In yet another example of how IPAs can get in to trouble, two physician groups separately have settled charges that they violated federal antitrust law by engaging in price-fixing conspiracies... Read More >
When looking at the growing pool of pay-for-performance P P programs, you might wonder how to determine what you re getting into before you sign up. To understand your organization... Read More >
nbsp Taxable fringe benefits include cash bonuses, severance or vacation pay and noncash gifts such as season tickets to sporting events and gift certificates or gift cards. Taxable fringes are... Read More >
nbsp Intuit will offer the Windows version of QuickBooks Pro for free at all Staples stores on Monday, Dec. , for one day only. The offer works like this The... Read More >
Now there s a better way for physicians and non-physician practitioners to enroll or make a change in their Medicare enrollment information. The Internet-based Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System... Read More >
nbsp From the American Health Lawyers Association www.healthlawyers.org On December , , the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General OIG issued Advisory Opinion - , in... Read More >
IRS Posts Publication Explaining Individual Income Tax The IRS posted an updated version of Publication , Your Federal Income Tax , to www.irs.gov . The online version has more than... Read More >
Increasingly, personality is proving critical in relating to patients and to the many players you must deal with daily in the healthcare game-payers, referrers, employers. When choosing a leader for... Read More >
The Centers for Medicare amp Medicaid Services CMS used the Medicare final physician fee schedule PFS to make additional changes to the complex rules governing diagnostic testing. Among the most... Read More >
Here are a few simple tips to remember when making your year-end charitable contributions. For IRA owners age or over, you can transfer up to , per year tax-free to... Read More >
nbsp On November , , the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General OIG issued Advisory Opinion - , approving a gainsharing agreement between a hospital, four... Read More >
A senior member in phase-down should probably give up legal co-owner status. Today s pressures on medical practices call for tough decisions about the future. Business as usual usually won... Read More >
nbsp In case you didn t know it, effective - - a new Advance Beneficiary Notice ABN went in to effect. The new form can be found at www.cms.hhs.gove BNI.... Read More >
Starting in , there will be new procedures for correcting errors on employment tax returns. According to information posted to the IRS website at www.irs.gov businesses small article ,,id ,... Read More >
Payers may insist upon the right to audit providers books and records in a number of contexts and for various reasons. Also, keep in mind that payers frequently retain contracted... Read More >
Using your CPT frequency report, make a spreadsheet with the following four columns a CPT Code Starting with your highest utilized CPT, working your way down b Medicare Reimbursement Allowable... Read More >
Looking to download the 2009 Medicare fee schedule? Here is your link: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/apps/ama/license.asp?file=/physicianfeesched/downloads/RVU09A.zip Read More >
CMS has announced that the specifications for the e-prescribing measure, which will be used to determine whether an eligible professional is a successful e-prescriber and may qualify for a percent... Read More >
Many physician office display thank-you letters from patients or their families on a bulletin board or other type of display in a public area where visitors can read them. So... Read More >
Under HIPAA, each organization must perform its own risk assessment to determine, as the preamble says, an appropriate solution to a covered entity s workstation security issues. Start with a... Read More >
nbsp Tis the season to be jolly ..so know these tax rules Nontaxable gifts. Fruit baskets, hams, turkeys, wine, flowers and occasional entertainment tickets, such as to a show or... Read More >
CMS reported earlier this month it protected roughly million of taxpayer dollars as improper payments for Medicare Fee-for-Service FFS decreased from . percent in FY to . percent, or .... Read More >
The optional standard mileage rates have been released. The mileage rates will decrease from the second half of . Beginning January , , the standard business mileage rate will be... Read More >
Staff who handle accounts receivable must know what they re doing. Qualified billers, for example, are worth their weight in gold. Your biller may be an employee with many years... Read More >
Our experience in working through thousand of malpractice cases, available data, and interviews with top plaintiffs attorneys reveals that communication errors and service lapses usually are what cause plaintiffs to... Read More >
An IRS fact sheet discusses compensation paid to S corporation officers for services rendered, which should be treated as wages and not as distributions or loans to the officers. While... Read More >
Many physicians believe that only they can handle the search for recruiting a new physician, and botch the effort These failures are usually due to two shortages time and attention.... Read More >
Many healthcare providers are revisiting the various services they provide and looking to make non-Medicare patients a larger component of their patient mix. That, in turn, puts a premium on... Read More >
By CPT definition, a new patient is one who has not received any professional services from the physician, or another physician of the same specialty who belongs to the same... Read More >
If an employer pays for employee physicals or consultations that are performed for employment purposes, do patients employees under HIPAA have a right to access the records as they would... Read More >
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