Without the right staff numbers and skill mix, your practice s daily needs go unmet. Productivity, profitability, and patient care all suffer. Rightsizing your practice involves calculating the best number... Read More >
The Medical Group Management Association www.mgma.com annually releases a report profiling the characteristics of the nation s better-performing medical groups. The better-performing groups tended to post higher overall profits, employ... Read More >
Patients top complaint about physicians is the amount of time doctors make them wait for treatment, whereas physicians top complaint about patients is their failure to follow prescribed treatments, according... Read More >
In the tax world, you usually can t have your cake and eat it too. Example If physician practice employers provide disability insurance coverage to employees including physician employees on... Read More >
The closest we ever come to perfection is when we write our resumes I heard this saying yesterday and it reminded my again why all physician practices should be diligent... Read More >
There are many types of scheduling so sometimes it is hard to know where to begin. The first places to look are to your patients, your practice, and the surrounding... Read More >
The HHS entered into a resolution agreement with Providence Health amp Services Providence to settle potential violations of the HIPAA privacy and security rules. Pursuant to the resolution agreement, Providence... Read More >
Q One of our healthcare professionals carries patient information in his vehicle during his daily travel between multiple physician offices, our practice s administrative office, and his home office. This... Read More >
Why are patients mad at doctors? Maybe, suggests medical blogger Dr. Robert Lamberts, it s because doctors aren t following the rules. Dr. Lamberts, an Augusta, Ga., physician and writer... Read More >
Employment contracts prove relatively worthless if you don t take the time to evaluate how your staff performs under them. So set up a formal review process for all members... Read More >
Eligible individuals and employers can make tax deductible contributions to Health Savings Accounts HSAs that can be withdrawn tax-free to reimburse qualifying medical expenses. Balances remaining in the account at... Read More >
Many physicians have mailed registration forms to new patients in hopes that they ll fill them out before coming to the office. Now, a few have started offering online registration... Read More >
A physician s signature is not required on orders for clinical diagnostic tests including X-ray, laboratory and other diagnostic tests that are paid on the basis of the clinical laboratory... Read More >
Responding to a letter from U.S. Senator Bill Nelson on behalf of a constituent, the IRS concludes that the cost of clothing an employee is required to wear at work... Read More >
Security After Termination Termination procedures are a fundamental part of an information security program, no matter how small the organization. Inadequate policies have resulted in publicized breachs in healthcare. You... Read More >
By Arden Dale, The Wall Street Journal This fall, more taxpayers won t be able to say they weren t given fair warning. The Internal Revenue Service is ramping up... Read More >
From Nossaman LLP s healthcare law e-alert After receiving public comments on its proposed rules, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services CMS has narrowed the application of the physician... Read More >
From HIPAA Weekly Advisor, the free, weekly e-mail newsletter brought to you by HcPro s premium monthly newsletter Briefings on HIPAA BOH Q Does HIPAA address the use of cell... Read More >
According to Headliner Volume posted to the IRS website at www.irs.gov businesses small article ,,id , .html , outsourcing payroll duties can be a sound business practice. However, the employer... Read More >
According to the American Medical Association, patients spend an average of minutes waiting for their appointments. For a lot of physician practices like my own internist , the wait is... Read More >
With all the talk about beleaguered physicians experiencing low morale today, now s a good time to consider adopting a sabbatical leave policy for your group s physicians. For years,... Read More >
Limited benefit plans often feature deductibles and benefit caps. Unlike deductibles, which are predictable and finite, these policies have benefit limits that can crop up at any time. It s... Read More >
IR- - summarizes Rev. Proc. - which expands and enhances the scope of the Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System EPCRS . Qualified plan sponsors, as well as sponsors of SEP,... Read More >
My recently received newsletter from the Texas Medical Group Management Association has a lengthy article on the subject of those things that can get a physician sued for malpractice. It... Read More >
Given enough time, conflict will arise between people who work together. When it happens, how you communicate with your staffers can determine how well you manage and resolve it. Behaviorists... Read More >
An IRS private letter ruling concludes that restitution payments made by a physician to insurance companies to settle claims for insurance fraud are not deductible as trade or business losses... Read More >
Medicare is statutorily required to adjust payments for physician fee schedule services to account for differences in costs due to geographic location. There are different localities that have not been... Read More >
The OIG released another advisory opiniopn finding that a proposed block leasing arrangement between two physician group practices one a practice providing cancer treatment services, including IMRT, the other a... Read More >
Up front you say? Isn t that standard operating procedure in all physician offices? Yes it s standard operating procedure but what about collecting the patient copayment BEFORE they are... Read More >
Before starting a negotiation with a managed care payer, you must first define exactly what issues are most important to you and your physician practice. Starting a negotiation without doing... Read More >
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