Legal Compliance

The HIPAA final rule, released Jan. 17, 2013, includes new guidance regarding the transfer of medical records.

Share what you do in this type of situation and why. Your response might help another physician deal with this issue.

Some of the key items outlined in the Physician Payment Sunshine Act final rule and how physicians can prepare for enforcement.

Providers across the country are questioning what should be done if they believe a patient poses a threat to others. Here’s some guidance.

With 10,000 new 65-year-old patients each day, it's important that physicians act now to keep them healthy by improving preventative care.

Hone your skills to create positive relationships with your patients and improve care quality.

Successfully communicating with noncompliant patients is one of the most difficult tasks physicians face. Strategic communication can help. Here are some tips.

The key to better patient compliance can be found in one simple question, I've found: "So why are you here?"

Pediatrician Helene Hubbard lays out her first term if elected U.S. president with a focus on the nation's younger residents.

If technology helps physicians keep patients healthy, why aren't more using it? The answer may be that payers, including CMS, aren't supporting it.

Balance - whether between your shoulder elevators and scapular stabilizers or personal and professional obligations as a physician takes constant work.

Referrals to home health agencies are on the rise, as are allegations of kickbacks for said referrals. Here's how to work with HHAs within legal boundaries.

The government has new tools for identifying excessive use of suspect medical codes, so you must vigilantly keep abreast of what those codes are to avoid trouble.

Getting patients to follow your guidance is a lot easier with today's technology. Here's a rundown on the tools that work, and how to work 'em.

Here are seven simple things you can do to reduce no-show patients at your medical practice starting today.

Here's how Stage 2 of CMS' EHR Incentive Programs differ from the rules for Stage 1 to achieve meaningful use.

Here are some charts to help you plot out the stages of meaningful use at your practice and payments for both the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs.

Before ACOs are in full swing, HHS may need to make some tweaks to its current rules on physicians, relationships, and payments.

Not sure where to get started on your medical practice's operations manual? Here's a table of contents to get you started.

Now is the time to be sure our EHR is compliant with auditing and documentation guidelines if an audit comes your way.

I know I can't help every patient, but I try. But sometimes, some patients push me to the brink of frustration when they won't let me help.

Physicians continue to drop Medicare patients and it will continue unless something is done to reinvigorate enthusiasm on the part of providers.

Are you and your office staff up to date with the HIPAA privacy laws? After what I recently saw, you might want to have a refresher.

Simple strategies to help your patients manage their medications.

We need patients to understand that while physicians don't always agree with the rules, we can't just skirt around them.