Lifestyle

This week, S&P warned there's a chance that the agency could lower the U.S.'s long-term credit rating. It's too hard to say which companies will be the winners and losers were a downgrade to occur, but these stocks in the small-cap healthcare sector should do just fine.

Pay-as-you-go auto insurance coverage is the latest trend in the insurance industry -- your premiums are based on how many miles you drive. Insurers say some can save up to 50% under the new programs. A reader asks, "What's the catch?"

Vacation deals abound in Hawaii, which continues to suffer from a decline in tourism in the wake of the powerful Japanese earthquake and tsunami. If you're planning a trip to Maui, here are 10 attractions our travel columnists say you shouldn't miss.

Physician turnover is once again on the upswing, as the U.S. economic recovery encourages doctors to retire or seek opportunities elsewhere, according to an annual survey. Young women doctors and pre-retirement male physicians experienced the highest turnover rates.

Telerehabilitation, a method of providing rehab services through the use of technology, worked just as well as conventional therapy for patients following total knee arthroplasty, according to a new study. This type of distance therapy is not only effective, but can allow practices to access more patients and open the door to more channels of revenue.

We all know that the impression you make in the first 30 seconds of meeting someone can never be redone. And we know from a small series of studies that a physician's appearance is important to a patient's perception of ability and caring. Unfortunately, doctors are known for sometimes being unconcerned about their dress and that can adversely affect our effectiveness, and in turn will have an impact on our economic success.

One of the best times to invest in a biotech company is when an experimental drug candidate is in Phase II clinical trials, when a relatively small group of patients receives varying dosage levels of the drug. Here's why.

If you're about to be subject to a field audit, where the IRS or your state agency goes through your records with a fine-tooth comb, you should prepare yourself before contacting tax authorities. Here's some advice to help you cope with the process.

A hedge-fund manager who allegedly received tips from a French physician concerning disappointing results of a clinical trial by Human Genome Sciences surrendered to the Federal Bureau of Investigation Wednesday.

Last week, I introduced the most important step in building a portfolio: asset allocation. Now let's take a look at how that idea came about and why it should matter to you: Studies show that by mixing aggressive investments together, you may reduce your portfolio's overall risk.

As a recent spate of disappointing initial public offerings show, diminishing appetite for risk is forcing small biopharma companies to slash their IPO prices and sharply increase the number of shares offered in order to get the deals done.

In 2009, anesthesiologists nationwide suddenly began having trouble obtaining Propofol, considered the most popular sedative because it is ideally suited for ambulatory situations. With this and similar drugs still in short supply, doctors and patients are having to adapt.

Southern California has a long aviation history, both civilian and military. And there's no better way to witness and commemorate our country's airborne accomplishments than to visit the region's many aviation museums.

Physicians are smart, well-trained professionals who are not in the habit of asking for help. They're accustomed to being viewed as the problem-solvers, rather than the seekers of advice or assistance. So why would they consider physician coaching? Here are more than a few good reasons.

The use of virtual reality applications, such as "telepresencing" communication, in healthcare is expected to increase rapidly through 2015, according to a recent report. One of the main reasons is the issue of access -- physician shortages are driving many to use technology to connect physicians with patients remotely.

Travel can be broadening, but it can also be expensive. It doesn't have to be costly particularly, though the fact that a private practice doctor won't be producing revenue to cover ongoing high office overhead makes travel an expensive proposition even before the first ticket is bought.

It's time to shine a spotlight on Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) and look at what these new entities might mean for your physician career. I sense the foundations of medical practice as we know it has begun to shift, and the field is wide open for physicians with a creative, entrepreneurial or leadership drive.

Gold bugs are celebrating, though they haven't thrown the victory party just yet. Many bullish investors believe the price of gold will reach $2,000 an ounce. But more than a century of data suggest that investing in stocks, rather than gold, is a better way to go.

With only days to go before a partial federal government shutdown is triggered at midnight Friday, it's unclear how physicians would be affected -- but it helps to look at the most recent shutdown for clues.

In an effort to help U.S. veterans returning home from war with post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injuries, or depression, a new organization is reaching out to former military physicians for help.

A reader asks whether there are any new "red flags" this year that will likely trigger an audit. Here's a list of the most common reasons individual tax returns attract the unwanted scrutiny from the IRS.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services again delayed enforcement of a new Medicare rule requiring physicians to sign-off on laboratory test requests. The rule is expected to be rescinded, after complaints from physicians groups and lawmakers.

Mercedes-Benz is recalling 136,751 M-Class and M-Class AMG cars in the U.S. for braking problems relating to cruise control that may lead to a crash.

In the fourth in a series on medical practice management, I look at how you can grow your business by educating yourself on who are patients are, where they're likely to come from, what types of health plans they're enrolled in and how to cater your practice to attract more business from the biggest employers in your area.

Where you live plays a role in how likely it is that you'll be a victim of fraud, and may even suggest the type of fraud criminals will commit. These 10 states rank the highest for fraud complaints, with victims losing an average of $594 to the crimes.

Last month, the FDA approved Bristol-Myers Squibb's Ipilimumab drug for metastatic melanoma -- a breakthrough as there's no effective treatment for the deadly disease. But on the back of this news, the big picture for these five biotech companies is even more exciting.

Personal information on customers of Citi, Chase, Best Buy, Walgreen, and many other major U.S. companies was stolen by hackers, in what may be one of the biggest data breaches in history.

Among the factors influencing the increase in Medicare billing audits is the Recovery Audit Contractors (RAC) audits -- entities that review paid claims for Medicare and Medicaid providers to ensure they meet government regulatory and policy requirements. In fact, experts say the likelihood of a random RAC audit is probably not a matter of if will happen, but when. Are you ready?

Several major drug makers published data on payments made to physicians and other healthcare professionals this week, in an effort to address ethics and transparency concerns over how pharmaceutical companies market their products.

Physician marketing sucks! At least, that's what my clients and other physicians tell me repeatedly. I take that to mean one of two things: Either having to market as a physician business owner is a very distasteful activity, or the marketing skills of a physician business owners are severely lacking. Or both. The secret ingredient of successful marketing is education -- educating yourself and educating the right prospective clients or patients. And physicians are natural educators.