Finance

Knowledge is power in the payer game. Expert Lucien Roberts explains how to evaluate your payers and then use that information to negotiate better reimbursements.

Major changes in the healthcare delivery system are coming, and they will affect every physician. The question is whether those changes will have the effect we all want or whether they will lead to unintended consequences that we don’t want.

The historic reform bill that Congress passed on Sunday will immediately affect physicians, but the impact will be much greater in the long term.

Many pundits have weighed in on the likely consequences of not passing healthcare reform, which is expected to come to a head within the next few days. But a recent blog post by Matthew Mintz, MD, an internist in Washington, DC, puts things in perspective for physicians.

Concerned about Medicare’s new Recovery Audit Contractors snooping around? Though your practice may not be affected by RACs for at least a year, the time to ready your defenses is now. Here’s how.

Consultant Susanne Madden offers a step-by-step guide to handling payer take-backs and not getting bullied into writing a check without researching the situation.

Most practices waste scads of money - then wonder why they need a microscope to see their bottom line. To keep you on the right road, we’ve posted the signs to a more efficient and productive practice.

Considering outsourcing the business side of your practice to a revenue cycle management firm? Let someone deal with the claims and collections headaches … right? Maybe. We examine the pros, cons, expenses, and benefits.

Economic woes continue to pinch practices, and that sometimes leads to hard staffing decisions. Here’s how to handle your staff with care when payroll goes under the knife.

A lingering recession and declining reimbursement make for stormy weather for practices. Check out our suggestions for how to stay dry - and in the black.

In this podcast, consultant Betsy Nicoletti explains the changes in CMS’ 2010 final physician fee schedule that could affect your practice.

New technology is supposed to reduce your staffing needs. But how do you get staff on board with a change that may end up costing some of them their jobs?

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.

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

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

You’ve got questions - lots of ’em. And we’ve got the answers. We compiled some of the most common practice management questions we hear - from collections issues to dealing with staff problems and so much more - in one place, and got answers from some of the top experts in the business.

The best measure of physician productivity is the “relative value unit,” or RVU. But a physician trying to figure out how much she’ll be paid under this system doesn’t know where to start, or even what an RVU is. Here’s help.

With the recession lingering on, many practices are feeling the sting of unfilled appointments caused by patients who have lost their jobs and insurance coverage.

In many practices, partner conflict is as common as nasal infections. It may be easy to “let it go,” but that can lead to unprofessional conduct. Here’s how to diffuse disagreements and preempt disputes.

A little price comparison can help you save big bucks on common goods and services.

Dispensing vaccines is frustrating and expensive. Here’s a shot in the arm for vaccine management.

With prices low, it may seem like a great time to buy your office space. Be wary; the advantages to ownership, while real, are balanced with disadvantages and risk. Make sure your eyes are open.

EHR companies are increasingly offering billing services, and vice versa. Is this just another way to squeeze money out of you, or does it make sense to combine the services?

Here's how to properly use E&M code 99213, including when other CPT options might be more appropriate with patients at your medical practice.

The traditional practice of primary care is complex - let’s face it, you could more accurately predict the likelihood of a patient presenting with a subdural hematoma based on his or her symptoms than you might Blue Cross’ likelihood of accepting a preauthorization for the CT scan.

Say goodbye to photocopies: Machine-readable cards could make billing and collections easier. When will payers make them widely available?

Medicare hopes to save millions with tougher billing rules and aggressive audits - changes that could cost your practice money. But if you bill right and on time, you can keep that Medicare check coming.

Which payers should you deal with and which should you drop? PayerView uses real claims data to rank them first to worst.

Billing “Incident-To;” Same Patient, New Problem; Moonlight Coding

Assignment of Benefits