Prolonged Office Services
Learn when and what CPT codes to use with prolonged services codes 99354 and 99355 at your medical practice.
Tame Your Phones
Use technology to free your staff and patients from non-urgent phone calls
Medicare's Fraud and Abuse Program
The feds have aggressively stepped up their fraud and abuse efforts. Your practice may play by the rules, but that doesn't guarantee it will escape federal scrutiny.
Direct Pay - Something Old is New Again
Are you frustrated and overwhelmed by the need to employ a large staff dedicated to processing and submitting insurance claims? Maybe you should consider the direct pay model of care.
Implementing E-prescribing
E-prescribing has not only improved the efficiency of this practice, it has improved quality at the same time.
Six Ways to Maximize Your Time
Here are six ways you can maximize your time and improve practice performance.
Office Makeover on the Cheap
A pleasant office décor is easier to achieve than you think.
Tested Tips for More Effective Staff Meetings
Don't allow your staff meetings to become mired in the muck, stay positive
Using Modifier -25
Looking for the proper way to use modifier -25 at your medical practice? Here is some expert medical coding advice.
The Lowest Cost for the Highest Return
It happens every day in a busy medical practice - the things that need doing often get done by whomever can do it at the time. But that can be a costly mistake.
What's Your Civility Score?
The one thing that can never be replaced by sophisticated equipment is the level of courtesy that is extended to patients, colleagues, and staff.
Striking the Right Note with Your Staff
When I demonstrate that I care about the people I work with, they work harder for my patients.
Teaching Meaningful Use to Your Staff
Involving your support staff is essential to achieving meaningful use of a certified EHR. Do you have a plan?
Eleven Things to Know About ACOs
ACOs will come in many shapes and sizes; until the final rules are announced, here are eleven things you should know.
Lean Management for Your Practice
Whatever area of your practice needs improvement, consider lean thinking as a way to get the most out of your time - your patients, staff, and practice will be glad you did.
What to Do When Employees Call In Sick
When an employee calls in sick, the pressure's on. Here are some ways to avoid chaos and keep patients happy when you are short-staffed.
Tested Tips for Interviewing
There's nothing more disruptive than hiring someone who doesn't work out. Here are some tried-and-true tips to head off disaster.
So, You Want to Become a Medical Home
It isn't easy for practices to become accredited as a patient centered medical home. To help you assess your readiness and make the transition, here are a few guidelines to get you started.
Cloned Notes
The Office of Inspector General included "identical notes" as an area of interest in its 2011 Work Plan. Make sure your patient notes reflect each unique encounter.
How Losing Your Temper Harms Your Practice
You might feel more justified than most in taking out your frustration on others, but be careful - the emotional hangovers you might create can often have a long-lasting effect on your practice.
Social Media - Friend or Foe?
Many physicians believe that they open themselves up to potential liability risks by engaging in social media. In practice, it is always prudent to be concerned with malpractice risk. That said, the key to effectively utilizing social media is twofold.
Benchmarks for Your Practice
What yardstick should you use to measure your practice against those of your colleagues?
Upgrading Your EHR
Electronic records require regular upgrades. Don't be fooled into thinking you can get by on the cheap.
Inflation: Good, Bad, or Ugly?
Inflation can be both good and bad for a practice. Therefore, understanding the nature of inflation can save your practice money.
Do You Know How Much It Costs to See Patients?
Corporations know exactly what their costs are and how much they need to charge to make a profit. Do you?
Medicare's New Annual Wellness Visit
The Affordable Care Act added a new Medicare Annual Wellness Visit. Contrary to patient and physician expectations, it is not a physical exam.
Employee Referral Programs
In-house referrals have the longest tenure and highest satisfaction of all newly hired employees.
Take Advantage of Payer Technologies
Why spend hours on the phone with payers when you can check online in minutes?
Cut Down on Prescription Refill Requests
Don't make unnecessary work for your office, think ahead.
Coding for Observation Services
Coding for observation services can be confounding. Currently, CPT and CMS disagree on which code to report on the second day of observation. In 2011, that is changing.