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The Bureau of Labor Statistics recently released the latest data on physicians’ average salaries across the country, and the results could not have been more diverse across the map.

A new report shows office-based physician EHR use has dipped below 60%

The advance directive. The words instill a sense of foreboding, a finality not many are prepared to face.

The cure for the ills of healthcare lies within our grasp. It’s called “managed care,” which simply means care that is efficient and effective.

Consumers don’t think twice about using an ATM or firing up Amazon to buy anything and everything, but engaging with their physicians via telemedicine-two-way video, emails, smartphones, wireless tools-is not yet a natural instinct.

What does this mean? Why is it a challenge? What’s happening to fix it?

Even if your practice can share data electronically, what do you want to share?

Every device with a wireless internet connection can potentially be broken into, and studies show that 1 in 4 people has been hacked. Over the past few years, white hat hackers have breached a variety of medical devices, proving that a skilled hacker could gain access to medical equipment and wreak havoc from a remote location.

There was a day when medical transcription was neat and clean. A doctor dictated what happened during an exam and a transcriptionist accurately typed each detail into the patient’s record. Each future encounter built on that record, a detailed history meant to ensure quality care. It wasn’t a perfect system, but it worked.

Free clinics are wonderful and an important part of the fledgling healthcare infrastructure in economically struggling areas, but should not be necessary in a wealthy country. Americans deserve better.

New guidance on the use of text messaging by physicians shows some flexibility when it comes to HIPAA, notes a healthcare attorney.

With smartphone use in healthcare on the rise-both by patients and providers-there are important steps to take to avoid a HIPAA violation.

Leverage your value.

Our office is having adifficult time reachingpatients within therequired two businessdays from dischargefor transitional care management(TCM) codes. Will this precludeus from billing the codes whenall of the other criteria are met?

Understand the clinical and legal risks surrounding these plans that require patients to pay more up front.

There are more than 50 policies that medical practices may have to implement to comply with the Health Insurance Portabilityand Accountability Act (HIPAA), so it’s no wonder meeting these requirements may appear overwhelming, especially for smaller practices with limited time and resources.

Last year, U.S. representatives Phil Roe, MD, (R-Tennessee) and John C. Fleming, MD, (R-Louisiana) learned an important lesson about the power of the GOP Doctors Caucus to affect legislation.

Experts explore the operational requirements, from care coordination to patient engagement.

The government wants physicians to identify overpayments, but many say the responsibilities remain unclear.

Tips to get the most for your continuing medical education spending.

As the 2016 election heads for the home stretch, what will a new administration mean for the ACA?

Researchers find that direct-acting antivirals are better tolerated in patients with hepatitis C virus infections vs. interferon-based therapy.

PCPs can “play a decisive role in eradicating” hepatitis C virus in the U.S., says lead author of new study.

Health system executives will be focusing their attention on post-acute care networks over the next three years, according to Premier, Inc.’s spring 2016 Economic Outlook Survey.

When it comes to end-of-life issues across all ages, the primary care physician(s) who know the family best should have an integral role in the formal bedside decision-making process. Furthermore, primary care physicians should be compensated for the time it takes at the bedside to assist in directing the best care for these patients.

A recent report released by the Association of American Medical Colleges forecasted that the U.S., will face a physician shortage of somewhere between 61,700 and 94,700 doctors over the next decade.

The market for telemedicine is big and growing, yet despite the growth in telemedicine, many physicians resist it.

UnitedHealthcare has generated more conversation about the challenges with the Exchange Products and that has certainly helped their stock price.

Primary care physicians commonly screen their patients for depression, but still underuse established and effective care management practices compared to other chronic illnesses like diabetes, asthma, and congestive heart failure, according to a recent study published in Health Affairs.

DOWLING Contributing authorGETTING PAID FOR HOME VISITSRenee Dowling is a billing andcoding consultant with VEIConsulting in Indianapolis, Indiana.Send your coding questions to:medec@advanstar.com.I am in private practice and recently did a home visit, one-hour evaluation for the first time. What is the code for the initial home visit and then subsequent visits?