Articles
Back to the Future: The Telemedicine House Call
This pilot project showed that high-tech can mean high-touch.
Three Documentation Tools That Work
Our progress note form, pocket guide and quick-reference list will help you put the revised Medicare documentation guidelines into practice.
Energize Yourself and Your Practice
Learn how to keep the volume of paper on your desk moving in priority order and reduce the clutter in your office.
Taming Your Desk
Learn how to keep the volume of paper on your desk moving in priority order and reduce the clutter in your office.
Keys to a Positive First Impression
Taking time to polish your practice's image can lead to greater patient satisfaction.
Staff Retreats: Time for Reflection and Renewal
Want fresh ideas for improving your practice? Take your staff away from it all for a while.
10 Steps to Staying Sane
Physicians face more than their share of stress. Here are some tips for preventing problems down the road.
From the Editor
A New Year's Present From Medicare — and Three From FPM
January is traditionally the time for new beginnings. I suppose that means someone, somewhere is unhappy that HCFA has decided not to begin enforcing the new Medicare documentation guidelines for E/M services this month. For most family physicians, however, the decision to…
Letters
Ask FPM
ASK FPM
Leaving a solo practice | Dismissing a patient for nonpayment of medical bills
Monitor
MONITOR
Docs organize to fight ‘profit-driven’ care | Quality of care varies widely among health plans | Abortion issue stalls surgeon general vote | AMA criticizes unfair contracts, offers model
Office Suite
Using Loan Abatement as a Rural Recruiting Tool
Recruiting new physicians is one of the biggest challenges that rural family practices face. The typical rural family practice group can afford neither the cost of hiring a national recruiting firm nor the time required to recruit a new physician by itself. A rural group also…
Simple Ways to Make Waiting More Patient Friendly
If you want to make your practice better for your patients, start by scrutinizing your scheduling practices. Patients want to know that you value their time as much as your own. Be realistic when scheduling the day's appointments. Make allowances for unexpected phone calls…
Salaried FP
How to Exercise Power When You Have Limited Authority
Have you heard the one about how many doctors it takes to screw in a light bulb? The answer is only one: The doctor stands on a ladder and holds onto the bulb while the whole world revolves around him.
FP Stats
Primary Care Pay Growth Takes a Dip
For the first time in five years, primary care physicians in group practices received smaller pay increases than group-practice physicians in other specialties. According to data from the Medical Group Management Association, the median compensation increase for primary care…