Legal

In a much-anticipated decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the case of King v. Burwell that tax subsidies for buying healthcare insurance made available through the law apply in all 50 states.

Prepare now to fight off lost revenue due to denied claims once ICD-10 becomes a reality with these three medical-billing best practices.

Mobile health (mHealth) is a confusing landscape, to be sure. IMS Health, which rates mHealth apps and provides a formal mechanism for app prescribing, estimates there are 63,000 health apps in the Apple and Google stores. The number and variety make it difficult for physicians to find and recommend the good ones. As a result, prescribing mHealth apps is new to most physicians.

The return of narrow networks has been blamed largely on the Affordable Care Act (ACA). But the trend, similar to health maintenance organizations, re-appeared before the creation of the ACA’s health insurance exchanges. Physicians must learn how to cope with this movement and decide when it makes financial sense to be included in narrow network plans.

The obstacles facing practicing physicians are numerous, but can be overcome with the help of great ideas put into action effectively. In order to foster the sharing of new ideas among physicians, Medical Economics introduces Practice Innovators, an ongoing, periodic series spotlighting your colleagues who are breaking new ground in medical practice-and succeeding.

In this Practice Innovators profile, Medical Economics looks at how John Kulin, DO, makes customer service an important part of treating patients.

Some common misperceptions about the upcoming Oct. 1, 2015 coding set transition countered with facts from the experts.

A successful EHR implementation should begin well before the vendor arrives at your practice

A large chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patient network is in the works.

Here are some of the more unusual ICD-10 codes coming to practices Oct. 1, based on where they occur: land, sea, or air.

The MGMA, among others representing medical practices, is asking CMS to delay the Stage 3 rules of meaningful use to benefit physicians and patients.

The recently-formed National Association of Physicians and Surgeons (NBPAS) is calling on its members to encourage the hospitals where they practice to accept NBPAS as an alternative pathway to recertification.

In this Q&A, Medical Economics speaks with Ernie Chaney, MD, FAAFP, a practitioner of family medicine both before and after the passage of Medicare.

Five years after the passage of the Affordable Care Act, and 18 months after the beginning of the health insurance exchange, primary care physicians are wondering: Where is the influx of new patients?

The American Board of Internal Medicine's finances and widespread dissatisfaction with its maintenance of certification (MOC) requirements have not shaken the organization’s faith in its policies or its president and chief executive officer, Richard Baron, MD, MACP.

Legislators and physician organizations took last year’s failed attempt at reform and pushed it through in a different political climate

Medical Economics looks back on the reporting we did before and after the passage of Medicare 50 years ago to see what came to pass, what didn't, and what's in the future

On the 50th birthday of Medicare, Medical Economics looks back at this landmark legislation and the effect it has had on physicians and healthcare in general.

Is 2015 the year you decide to open an urgent care practice? If you are interested in urgent care medicine, you are not alone. Growth is expected to continue as patients seek immediate access to medical care and lower-cost alternatives to emergency department visits. Despite the rewards, urgent care medicine comes with risks-especially for physicians unprepared for the business demands of operating an urgent care center.

The annual battle over the Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula has come to an end. But the program that replaces it will be Medicare’s leap into the world of value-based payment and risk sharing, and the resulting changes will have a massive impact on how physicians are reimbursed.

Thanks in part to the growing prevalence of chronic disease among American adults, more and more commercial health plans are introducing chronic care management programs. However, the effectiveness of these programs has been hindered by limited patient engagement and the reluctance of doctors to change the way they practice, according to a recent study.

Maintaining healthy accounts receivable (AR) is essential to strong financial performance, but it’s easy for practices to feel overwhelmed or become complacent when it comes to keeping this piece of the revenue cycle on track. Here's some strategies to keep your AR on target.

A good coder is integral to a high-functioning medical practice. Here's what to look for, where to find the ideal candidate, and how to confirm credentials.

Anders Gilberg of the Medical Group Management Association discusses the effect of a Supreme Court decision challenging part of the Affordable Care Act.

One of the most important things that a practice can do is provide for adequate staff training on a new EHR system. Here are four steps for success.

The courts sided with North Carolina physicians over claims that UnitedHealthcare wrongly and systematically denied medical claims. Perhaps the tides are changing?

A new study published in the Annals of Family Medicine shows that healthcare information technology is not helping providers with the aspects of care coordination they need most.

As a result government incentives, new care standards, and the demands of a more technologically sophisticated society, use of patient portals is becoming increasingly commonplace. But physicians must be aware that the specific functionalities of the portal directly impact the risk management strategies that must be employed by the practice to protect itself from liability.

Denials may evoke dismay, frustration and even resentment for your business office, but they can actually be harnessed to improve the performance of your practice. It all starts with identifying the specific denial and the reasons for it.

Electronic health records (EHRs) promised to revolutionize healthcare delivery. In some respects, they have. But for physicians deluged by patients, EHRs have yet to fulfill their lofty promises and, in many cases, have added considerable strain to the daily workload of physicians. In this article, physicians discuss with Medical Economics how EHRs should-and must-improve to reach their potential.