. Jun 2
• Adding Ancillaries: Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. Jun 16
• Adding Ancillaries: Dispensing drugs. Jul 21

Assistants

• Practice Pointers: What goes into an employee handbook. Jan 6
• What a scribe can do for you. Jan 6
• Doing a reference check. Mar 3 Clip and Copy
• Practice Pointers: Checking out job applicants. Mar 3
• Practice Pointers: 10 ways to foil an embezzler. Mar 17
• Doctor, boss, or both? Jun 2
• Does your front-desk staff draw patients in—or turn them off? Jul 21
• Do your staff salaries measure up? Aug 4

Billings

• The art and science of the clean claim. Jan 6
• Checking your practice's vital signs. Feb 17
• How to choose (and use) a collection agency. Apr 7
• Are you leaving money on the table? Apr 21

Cars

• Car options: Which ones are worth it. Mar 17

Clinical Practice

• Where research and practice meet. Jun 2
• Avian flu: Is your practice ready? Jul 21
• Preparing patients for avian flu. Jul 21 Clip and Copy

Coding

• Coding Consult: Concurrent care. Jan 6
• The art and science of the clean claim. Jan 6
• Coding Consult: Sprains and joint injections. Feb 3
• Coding Consult: Answers to your questions about...same day readmission; critical care; sunburn code. Feb 17
• Coding Consult: Nursing facility codes. Mar 3
• Coding Consult: Answers to your questions about...hospital readmission; asthma diagnosis codes; dermabond repair. Mar 17
• Coding Consult: IV infusions. Apr 7
• Coding Consult: Answers to your question about... Pap tests; same day discharge and admission; history of UTIs. Apr 21
• Blending: The new downcoding. May 5
• Coding Consult: Injections. May 5
• Coding Consult: Answers to your questions about...hospital stress tests; after-hours visits; reporting ED codes May 19
• Coding Consult: Fecal occult blood tests. Jun 2
• Coding Consult: Answers to your questions about...documenting consults; pulmonary function tests; asthma codes. Jun 16
• Coding Consult: Same day E&M services. Jul 7
• Coding Consult: Answers to your questions about...patient-supplied B12; screening colonoscopies; rest home/NF codes. Jul 21
• The Catch-22 in EHRs. Jul 21
• Coding Consult: Time-based E&M coding. Sep 1
• ICD-9: What's new. Sep 1
• Stop losing money! Code better. Sep 15

Colleagues

• Is whistleblowing worth it? Jan 20
• Doctors' lounge: A tradition slowly dies. Feb 3

Compensation

• Online "visits": Insurers pay but docs don't play. Sep 1

Competition

• Doctors vs Hospital: Will this battle become yours? Jun 16
• Retail clinics: The competition heats up. Jun 16
• Economic credentialing: When hospitals play hard ball. Sep 15

Death & Dying

• Assisted suicide survives-narrowly. Feb 17 Special Report
• The Way I See It: Straight talk about dying. Mar 3
• What you learn when your son dies. May 19
• In death as well as life. Sep 1

Drugs

• Adding Ancillaries: Clinical trials. Jan 6
• HIPAA Consult: E-prescribing and Part D drugs. Feb 3
• Rx vs OTC? Damned if you do, . . . Mar 17
• The lowdown on e-prescribing. May 5 Special Technology Section
• Doctors: The new target in the war on drugs? May 19
• Part D: Still a long way from "good". Jun 2
• New Hampshire takes on Rx data mining. Jun 16 Outlook
• Adding Ancillaries: Dispensing drugs. Jul 21
• Volunteers cut Rx red tape. Jul 21
• Why is this Indiana doctor sitting in jail? Jul 21
• Making meds affordable. Aug 18
• DTC drug ads in the spotlight. Sep 15

Education

• Is an MBA worth it? May 5
• Med students? Bring them on! Aug 4

Employment

• Doing a reference check. Mar 3 Clip and Copy
• Practice Pointers: Checking out job applicants. Mar 3

Equipment

• Adding Ancillaries: Bone density testing. May 5

Estate Planning

• Protecting assets, avoiding scrutiny. Aug 4

Ethics

• Consult for Wall Street? Apr 21
• What would you do? New issues in medical ethics. Aug 18

Expenses

• How to plug revenue leaks. May 19
• Do your staff salaries measure up? Aug 4

Family

• Best doctor...or best dad? Apr 21
• What you learn when your son dies. May 19

Foreign Healthcare

• See the world the locum way. Jun 16

Government & Politics

• Consumer-directed haggling? Jan 20 Outlook
• These doctors say No to execution. Aug 18

Group Practice

• Can a small practice survive in California? Jan 20
• Doctors vs Hospital: Will this battle become yours? Jun 16
• Selling to a hospital derailed my career. Jun 16
• Joining a practice? Father knows best. Jul 7
• Group Practice: Will this Stark workaround work? Aug 4
• Group practice: Breaking up is hard to do. Sep 15

Health Insurance

• Consumer-directed haggling? Jan 20 Outlook
• Massachusetts offers a blueprint for change. May 19
• Physician report cards: Help, ho-hum or horror? Jul 21
• Online "visits": Insurers pay but docs don't play. Sep 1

Hospitals

• Doctors' lounge: A tradition slowly dies. Feb 3
• EHRs: Will relaxing Stark bind you tighter? Feb 3
• A simple change. Mar 17
• Hospitals are hiring again. Apr 7
• Hospitalist movement moves into OB. May 5 Special Report
• Is your patient ready to go home? Jun 2
• The risk of hospitalist hand-offs. Jun 2 Malpractice Consult
• Doctors vs Hospital: Will this battle become yours? Jun 16
• Selling to a hospital derailed my career. Jun 16
• Group Practice: Will this Stark workaround work? Aug 4
• Economic credentialing: When hospitals play hard ball. Sep 15

Humor

• An offer he couldn't refuse. Sep 1

Internet

• Easy ways to save money—fast! Jan 20
• Tune up your website. Apr 7 Technology Consult
• Models of online success. May 5 Special Technology Section
• Time to update your website? May 5 Special Technology Section
• Physician report cards: Help, ho-hum or horror? Jul 21
• Online "visits": Insurers pay but docs don't play. Sep 1

Investments

• Cash in on rising CD rates. Jan 6
• Investing: Paying commissions can pay off. Jan 20
• Get insider information you can legally use. Feb 17
• Invest abroad; think Europe. Mar 17 Investment Consult
• Moves to make as interest rates rise. Apr 21 Investment Consult
• Small caps are no longer a big deal. May 19 Investment Consult
• Tactical analysis, not market timing. Jun 16 Investment Consult
• Investment Basics: Understand the principles. Aug 4
• Is this hot CD right for you? Aug 18
• Where to earn more on your cash. Sep 15

Investments—Mutual Funds

• Investing: Following the masters. Feb 17
• Mutual funds: Keep it in the family. May 19
• Expert investing, decade by decade. Jul 21
• Investment Basics: Start with mutual funds. Sep 1

Investments—Stock

• Stock Watch. Jan 6
• Stock Watch. Feb 3
• Investing: Following the masters. Feb 17
• Stock Watch. Mar 3
• Want to beat Wall Street? Talk to this teenager. Mar 17
• Stock Watch. Apr 7
• Stock Watch. May 5
• Stock Watch. Jun 2
• Stock Watch. Jul 7
• Managing your portfolio: First, do no harm. Jul 21
• Stock Watch. Aug 4
• Investment Basics: A look at the major stock indexes. Sep 15
• Investment Basics: How and why to buy stocks. Sep 15

Law

• Assisted suicide survives-narrowly. Feb 17 Special Report

Malpractice

• After-hours answering machines. Jan 6 Malpractice Consult
• I look at patients differently now. Jan 6
• Malpractice: Are frivolous suits really a problem? Jan 6
• Malpractice: My very close call. Jan 20
• Medication errors: An mg of prevention. Jan 20 Malpractice Consult
• After-hours answering services. Feb 3 Malpractice Consult
• If a patient claims sexual misconduct. Feb 17 Malpractice Consult
• How much insurance do you need? Mar 3 Malpractice Consult
• Malpractice: One patient's suit saved another's life. Mar 3
• Refusing a difficult patient. Mar 17 Malpractice Consult
• Secrets for a succesful malpractice defense. Mar 17
• Documenting when you're on call. Apr 7 Malpractice Consult
• Document reminders, reduce risk. Apr 21 Malpractice Consult
• How mediation works. May 5 Malpractice Consult
• Watch out for this malpractice trap! May 5
• Your responsibility for informed consent. May 19 Malpractice Consult
• 10 years in legal hell. Jun 2
• Asset protection: What to do, how to do it. Jun 2
• The risk of hospitalist hand-offs. Jun 2 Malpractice Consult
• What's a fact witness? Jun 16 Malpractice Consult
• Good documentation protects everyone. Jul 7
• Shopping for malpractice insurance? Learn from the experts. Jul 7
• Is it ever okay to date a patient? Jul 21
• The wrong message. Jul 21
• Malpractice—Court to insurer: You lose. Aug 4
• Malpractice: Sued? You may never get your day in court. Aug 4
• Take "frivolous" suits seriously. Aug 4
• Make all your instructions crystal clear. Aug 18
• Malpractice: Watch your tone of voice. Aug 18
• "Lost chance of survival": The new malpractice risk. Sep 1
• Limit liability for hospital procedures. Sep 1
• Can I pay a patient's bills? Sep 15

Managed Care

• Can a small practice survive in California? Jan 20
• The secret world of silent PPOs. Jan 20
• Does the CMA have a silent PPO program? Mar 3
• Blending: The new downcoding. May 5
• HMO settlement: Are these carriers finally turning? Jul 7

Medical Profession

• Familiar, comfortable, safe. Jan 6
• New year, new plan. Jan 6
• Beyond office walls. Jan 20
• Can a small practice survive in California? Jan 20
• What I learned from my family doc. Jan 20
• New Orleans' doctors: Still MIA. Mar 17 Outlook
• Me? A substance abuser. Apr 7 Grand Prize: 2005 Doctors' Writing Contest
• Best doctor...or best dad? Apr 21
• Consult for Wall Street? Apr 21
• Doctors are the real nonprofits. Apr 21 Outlook
• Medical Errors: Living with your mistakes. Apr 21
• Medical Errors: Should you apologize? Apr 21
• Is an MBA worth it? May 5
• Guilty. Jul 7
• Med students? Bring them on! Aug 4
• Katrina Year 1: The Big Difficult. Aug 18
• What my patients taught me about healing. Sep 15

Medicare/Medicaid

• HIPAA Consult: E-prescribing and Part D drugs. Feb 3
• Are you leaving money on the table? Apr 21
• Part D: Still a long way from "good". Jun 2
• Score one for CMS. Jun 16

Midlevel Providers

• The Way I See It: We aren't all equals! May 5
• Do your staff salaries measure up? Aug 4

Organized Medicine

• The AMA's charm offensive. Feb 17 Outlook
• The Way I See It: The AMA should learn from AARP. Feb 17
• Does the CMA have a silent PPO program? Mar 3
• New Hampshire takes on Rx data mining. Jun 16 Outlook
• Score one for CMS. Jun 16

Patients

• I look at patients differently now. Jan 6
• New year, new plan. Jan 6
• Beyond office walls. Jan 20
• I foiled the sneak! Feb 3
• Every doctor should work as a waiter. Feb 17
• Momma's legacy. Feb 17
• Do your patients take your advice? Mar 3
• The Way I See It: Straight talk about dying. Mar 3
• Refusing a difficult patient. Mar 17 Malpractice Consult
• Getting patients to commit. Apr 7
• What my mechanic taught me about being a doctor. Apr 7
• Medical Errors: Should you apologize? Apr 21
• Black walnut cake. May 5
• What one veteran taught me. May 19
• Is your patient ready to go home? Jun 2
• A coumadin clinic helps me sleep at night. Jul 7
• Are you getting through? Jul 7
• Preparing patients for avian flu. Jul 21 Clip and Copy
• Is it ever okay to date a patient? Jul 21
• The wrong message. Jul 21
• Volunteers cut Rx red tape. Jul 21
• Surveying former patients. Aug 4 Clip and Copy
• Is your practice running on empty? Aug 4
• Sometimes, we're family. Aug 4
• When I follow up, I don't give up. Aug 4
• Making meds affordable. Aug 18
• An offer he couldn't refuse. Sep 1
• In death as well as life. Sep 1
• My cure for Sunday syndrome. Sep 1
• What my patients taught me about healing. Sep 15

Peer Review

• Is whistleblowing worth it? Jan 20

Personal Finances

• 10 resolutions for 2006. Jan 20 Investment Consult
• Easy ways to save money—fast! Jan 20
• Your new credit score. Apr 7 Special Report
• How I play financial catch-up. Apr 21
• Smart reads for the smart investor. May 5
• Asset protection: What to do, how to do it. Jun 2
• Expert investing, decade by decade. Jul 21
• Investment Basics: Understand the principles. Aug 4
• Protecting assets, avoiding scrutiny. Aug 4
• Investment Basics: Choosing your advisers. Aug 18

Personal Life

• Me? A substance abuser. Apr 7 Grand Prize: 2005 Doctors' Writing Contest
• What you can learn from my bum leg. Apr 21
• One hour too late. Jun 2
• Dad's last days. Jun 16
• For his third career, he chose medicine. Aug 18
• Katrina Year 1: The Big Difficult. Aug 18
• The doctor is out . . . Sep 1
• Reaching your potential. Sep 15

Practice Management

• Practice Pointers: What goes into an employee handbook. Jan 6
• What a scribe can do for you. Jan 6
• Checking your practice's vital signs. Feb 17
• Monitoring exam room wait times. Feb 17 Clip and Copy
• Scheduling drug reps online. Feb 17
• Teaching residents pays off for us. Feb 17
• Boost productivity? Walk less. Mar 3
• Practice Pointers: 10 ways to foil an embezzler. Mar 17
• What you can learn from my bum leg. Apr 21
• Hooked up, plugged in, on line. May 5 Technology Consult
• Take my Word for it. May 5
• Follow-up tips for a safe, efficient practice. May 19
• How to plug revenue leaks. May 19
• Don't retire: Get a job. Jun 2
• Let patients book their own appointments? Jun 2
• Avian flu: Is your practice ready? Jul 21
• Does your front-desk staff draw patients in-or turn them off? Jul 21
• Surveying former patients. Aug 4 Clip and Copy
• Is your practice running on empty? Aug 4
• The easy way to a paperless office. Aug 4
• Group practice: Breaking up is hard to do. Sep 15

Practice, Special Types

• Going not-for-profit saved this doctor's practice. Sep 1

Primary Care

• What I learned from my family doc. Jan 20
• Where's primary care headed? Jul 7

Professions, Other

• A new role for doctors. Feb 3
• Scheduling drug reps online. Feb 17
• How to value your practice. Mar 3
• Adding Ancillaries: Counseling services. Apr 7
• The Way I See It: Pharmacy flu shots hurt doctors. Aug 4
• Investment Basics: Choosing your advisers. Aug 18

Records

• HIPAA Consult: Answers to your questions about . . .informing the family; announcing medical leaves; implementing EDI. Jan 6
• Beware these 7 charting pitfalls. Feb 3
• EHRs: Will relaxing Stark bind you tighter? Feb 3
• EHRs: Where do payers fit in? Feb 17 Special Technology Section
• How do your charts rate? Feb 17
• Personal health records: What's the status now? Feb 17 Special Technology Section
• The rocky road to RHIOs. Feb 17 Special Technology Section
• HIPAA Consult: Answers to your questions about . . .retaining records; reporting privacy violations; family authorizations. Mar 3
• Healthcare IT: How safe is your patient data? Mar 17
• HIPAA Consult: Answers to your questions about...sharing trial details; sick day policy; productivity bonus. Apr 7
• IT Implementation: Why EHRs falter. Apr 7
• IT Implementation: How to do it right. Apr 21
• HIPAA Consult: Answers to your questions about...transferring records; sharing path reports; record requests. May 5
• HIPAA Consult: Answers to your questions about...notice of privacy practice; listing of diagnosis codes; psychotherapy notes Jun 2
• HIPAA Consult: Answers to your questions about...releasing nonmedical data; the rights of minors; copying and mailing fees. Jul 7
• The Catch-22 in EHRs. Jul 21
• Do the math: My EHR pays off. Aug 4
• What is EHR certification? Aug 4 Special Report
• The easy way to a paperless office. Aug 4
• Feds to hospitals: It's okay to help docs get IT. Aug 18 Special Report
• The best EHRs for small practices. Sep 1

Retirement

• Is this pension plan right for you? Apr 7
• Can't retire? Ease out. Jun 2
• Don't retire: Get a job. Jun 2
• Top 5 retirement planning mistakes—and how to avoid them. Jun 16

Sales & Mergers

• How to value your practice. Mar 3

Specialty Practice

• Hospitalist movement moves into OB. May 5 Special Report

Taxes

• Tax Tips: Personal exemptions and deductions. Jan 6
• Tax Tips: Business expenses. Jan 20
• 14 deductions you might miss. Feb 3
• Should you do your own taxes? Feb 3
• Tax Tips: Dividend and interest income. Feb 3
• What IRS agents look for. Feb 3
• Tax Tips: Asset sales. Feb 17
• Tax Tips: Retirement funds. Mar 3
• Tax Tips: Special situations. Mar 17
• Taxes: Is a filing extension a good idea? Mar 17
• 2006 tax breaks: Stay ahead of the game. Jun 16
• Protecting assets, avoiding scrutiny. Aug 4
• Going not-for-profit saved this doctor's practice. Sep 1

Technology

• Scan insurance cards, too. Jan 6 Technology Consult
• EHRs: Will relaxing Stark bind you tighter? Feb 3
• Is a touch screen for you? Feb 3 Technology Consult
• EHRs: Where do payers fit in? Feb 17 Special Technology Section
• Personal health records: What's the status now? Feb 17 Special Technology Section
• The rocky road to RHIOs. Feb 17 Special Technology Section
• Implementing an EHR? No need to rush. Mar 3 Technology Consult
• Healthcare IT: How safe is your patient data? Mar 17
• IT Implementation: Why EHRs falter. Apr 7
• Tune up your website. Apr 7 Technology Consult
• IT Implementation: How to do it right. Apr 21
• Hooked up, plugged in, on line. May 5 Technology Consult
• Models of online success. May 5 Special Technology Section
• Take my Word for it. May 5
• The lowdown on e-prescribing. May 5 Special Technology Section
• Time to update your website? May 5 Special Technology Section
• Let patients book their own appointments? Jun 2
• Look ma—no desktop. Jul 7
• What is EHR certification? Aug 4 Special Report
• Do the math: My EHR pays off. Aug 4
• The easy way to a paperless office. Aug 4
• Feds to hospitals: It's okay to help docs get IT. Aug 18 Special Report
• The best EHRs for small practices. Sep 1

Travel

• See the world the locum way. Jun 16