Coding Better for Better Reimbursement
Douglas E. Henley, MD
Your work is worth more than you think. You just need to document and code it better.

Choosing Between Clinical Practice and Administration
Carrie Nankervis, MD
After wrestling with the decision, this family physician ended up where she started, but she gained a good deal of insight along the way.

Providing Charity Care: A Primer on Liability Risk
Howard B. Shapiro, PhD
If there's a bright spot in the medical liability system, it's in the laws protecting physicians who volunteer to care for the uninsured.

Implementing Change: From Ideas to Reality
Jack Silversin, DMD, PhD, and Mary Jane Kornacki, MSPH
How do you get your group to defy the status quo and act on good ideas? It starts with vision, teamwork and some fire in the belly.

EDITORIAL
FPM and the Family Physician's Journey to Medical Excellence
Marc L. Rivo, MD, MPH

GETTING PAID
CPT Coding Update for 2003
Kent J. Moore
Among the changes this year are codes for skin lesion excisions, musculoskeletal therapeutic injections, routine venipuncture and colposcopy.

CODING & DOCUMENTATION
Answers to Your Questions
Kent J. Moore
1995 or 1997 guidelines? • Pure tone testing: 92551 or 92552? • HIV counseling • Transfer with discharge and admission • Using modifiers -GZ and -GY • Home visit codes for homebound patients • Postpartum care • Ambulatory blood-pressure monitoring • Injection code 20550

MONITOR
Patients, physicians underestimate medical errors • Medicare payment cuts yet to be corrected • Primary care patient safety research under way • Practice pearls

IMPROVING PATIENT CARE
Open Access as an Alternative to Patient Combat
John Giannone, MD

To improve patient care and service, simply turn off your deflector shields.

PRACTICE DIARY
Sanford J. Brown, MD
Another panic attack • Horses vs. zebras III

COMPUTERS
10 Quick Tips for a More User-Friendly PDA
Anil Chandrashekhar, MD

If you own a Palm OS personal digital assistant (PDA), but haven't had time to learn more than the basics, this article is for you.

ASK FPM
Keeping old patient records • Cash-only practice • Referring to MAs as nurses

BALANCING ACT
Staying in the Loop at Work
Evelyn Fang, MD
To improve your professional satisfaction, try investing in work relationships.