Legal Compliance

A surprising number of patients withhold information from their doctors. Here’s how to identify patient dishonesty that compromises care.

Maryland, Massachusetts, and Minnesota are putting extra pressure on physicians to adopt EHRs. Now it's time to see if other states follow.

Make sure the tests you ordered get done, that you get the results and that the patients knows if anything is wrong. Print this form on carbon paper to create two copies: Send one copy to the lab. Keep the other in the office, but don't file it until the results come back and the patient is notified. If the form is still sitting out a month after the test was ordered, you'll know to follow-up.

Use this form to document internal review of and response to complaints concerning compliance with human resource, HIPAA, Medicare billing or other ethical and legal guidelines.

If you are shopping for sharps or syringes, make your selection easier using this template. Provided courtesy of Quality America, Inc. For more information about OSHA compliance, please visit www.quality-america.com.

Instead of having patients carry all their medications to every visit, ask them to bring in this simple chart. It's a more efficient way to check for counterindications. You can even give patients a digital copy by saving it to a disk or e-mailing a copy. That makes it easy for patients to update it.

Here’s how practice administrators can help prepare your practice’s defense against a liability claim.

You may be unwittingly violating your patients’ confidentiality - and trust - on your blog or social media site. Check out these guidelines for staying legal and ethical online.

Even though I have been practicing medicine in an atypical, concierge practice model, there are still instances where I sense a growing adversarial relationship between the doctor (me) and my patients.

What are physicians like you doing when it comes to purchasing new office technologies? Our Fifth Annual Technology Survey cuts through the hype and gives it to you straight.

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.

Plastic surgeon Suzanne Kim Doud Galli on how an ordinary nose job turned into the worst case of her career.

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.

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.

The customer is always right, until he is wrong. In an age of consumerism, how do you say no without losing patients?

Almost every physician, at one time or another, has been the recipient of an angry outburst.

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.

Healthy referral relationships are vital to a thriving practice - whether you’re a specialist or in primary care. Here’s how a few small gestures and clear communication can keep you and your patients happy.

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

Appeal Letter for Claims Denied for Improper Bundling

Records Release Form -- Spanish

Consent to Treat -- Spanish

Consent to Treat

You want to provide prevention-oriented healthcare, but how can you in a system that doesn’t seem to reward you for it? Find out how to chart your way through a maze of declining reimbursements and increasing patient panels.

Coding is no fun, but you gotta get it right if you wanna get paid. Here’s our guide to coding like a pro.