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According to a New York Times article, individuals, arranged by the federal government, were to pose as new patients, calling physicians' practices up to three times to ask for expedited appointments.

Physician alignment is the most serious obstacle to forming accountable care organizations, according to a new study.

Physicians saw patients less often last year, and fewer patients began drug therapy for chronic conditions, according to a report.

The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals ruled recently that the state's cap on medical malpractice pain and suffering damages is constitutional. The court approved a lower court's decision to reduce a lawsuit award from $1 million to $500,000, in accord with an amendment enacted by the state legislature in 2003.

How to minimize liability from potential auto accident.

As a doctor, you are probably able to enjoy a more generous lifestyle than most other families. But having that lifestyle also means you will require more savings to support your standard of living in retirement.

One reason to have an office manager in a medical office is to have someone to whom patients - and staff - can complain without interrupting the doctor.

The author resolves to practice medicine on her own terms.

Letters discuss empathy, partners in care and lifestyle changes and prescribing practices.

Find out the advantages of establishing your own insurance company.

These practice management pearls are derived from Medical Economics' readers and editorial board members and reflect years of experience.

More and more physicians are choosing to incorporate their practices.

Federal healthcare reform will result in more or fewer Americans receiving health insurance through their employers, depending on which studies you choose to believe.

Modifier 33 has created much confusion in the coding and billing world. Learn why.

To increase parity between specialists and primary care providers (PCPs) and address the growing shortage of PCPs, the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) has called on the AMA/Specialty Society Relative Value Scale Update Committee (RUC) to change its structure to give greater representation to primary care fields.

If you open your own pharmacy, determine whether it would be profitable.

The authors dispute a recent New York Times' article assertion that the reason for physician shortage is related to the female gender.

Learn how health information exchanges can benefit physicians in paper-based practice.

How to update your practice management system.

Find out how to network with insurance providers.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) gave physicians a break in its recently proposed rule on meaningful use requirements for electronic health records (EHRs). The revision would allow eligible providers (EPs) to ?continue to report clinical quality measure results as calculated by certified EHR technology by attestation? through 2012. Previously, CMS had required eligible providers (EPs) to start submitting quality measures electronically to CMS next year.

Overwhelmed by changing reimbursement models, emerging regulations and adopting new technology? You?re not alone. Respondents to a recent survey said four of the top five ?considerable or extreme challenges? they face relate to these operational issues.Three of the most troubling issues for practices had not even been on practice group leader?s radars in previous years.

Prescription drug abuse is the nation?s fastest-growing drug problem, and, unless primary care practices take appropriate precautions, it also could become one of their fastest-growing regulatory and liability issues. With increased regulation on the horizon, a new study recommends ways that physicians can improve prescribing practices for opioids and other often-abused drugs.

Money isn?t everything, but 35% of primary care physicians (PCPs) say it is the most important factor in changing practices. Compensation was 50% more important to PCPs in evaluating a professional move than location or quality of practice, the most significant factors for residents and fellows.

When patients seek your help in getting a device that can allow them live at home instead of having to move to a long-term care facility, you have to navigate through a confusing maze of Medicare regulations to submit the order, only to find out that you are being blamed for the latest government healthcare expense boondoggle. What is really behind a recent government report blaming physicians for insufficient documentation for power wheelchairs?

While the latest trustees report says Medicare is running out of money and time, the program's own actuary questions those projections. What is more certain is that, unless some decisive action is taken, reimbursements to physicians and other providers would be cut 10% by 2024, if not earlier.

State medical boards and legislatures are responding to public demands that information about disciplinary action against physicians be timely and easy to get by publishing disciplinary, criminal, and liability histories online. But what about the physicians' rights?

Does a primary care physician remain legally responsible for a patient after referral? The Delaware Superior Court recently determined the answer to be "No." As with all legal proceedings, however, it is important to discuss context.

Get your black bag ready. House calls could be in your future. While Medicare prepares to roll out the Independence at Home pilot program next year, commercial insurers have been testing variations on the concept for some time, especially to provide care to the sickest of the sick.

Fed up with the hours on the telephone to untangle claims issues with insurers? A new proposed rule could help. It requires insurers to use uniform transmission formats and standardized forms when they seek information or provide claims and coverage information to doctors.