Appraisals: What’s Your Practice Worth?
Have you ever wondered what price tag a valuation professional would put on your practice? The answer often depends on who’s asking — and why.

Coding: Your Top Coding Concerns Solved
This issue: Coding for suture removal and nonphysician CPT codes.

Editor’s Note: Healthcare’s Quiet Tragedy
Nearly one American physician commits suicide each day. One a day. This grisly stat is well-known among physicians, even if it seems counterintuitive to the general public. Physicians, after all, are smarter, more accomplished, and better-paid than the average person. They’re on top of the world, aren’t they?

Getting Advice: How to Hire a Consultant
Every practice can benefit from some professional advice from time to time. Here’s how to hire the right pro.

Healthcare Reform: Voting for Change
It’s an election year. And healthcare reform is on everyone’s mind. Are we finally on the cusp of systemic change? If so, what might we be changing to, and when? Here’s our examination of healthcare’s biggest problems — and suggested fixes from the top thinkers on reform, from all sides of the political spectrum. Plus: What do the presidential candidates have to say? We put Barack Obama and John McCain under the lens.

IdeaLab: Cash-only Healthcare Still Works
Family physician Brian Forrest on how his cash-only practice works for him and his patients.

Partnership: Don’t Let Partner Conflict Destroy Your Practice
Practice partnerships can be like families — and sometimes, family members fight. But when partners know how to fight fair, disagreements between them shouldn’t spell doom for your practice.

Patient Relations: Who’ll Stop the Rain?
These are the patients that try physicians’ souls. They never pay on time. They don’t respect personal boundaries. They’re demanding and, sometimes, even abusive. What to do with these dark clouds?

Physicians Practice Pearls: Hire Right
You don’t need an expensive recruiter’s help to make good hiring decisions. Let’s look at the basics.

Start It Up: Operations — Everything in Its Place
Opening Day for your new practice is drawing nearer, and all the little details are starting to bear down on you. Relax: The key to a successful opening — and ongoing profitability — is to know which little details are most important.

Technology: Do EMRs Make You a Better Doctor?
Conventional wisdom has it that doctors who use EMRs are better prepared to treat patients comprehensively — especially those with chronic conditions. New research, though, is raising doubts. What’s the real story?

The Administrator’s Desk: Who’s in Charge?
As a practice expands, so do its management needs. Here’s how to delegate authority while retaining overall control.

The Bigger Picture: Battle Royale in EMR Market
The EMR industry is beginning to undergo some wrenching changes. Here’s what it means for you.

The Tech Doctor: Self-Service Medicine?
Patient-entered histories can streamline office visits. But can you trust them to tell their stories without you?

What Went Wrong: Why Our Great Idea Didn’t Work
Surgeon Bhagwan Satiani on why his group’s plan to open a satellite office crumbled.