Practice Management

Can the government demand access to health records usually protected under HIPAA to investigate healthcare fraud?

For the past 32 years I've been the only specialist in my field in the region. How can I break the news of my upcoming retirement without alarming my patients about the lack of care in the community?

My employer reneged on his promise to offer me a partnership after three years as an associate. Instead, he offered me a productivity bonus, and I accepted it. For the next four years I stayed with the practice, and now I want to find a new job. Am I still bound by the original noncompete agreement I signed when I joined the practice? It says I can't work in the area for two years after I leave.

Weigh the pros and cons of four major scheduling strategies, and see what could work best for you.

Some doctors are doing it successfully, but costs and logistics can make it a challenge. Here's what to watch for.

Despite state laws and class-action settlements, many insurers still force doctors to take plans they don't want.

You think you're doing great-but does your boss agree? Here's how to know what the practice leader expects of you.

We're confused about billing chemotherapy hydration. Many times a patient will present in a very dehydrated state and require hydration therapy before we can begin infusion therapy. Other times, the hydration is part of the protocol for the infusion therapy. Is the coding different for these two scenarios?

A member of my group is fed up with Medicare. He has his Medicare patients sign an Advance Beneficiary Notice prior to rendering services, then the patients pay him and he tells the billing department not to file claims for those services. I'm concerned that what he's doing isn't correct, and that his actions will negatively affect the group. Am I overreacting?

A local hospital notifies us when they've admitted some of our patients by faxing a list of names (normally three or four names at a time) to our office. We make a copy of the page for each patient's chart and then use a marker to black out the other names on the list before filing it. Does this practice violate privacy rules?

I plan to start my own strictly fee-for-service practice but continue to work part time for my present employer. In that position, I belong to several health plans. Does being on the panels of these plans obligate me to accept their members in my own practice?

Our community hospital recently opened some offices staffed by newly-recruited family physicians. Now, some of my patients who received care at the hospital's ED say that doctors there tried to refer them to these new physicians for follow-up care. Aren't there laws against poaching another doctor's patients?

Our ten-physician multispecialty clinic is negotiating a contract with a new management company to oversee office functions, including billing and collections. Our previous management company charged 10 percent of net collections for such services. What's the going rate?

Going online with pharmacies can save you time and improve patient care, but liability issues may increase.

Bargaining with powerful insurers may be harder than ever, but that doesn't mean you should accept their fees hands down.

Are you thinking about hiring a physician assistant to ease patient wait times, or to handle some new ancillary service you'd like to offer? If you haven't crunched the numbers yet, here's what you can expect to pay.

Practice management experts recommended fixes for this small suburban practice's problems. Their advice might help you, too.

Tech Talk

Some problems still exist, but real-time claims processing can help you get more money, more quickly.

A sizeable minority of primary care physicians still have some prepaid business, and many of them are doing fine.

Rates in many places may have stabilized or even dropped, but no one is celebrating just yet.

Our survey will help you gauge whether your practice expenses are right on target or need a trim.

Many of your colleagues in primary care are working long hours to keep their incomes up.

Primary care soloists earn less than other doctors, but they're in no hurry to consolidate.

In Maine, an oversubscribed, low-paying Medicaid program is rocking physicians. Here's what they're doing to try to stay afloat.

To collect all you earn, your billing staff need clear roles, policies, goals, and the right tools.

Tech Talk

In today's shifting marketplace, becoming a practice partner may no longer be a matter of when, but if.

Here's how to dissect EHR bids to make sure you're getting the best deal.

Want to give yourself a nice raise that third-party payers won't? Improve your coding.