Billing & Collections

In this, the second of our six-part series on launching a new practice from scratch, expert Laurie Hyland Robertson explains how to develop a reasonable budget for the early years. Don’t even think about opening your own shop until you’ve read this.

You know that some payers pay better than others, but do you know how to increase your practice’s proportion of patients with better-paying insurers? Here are our strategies for improving your payer mix.

Here’s the right way to develop your annual budget.

Mervin Low, MD, explains how a little-known type of trust can keep more of your money where it belongs - with your heirs - after you’re gone.

Find out with our Second Annual Physician Compensation Survey. With help from the physician recruiting firm Merritt, Hawkins, we offer data you can use to judge your own compensation against your peers.

Hand surgeon Robert Tucker on why his early-retirement plan worked for him - and how it could work for you.

It’s easier than you think to monitor key provisions of multiple contracts and to act accordingly.

Sending your kids to college will cost even more than you think. Here are some novel strategies we bet you haven’t heard before.

Are you using your brother-in-law Larry to handle all your practice’s accounting? Big mistake - unless Larry happens to have a good understanding of the peculiarities of healthcare economics and can do more than fill out tax forms. Your practice is your livelihood. You need a pro.

Try these simple techniques for reducing your heirs’ estate tax obligations.

Is your practice poor enough to keep creditors at bay? It should be.

Another selection from our weekly e-mail newsletter. This issue: dealing with deadbeat patients.

Have you been thinking of forming a “general partnership?” Do yourself a favor: think again.

Exploding the life insurance myth.

The government is offering to cover up to half the cost for something you need. Who are you to say no?

In our last issue, we gave you the basics on raising money for new projects and equipment purchases. But what if your plans are more ambitious? For big projects, you might need to get creative.

Average Americans can do quite well with conventional tax and retirement strategies. But you're not an average American.

Sometimes you need to take risks to grow. Here's how to raise money the right way.

Most financial advice dispensed on television and in newspaper columns is intended for those with average incomes - which means it’s inappropriate for you.

The traditional 401(k) retirement plan isn’t for everyone - and doctors are among those who should consider less conventional options.

Don't know your EBITDA from your elbow? Then this primer on reading a financial statement is for you.

Death and taxes are life’s only certainties, but getting divorced - or having an heir who gets divorced - is getting pretty close to a sure thing. Here are some tips for keeping the divorce lawyers away from your life savings and your children’s inheritance.

Find out whether your income - and career satisfaction level - stacks up against that of your peers in family practice, pediatrics, and internal medicine.

How to handle uncooperative partners.

Are you nearing the age in which retirement is no longer a distant dream but an approaching reality - a reality not well reflected by your assets? It's not too late. Here's a plan for getting on track to retire comfortably.