features

32 Managed Care Administrative Tasks: Cutting the Red Tape (PDF available)

Mara Reichman

Your job is difficult enough without the barriers of managed care. Are you doing what you can to reduce the hassles?

39 Sports Physicals: A Coding Conundrum (PDF available)

Cindy Hughes, CPC

Here's how to make sure you get paid for this common and valuable service.

43 Taming the Sample Closet (PDF available)

Mitchell L. Cohen, MD

Take control of your samples before they take control of you.

49 How to Improve the Quality of Waived Tests (PDF available)

Barbara Mitchell, MS, MT(ASCP), and Cheryl Murray, MPA, MT(ASCP)SM

You'll make better medical decisions if you make sure you're getting reliable results from your in-office lab.

55 Grade Your Payers: The AAFP/FPM Survey of Physicians' Experiences With Third-Party Payers (PDF available)

More and more health plans are grading physicians on their performance. Now, it's time for physicians to grade their health plans.

60 Get Ready for the Revised CMS-1500 Claim Form (PDF available)

Cindy Hughes, CPC

Now is the time to get your National Provider Identifier number and update your billing system.

departments

14 from the editor

Hand Your Health Plans a Report Card

Robert L. Edsall

Here's your chance to say what you think about your payers - and make your words count.

16 letters

Documenting away a malpractice suit • The collections treadmill • Prescribing decisions should consider cost • Dress like professionals • Diagnosis du jour • Clarification

26 news & trends

Physicians brace for Medicare pay cut in 2007 • Docs get raises while groups fight losses

29 Coding & Documentation

Cindy Hughes, CPC

Calculating face-to-face time • Billing for medication refills • Preventive and E/M services at the same visit • Neonatal initial critical care • Discontinued procedures • Defining emergency office services • Billing for nutritionist services • Vaccine administration • Covering for a colleague

67 practice pearls

Offer evening hours • Take your staff to lunch • Seek performance feedback • Conduct fire drills in your practice • Encourage staff to identify problems

69 FPM QUIZ

Earn 3.5 CME credits.

74 the last word

Comfort Always

William E. Cayley Jr., MD, MDiv

Our most important role as a physician is being a comforter to the sick.

4 Contact us

74 Classifieds