Patient payments, long a sore spot for providers, are becoming increasingly important as more patients move to high-deductible plans. Here are six ways to ease the pain. 1. Make it easy for patients to provide information. For collections and medical billing, the more information you have on a patient, the better. So think carefully about 

Since the goal of most physicians is more time with patients, many are turning to mid-level providers like physician assistants (PAs) to help shift the balance. Although the PA role was created by physicians and the certification has been around for almost 50 years, some myths about PAs persist. For those considering expanding the role

Owning a medical practice can be a jarring experience, even for those with nerves of steel. In the face of increasing regulations and stagnant reimbursements, many small practices seem to teeter on the brink of closure. Rising to meet those challenges, though, is the key to ensuring the success and growth of a private practice.

Medical marijuana is allowing chronically ill patients to relieve painful, often debilitating symptoms by legally “toking it up” instead of popping pills that they claim were not doing anything to ease their severe pain. The widespread acceptance of marijuana as a useful medication is also creating a unique medical practice niche that some critics are

Chances are tragically high that you’ll eventually be sued for malpractice. This holds true even if your practice has done nothing wrong, has an experienced staff, does things by the book and delivers the expected standard of care. One-third of all physicians have already been there, while nearly one-fifth more have been threatened with a

Patients today are often underserved, but it’s hard to place too much blame on physicians. Most primary care doctors are completely overworked and exhausted, and they can’t seem to get much relief from that state. The Affordable Care Act, aging baby boomers, and retiring physicians are creating a perfect storm that’s completely overwhelming the health

One of the more popular trends in health care today is increasing the availability of health care providers to patients. One way to do this is to add non-traditional hours. Ways of increasing availability via extended hours Adding extra hours for patients doesn’t have to mean increasing your payroll or overhead costs. Rather, it involves

No matter if a rural doctor is wearing boots, plaid or a cowboy hat, his or her professional attitudes and beliefs are similar to those found in big-city physicians with windows overlooking Times Square.  At least that’s the conclusion gleaned from a survey published in the Journal of Rural Health. What the Survey Did The

Though mobile health is seeing increasing adoption across the healthcare industry in the United States, many professionals still consider cost to be a significant barrier when it comes to implementation. Mobile health (also referred to as mHealth) was one of the major topics at the 2014 Annual Conference and Exhibition held by the Health Information

Cloud-based medical systems are so common, yet rehab therapists are still hesitant to adopt this system. Of the 204,000 Physical Therapists, 113,000 Occupational Therapist, and 134,000 Speech & Language Therapist, more use paper charts to capture therapy notes than use electronic medical records. But when it comes to billing, the case is exactly the opposite.