Billing Compliance

Want to know how to boost your scores on those seemingly arbitrary online physician-rating sites? The sites aren’t going away, so you’ll need to know how to make the best of them.

If you don’t have a policy on staff e-mail usage, you need one. Here’s why.

Now that you’ve decided which vendor will supply your new EMR (or practice management system, or other large IT purchase), it’s time to hammer out a deal. How do you negotiate the best terms for one of the biggest purchases your practice will ever make?

Like it or not, given our weakened economy, medical practices no longer have the option of relying on self-referrals to guarantee that patients (and payers) will continue to line up at their doors.

There are many intangibles to consider before sitting at the table with a payer to negotiate reimbursement.

President Obama has promised as much as $44,000 to physicians using EHRs as part of the stimulus package he signed this year. Payments start in 2011. But there’s a catch.

Rumors of stricter enforcement of privacy and security rules have been heard before but this time there’s reason to believe that tougher scrutiny is indeed coming.

Going into business with friends may seem like a great idea. Physicians are often asked to help fund a startup business. But these ventures often disappoint, and when they do, relationships can be ruined.

Evaluating a partnership offer has been complicated by the recession. Is ownership still worth it?

Our 2009 Physician Compensation Survey reveals general dissatisfaction - and wide divisions between specialists and primary care docs. Get all the details and advice on ways to earn what you deserve, despite the downward trend.

Documenting shared visits; further vs. additional workup planned.

Laptop and PDAs have become the office-away-from-the-office for many. But physicians, especially, need to be aware of the potential security risk posed by a lost gadget. Protect sensitive data with encryption software - before it goes missing.

Spirituality and medicine sometimes interact uncomfortably. Here’s how to be sensitive while meeting your religious patients’ clinical needs.

Patients want more from your Web site than a photo of you and directions to your office. They’re demanding interactivity and utility: They want to get stuff done online, like setting up appointments and making payments. Here’s how to have the coolest Web site in town.

Technological advances have revolutionized clinical practice, and they have also introduced new, innovative, and better ways to manage your business practices.

CMS has implemented changes to the rules that cover Medicare's hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) which will affect physician-hospital referrals and ancillary arrangements.

A Los Angeles pediatrician thinks she doesn’t have enough time, but is lack of space her real problem?

What are the secrets of success in an ever changing practice-management climate? Veteran administrators dish.

Hospital-doctor bundling schemes are a near-certainty in any healthcare reform. Will physicians get the short end of the stick?

Vaccine counseling; new or established patients; coding for coordinating care.

You think being a great doctor is enough to ensure you won’t get sued? Alas, we wish it were so. You need to take steps to protect yourself.

Is your IT guy too powerful? In a small office, just one staffer often holds the keys to the kingdom. What if he quits abruptly - or worse, holds you hostage?

The worsening economy is taking its toll even on the best practices.

Times are tough, and layoffs may be unavoidable. If you must do it, here’s how to do it right - while protecting your practice from litigation.

Surgical package; billing family members; using 99211 for new patients