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The challenge: Ensuring legal compliance with e-mailed patient records and appointment reminders.

What is and is not appropriate information to include in phone messages from auto dialers?

Are there any steps I should take before dismissing a patient who repeatedly shows up late for appointments?

I currently hold a credit card with a $5,000 balance and a 15 percent interest rate. I was wondering if I should decrease the amount I am contributing to my retirement plan through work and put the "extra" dollars toward the credit-card debt.

I understand the importance of securing an individual disability policy while still in training, but I recently was told that with my income potential, I should consider securing two policies. Why is that?

I am interested in starting to save for my two-year-old child's college education. I have heard great things about 529 plans and was wondering if that is the only plan I should utilize?

Make sure Medicare gets the complete picture of a patient's long-term hospital stay when submitting a claim-especially when several specialists work on the case. You should include all diagnoses on the claim.

Have you ever cared for a terminally ill patient who has asked to die? Though you may feel uncomfortable dealing with such situations, it is imperative to have a plan for dealing with them.

If you've ever attended a trade conference, you know doctors love free stuff. So we're letting you know about a free financial planning book for physicians written by the president of a Dallas-based advisory firm.

A retired doctor shares his story of rediscovering his passion for medicine by volunteering in a hospice.

Less than half of the eligible patients who frequently visit their primary care physician receive recommended colorectal cancer screenings, according to a recent study.

Growth in national health expenditures is expected to be 5.5 percent this year, as spending increases from $2.4 trillion in 2008 to $2.5 trillion in 2009-or $8,140 per person, according to CMS.

Last month, UnitedHealthcare launched a patient-centered medical home (PCMH) pilot project in Arizona with employer IBM, which could boost participants' income by as much as 20 percent on top of their current billings

Medpedia, a free online medical encyclopedia for healthcare professionals and consumers, launched last month with more than 7,000 pages of content contributed by 110 organizations.

On the heels of a $350 million class-action lawsuit settlement with UnitedHealthcare in January concerning underpayment for out-of-network services, the American Medical Association, along with numerous state medical societies, launched two similar class-action suits against health insurers CIGNA and ætna in early February.

"Socialized" medicine?

In 48 out of 50 U.S. states, the law has decided for you how to handle requests for assisted suicide: It is illegal.

When the government starts throwing around billions of dollars, everyone has the same question: What's in it for me?

How is socialized medicine going? Just look to the U.K.'s newspapers.

I have a patient with a high-deductible plan who doesn't want to pay for his visits. I've sent certified letters to dismiss him, but he doesn't accept the letters.

Are there any guidelines on what is an acceptable wait time for patients before seeing their physician?

When my employer, which is also a health insurer, asks me for personal health information, is that a HIPAA violation?

I plan to add some bonds or other fixed-income assets to my personal investment portfolio. Would municipal bonds be a good idea?

We have a physician leaving our practice and a new physician who is joining, and we are confused regarding how we should bill for services during this transition.

A colleague told me I can give a certain amount of money, tax-free, to my kids each year. Is that true? Will it lower my taxes?

Our group practice has a 401(k) plan. I plan to defer the maximum $16,500 to the plan from my salary. I also do some medical-legal consulting on the side. Can I also establish a 401(k) plan for that business and fund another $16,500?

A Good Samaritan will be exonerated as long as he acts in good faith.

If lack of effective communication is the ultimate explanation for the breakdown in the doctor/patient/family relationship, how do we deal with this?

Freedom from the stress of private practice is a common reason physicians hit the road as locum tenens.

Today's residents face shorter work schedules, which could be tomorrow's problem.