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Just in case you or your front desk staff had plans to take a vacation this summer, you may want to rethink that. Medicare has rolled out a major advertising campaign to get patients to visit you for an annual wellness visit and free preventive services. Since fewer than 20% of eligible patients used those services in the first half of the year, expect an onslaught of request for appointments.

The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals ruled recently that the state?s cap on pain and suffering damages was constitutional. Courts in numerous other states also are grappling with the issue of lawsuit award limits in medical liability cases. Is a new trend beginning?

The controversy may have been focused on the government plan to use mystery shoppers to surreptitiously check how many physician offices were open to Medicare and other public insurance patients. But the bigger problem is acceptance of private insurance by medical practices that have to jump through hoops to get paid, according to a new study.

Lack of capital, integrated systems and evidence-based treatment protocol data all play into the difficulty of creating an accountable care organization (ACO).The biggest challenge, however, is a personnel issue, and how physicians and hospitals will work together to resolve it.

With the June 30 deadline fast approaching, the largest state medical association in the country urged the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to give physicians more time to begin e-prescribing.

When it comes to technology, an apple a day does not keep the doctor away. In fact, physicians prefer Apples?or, at least the Apple platforms that run the iPad and iPhone. Nearly 30% of physicians use an iPad?6 times more than general U.S. consumers?and more than 60% of physicians who use smartphones have an iPhone.

If it seems like it?s harder than ever to get proper payment, it?s not just your imagination. According to the American Medical Association (AMA), health plans make errors in nearly 1 out of 5 claims. Electronic data interchange may help a little.

Here?s an electronic health record (EHR) ?benefit,? you may not have considered: Opposing lawyers can use the system?s tracking mechanism, called the audit trail, to strengthen their case against you in a malpractice case. Learn how to protect yourself.

The U.S. Supreme Court said that a Vermont law prohibiting sale of prescription data to drug companies interfered with the pharmaceutical industry's First Amendment right to market its products. A recent survey suggests that the decision will not come as good news to many physicians who feel as if their privacy is being invaded.

Understand whether bonds lose value when interest rates rise.q

Gather some tips on negotiating contracts with health insurance companies.

Decide whether to allocate purchase price of practice to goodwill.

Find out whether gift cards are acceptable for insurance co-pays.

The author reflects on the possibility of being paid what you're worth.

Learn whether life insurance is subject to estate tax.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act gives new impetus to form accountable care organizations to better coordinate the care of their patients, especially those with chronic diseases, and to ensure a continuum of care.

Know how to protect patients' information with billing companies.

To many physicians, the current healthcare environment is complex and overwhelming. From accountable care organizations, global capitation, and value-based purchasing to episode payments, episode groupers, and bundled payments, the terminology seems to be addressed to larger organizations than small primary care groups.

Federal pilot programs established to use health information technology to improve patient care and reduce costs are having a hard time meeting the latter goal.

The author reflects on a Consumer Reports article about doctors and patients.

What do you do if you realize that your records actually may do harm to a patient's lawsuit?

Learn the nuances of various follow-up codes.

Relatively few Americans consult online rankings or reviews of hospitals and physicians.

Letters discuss encounters with a rock legend and grocery store visits.

Since the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services asked for comments on the much-anticipated regulations for accountable care organizations in late March, the proposed rules have been under constant attack.

The author did not retire in a hurry. He had read many articles about the planning for, and timing of, retirement.

The proposed accountable care organization regulations arrived on March 31 and have caused much strife and speculation in the medical and legal communities in recent months.

Twenty-seven percent of the hospital departments in urban and suburban areas have closed in the past 20 years, according to a new study.

Understand how to make profitability and efficiency work effectively in practice.

What do you do if you realize that your records actually may do harm to a patient's lawsuit?