Operations

How to create phone system efficiencies without driving your patients nuts.

We know EHRs can improve practice efficiency, but can they improve patient care? The evidence is suggesting they can. From disease management tools to automated reminders, EHRs are offering welcome improvements in patient outcomes.

Sue Lowden, a Nevada Republican who’s running for the U.S. Senate, recently made headlines by proposing that the uninsured barter for healthcare with goods and services. In fact, barter is making a comeback throughout the country because people have less money to spend on everything, including healthcare, but there are a couple of problems with the proposal.

Medicare is getting more aggressive with audits through its Recovery Audit Contractor program. Here’s how to assess your billing procedures to avoid audits, and establish a process for when a RAC does come knocking.

If your idea of effective marketing is a Yellow Pages ad, then you need some help. We show you clever, cheap, and effective ways to get the word out about how great your practice is.

All physicians have those patients who cross the line from engaged in their own care to, umm, over-prepared. Here’s how to deal with them effectively.

Here's a primer to assist your medical practice maintain its patient records and avoid any legal troubles.

When a drug that you prescribe often is recalled, you’re going to get swamped with calls and questions. Better to have a recall response plan in place before trouble strikes.

Safety and quality checklists can save lives in hospitals, as a new British Medical Journal study reiterates. Yet only a fraction of U.S. hospitals are using the World Health Organization (WHO) surgical safety checklist, which was introduced here 15 months ago. And the Leapfrog Group, a public-private consortium that presses for quality improvement in hospitals, has found that a minority of hospitals adhere to nationally endorsed process measures that have been shown to reduce mortality.

Many practices use midlevel providers to care for patients with routine complaints. But it’s important to understand their legal scope of practice and necessary level of supervision.

It’s tough to get away from the office without worrying you’ll come back to a mountain of work. But taking time for yourself is crucial. Here’s advice on doing it right.

Advances in care delivery and technology are taking root now that could significantly change the way care is delivered in the future. Healthcare’s innovative thinkers and practitioners give us their predictions for the future.

Here is a list to get your new Web page started. Remember that not all components are easy to implement nor will they be ready in a day. Get started, but be patient. You most likely do not have all the components ready or figured out, but move forward.

Should you keep your Rx data away from drug companies? Is that even possible? Here’s what you can and can’t do to protect your prescribing privacy.

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

Consultant Nick Fabrizio details how you can prepare your practice for the H1N1 virus this season

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.

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.

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.

In the wake of a “reformed” healthcare system, here’s how to take steps now to get your practice ready for an influx of newly insured Americans.

Family physician Sarah Parrott offers a primer on managing angry patients the right way, instead of losing your cool.

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.

This podcast series features conversations with two experts from the MGMA: Robert Bennett, a member of MGMA’s government affairs staff, who explains what parts of the law are likely to affect medical practices, and Dave Gans, vice president of practice management resources at MGMA, who details what practices can do now to get ready for reform. 

In this podcast, Robert Tennant, senior policy advisor for the Medical Group Management Association, explains the EHR meaningful use draft criteria.

Family-practice doc David Albenberg explains his move from traditional care to concierge medicine and offers tips for figuring out what number works for you.