Articles

17	17	RISK SHARING Think Twice Before Assuming Risk for Pharmacy Costs With drug costs likely to increase significantly in the next decade, it's more important than ever to know when to say 'no' to risk contracts. David A. Smith, MD
	36	LIFE BALANCE Putting 'Life' Back Into Your Professional Life Here are ideas you can use to replace your burnout with the joy you once felt for practicing family medicine. John-Henry Pfifferling, PhD, and Kay Gilley, MS
36	22	FAMILY PRACTICE SPECTRUM Part-Time Practice Success Story By working together, these part-time physicians are meeting their patients' needs -- and their own. Brandi White
	27	GROUP PRACTICE Developing a Successful Medical Group Among the key ingredients are physician ownership, a strong strategic direction and a commitment to high-quality patient care. H. Jeffrey Wilkins, MD; Richard J. Pierotti, MD; Robert J. Motley, MD; Hal D. Cohan, MD; James L. Conrad, MD; R. Lawrence Derstine, MD; Peter Mertzanis, MBA, MHA; and A. Douglas Bender, PhD
	33	PUBLISHING The FPM Authors Guide We try to make writing for FPM as easy and as rewarding as possible. Robert L. Edsall

Featured Departments

45	8	EDITORIAL Big Business and Bad Medicine Thomas S. Duncan, MD
	10	GETTING PAID Improve Your Bottom Line With Patient Account Reps What may seem an extra expense at first glance could actually save you money in the long run. Jack Valancy, MBA
53	12	CODING AND DOCUMENTATION Answers to Your Questions Kent J. Moore
	15	MONITOR Collective bargaining advances in Texas, Illinois • Seniors not receiving covered preventive services • Public confidence in medicine continues to rise • Opposition to use of hospitalists grows • MedPartners continues exit from PPM business • FDA seeks to reduce accidental drug deaths
	44	PRACTICE DIARY The disgruntled patient • Staying visible • No-shows • An ED alternative Sanford J. Brown, MD
	45	IMPROVING PATIENT CARE Improve Quality by Understanding Your Care Process The quality of your care is linked to the quality of your care process. A practice 'blueprint' can show you ways to improve. Louis G. Pol, PhD; Amy Risch Rodie, PhD; and Benjamin F. Crabtree, PhD
	49	COMPUTERS Our Featured Web Site: Is Your Performance Data Online Yet? David C. Kibbe, MD, MBA
	50	Surveys Find More Physicians Online More and more doctors are using the Internet to improve efficiency, gain quick access to information and communicate with patients and colleagues. Amy Handelman Bennett
	52	ASK FPM Getting paid for administrative work • Confidentiality of diagnoses • Office manager salaries
	53	SALARIED FP Evaluating Bonuses and Incentives: The Basics Physicians need to learn to read between the lines of compensation plans to determine their true value. Kent J. Moore
	62	BALANCING ACT Still in Harmony: Karl Singer, MD He's happier now than he was when he started practicing medicine 28 years ago. His secret? Play the hand you're dealt. Jennifer Bush
		Other Departments
	7	EDITOR'S PAGE
	9	LETTERS
	57	FPM QUIZ (EARN 3.5 HOURS OF CME CREDIT)
	59	CLASSIFIEDS

---

Copyright © 1999 by the American Academy of Family Physicians.
This content is owned by the AAFP. A person viewing it online may make one printout of the material and may use that printout only for his or her personal, non-commercial reference. This material may not otherwise be downloaded, copied, printed, stored, transmitted or reproduced in any medium, whether now known or later invented, except as authorized in writing by the AAFP.