Practice Essentials

If you want a quick course on those aspects of practice that you didn't learn about in medical school and residency, or if you're new to practice and feeling overwhelmed, the Practice Essentials article collection will introduce you to the basics -- from coding to contracting to time management. Note that FPM articles published within the last 12 months are accessible to AAFP members and paid subscribers only.

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Time Management Physician-Patient Communication Practice Efficiency Negotiating and Contracting Coding

Electronic Health Records Life Balance Malpractice Patient-Centered Medical Home Access to Care

Time Management

• Time Management Tips That Work [Balancing Act] (03/01/2002)
• Kick the Procrastination Habit [Blancing Act] (07/01/1999)

Physician-Patient Communication

• Improving Communication With Older Patients: Tips From the Literature [Feature] (09/01/2006)
• What Should You Do When Your Patient Brings a List? [Feature] (06/01/2009)
• How to Manage Difficult Patient Encounters [Feature] (06/01/2007)

Practice Efficiency

• Closing the Physician-Staff Divide: A Step Toward Creating the Medical Home [Feature] (04/01/2008)
• Creating a High-Performing Clinical Team [Feature] (03/01/2006)
• Five Strategies for a More Vital Practice [Feature] (01/01/2004)
• A New Approach to Making Your Doctor-Nurse Team More Productive [Feature] (08/01/2008)
• Strategies for Better Patient Flow and Cycle Time [Feature] (06/01/2002)

Negotiating and Contracting

• Demystifying Common Terms in Employment Agreements [Feature] (06/01/2003)
• Evaluating Employment Agreements [Feature] (08/01/2012)
• Negotiating a Contract With a Health Plan [Feature] (12/01/2006)
• Nine Practice Sale Pitfalls to Avoid [Feature] (06/01/2012)
• A Primer on Employment Contracts [Salaried FP] (12/01/2002)
• Tying the Partnership Knot: Making It a Win for Both Practice and Associate [Feature] (04/01/2009)

Coding

• Coding "Routine" Office Visits: 99213 or 99214? [Feature] (09/01/2005)
• Five Common Coding Mistakes That Are Costing You [Feature] (04/01/2011)
• Level-II vs. Level-III Visits: Cracking the Codes [Feature] (01/01/2007)
• Time Is on Your Side: Coding on the Basis of Time [Feature] (12/01/2008)

Electronic Health Records

• How to Select an Electronic Health Record System [Feature] (02/01/2005)
• How to Successfully Navigate Your EHR Implementation [Feature] (02/01/2007)
• Successful EHR Implementations: Attitude Is Everything [Feature] (12/01/2010)

Life Balance

• Doctorhood and Motherhood [The Last Word] (02/01/2006)
• Blending Work and Family [Balancing Act] (05/01/2004)
• Eight Ideas for Managing Stress and Extinguishing Burnout [Feature] (04/01/2002)
• Eight Ways to Improve Your Relationships [Balancing Act] (09/01/2003)
• Life Balance: 17 Tips From Doctors, for Doctors [Balancing Act] (06/01/2001)
• Making Family Practice Doable in Everyday Life [Feature] (04/01/2003)

Malpractice

• Don't Be a Target for a Malpractice Suit [Feature] (06/01/2006)

Patient-Centered Medical Home

• Ten Steps to a Patient-Centered Medical Home [Feature] (12/01/2009)
• The Patient-Centered Medical Home: 12 Tips to Help You Lead the Way [Feature] (08/01/2009)

Access to Care

• Simple Tools to Increase Patient Satisfaction With the Referral Process [Feature] (12/01/2011)
• Same-Day Appointments: Exploding the Access Paradigm [Feature] (09/01/2000)

Last Update: 02/11/2012