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Mutually exclusive code edits play a role in whether procedures can be bundled.

The modifier -25 is not applicable to all emergency-type services performed in the office.

Medicare is usually the secondary payer, but not always. Check with the patient to see what other type of coverage is involved.

Contingency fees are the primary reason for such close scrutiny of extraneous legal issues by plaintiffs' attorneys.

The number of doctors prescribing antibiotics to adults with acute viral bronchitis is still rising, despite the fact that such drugs have no effect on that condition.

The first phase of the Medicare Recovery Audit Contractor program was a boon for budget-minded policymakers on Capitol Hill, but the controversial plan promises another potential headache for physicians.

A wide range of new equipment can help improve your practice - and the quality of patient care.

Estimated costs are in for the mandated upgrade to the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision.

The average total compensation for an internal medicine physician jumped 8 percent during the past year to $232,963 a year.

Aetna will be the first health insurance company to link its online database of medical providers to a directory maintained by the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association.

Patient collections remains a top concern for MGMA members - and even more so in a declining economy.

With the crumbling economy on everyone's minds, the Medical Group Management Association announced its support of a cost-cutting initiative for physicians at last month's conference in San Diego.

Reimbursement troubles, concierge practices, fixing U.S. health care

There are two functions being integrated into EHRs that will radically change how medical care is delivered: clinical decision support and a communication portal.

Despite the hefty $11 billion price tag, creating a unique patient identification number for every person in the U.S. would return more than that amount in quality and efficiency gains to the country?s health-care system, according to a study the RAND Corp.

While electronic health records systems are expected to become more widespread in the future, the pace of adoption will remain slow in the coming years, according to a survey from a top industry group.

The largest health insurer in Massachusetts is aggressively pushing e-prescribing, requiring physicians in the state to prescribe electronically by 2011 or get bounced from its bonus-payment programs.

It's not health insurance bureaucracy, an aging population or malpractice liability, but rather rampant spending on ineffective and unproven technology that is the top driver of the increased cost of health care in the United States, according to a recent study.

As much as $197 billion could be saved over 25 years if patients stayed home and communicated electronically with their physicians or other health-care providers, according to a study released in October.

The process of transitioning pediatric cardiology patients into adult cardiac care should begin in late childhood or early adolescence, says Arwa Saidi, MD (pictured) department of internal medicine and pediatric cardiology, University of Florida. The 2008 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines recommend preparing young people for the transition beginning at age 12.

Researchers have successfully used umbilical cord stem cells to build a functional heart valve that may someday be perfected so that infants born with valve abnormalities could receive a new valve derived from their own stem cells, reports Philipp Schaefermeier, MD, University Hospital of Munich, Germany.

How many patients should an average family physician see per day as an employee of a medical office? How much should a family physician be compensated?

A patient recently claimed that we violated her privacy because we left a message on her answering machine about an upcoming appointment and her husband heard it. Did we violate HIPAA regulations?

Certain insurance carriers insist they are not receiving our claims, regardless of whether they were sent by our online program, fax, or mail. What can we do about this repeated stall tactic?

Can I be held liable for declining to refill the medication of a patient who's refused to take a test?

Is it true that life insurance is not subject to estate taxes?

My grandfather recently died, and I received $300,000 from his retirement plan. I know his estate is required to pay tax on the proceeds, but must I pay income tax when I take money out of the plan?

I would like to transfer some stock to my son as a gift. Because of the recent downturn in the market, the stock is worth less than what I originally paid. Can I deduct my loss?

A California attorney recently explained how I could place my house into a trust to avoid the risk of losing it to a future malpractice creditor. Is there any downside to doing this?

In an emergency situation, the provider and coder must know which procedures are bundled together and which procedures are independent.