Career

Physicians in The Sunshine State and The Pine Tree State are engaged in an interesting back-and-forth over the American Medical Association and national healthcare reform. You may remember back in August that the Florida Medical Association (FMA) avoided a vote to end its relationship with the AMA over the national body's perceived inaction when it came to the Affordable Care Act.

Happy but worried, American physicians are sorting through the many changes their profession is seeing.

One of the thorniest coding questions is: Can a physician bill for family meetings when the patient is not present? If so, who gets the bill ?

Our July/August story titled “Is Board Certification Overrated?” generated a lot of great letters to the Physicians Practice office, some of which you can read in our September issue. But with too many letters to print and not enough space, we wanted to expand the conversation.

Disaster relief worker, community health promoter, patient advocate? Being a doctor affords you the opportunity to make a difference in your patients’ lives in a number of other ways.

Perhaps Florida surgeon Michael Wasylik summed up the feelings of a lot of physicians nationwide when it comes to the AMA when he recently said, “doctors are so angry they can’t see straight.”

One of the activities during a recent session on work-life balance was to use the Steven Covey grid that breaks down tasks on your to-do list into one of four categories: urgent/important, not urgent/important, urgent/not important, and not urgent/not important.

I think the modern workplace requires a sensitivity to both mothers and fathers and the very admirable roles they wish to play in their children's lives. However, how to maintain professionalism while acknowledging the personal can be a tricky balance.

Opening a new practice? Here are some of the things you will need to get done before the doors open.

The truth is that no matter where we are along the life path, we all struggle. I have come to the realization that women who finally appear to achieve some semblance of balance just happen to come across this great knowledge and ability around the time their children are grown.

The AMA and several state medical associations say cost profiles of physicians by the nation’s biggest insurers is “unreliable” at best and steering consumers in the wrong direction.

It’s expensive, time-consuming, and practically a prerequisite for practicing medicine today. But does board certification make you a better physician? You might be surprised by the answer.

A couple of years ago, there was a survey of medical residents (or was it surgical residents?), 17 percent of whom admitted to laughing at or making fun of patients behind their backs. The other 83 percent are liars.

We are looking for physician writers for our September Physician Writer Search.

Is board certification overrated? And are the boards' processes for certifying physicians in need of reform?

My father is a retired OB/GYN from a small Virginia town. Dad’s professional legacy is broad. It includes not only the thousands of babies he delivered and women he cared for, but also a practice he founded that continues to this day.

A group of my old Navy buddies are making plans to get together at the American College of Emergency Physicians annual Scientific Seminar in the fall. A bunch of salty old Navy ER docs at a convention in Las Vegas - I can see the headlines now.

The workforce is becoming much more diverse.

Internist Kathleen Summers learns about keeping an open mind when there’s no evidence as she encounters patients who want to try alternative medical treatments.

We know that things are tough out there, but letting yourself get dejected does a disservice to you and your patients. Here are our tips for unwinding and re-energizing.

Forget herbal tea and bubble baths - a physician’s stress requires a more aggressive treatment. Here’s how to dissect the causes of your stress and utilize effective strategies for finding solutions.

A biopsy sample down the drain could have been a disaster. Urologist Neil Baum explains how his surgeon mentor used Baum’s mistake to teach him a valuable lesson.

Need to earn some CME credits in a hurry? We hear you. Fortunately, the Web has made it more convenient to get the continuing education you need. Here’s a peek at what’s out there.

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.

Just who is the modern American physician? It’s a question that pop culture has done a lousy job answering. We decided it was time to shatter the myths. The result is our most revealing survey ever.

By now you’ve heard all the assumptions that people make about doctors. You’re a bunch of wealthy, country-club Republicans driving Beemers and living near golf courses. Or are you?

The Internet has opened new doors of opportunity that have forever changed the way busy physicians, administrators, and clinical staff approach getting their continuing medical education.

One thing that creates friction in medical practices is the success and subsequent recognition of one of its members.

There are real challenges that face women who choose to be doctors. Many of them center on issues of respect and achieving work-life balance.