Back to the Future: The Telemedicine House Call

Anthony F. Jerant, Loretta Schlachta, Ted D. Epperly, Jean Barnes-Camp

This pilot project showed that high-tech can mean high-touch.

Three Documentation Tools That Work

Leigh Ann Henry

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

Pamela J. Vaccaro

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

Susan Keane Baker

Taking time to polish your practice's image can lead to greater patient satisfaction.

Staff Retreats: Time for Reflection and Renewal

J.P. O'Connor

Want fresh ideas for improving your practice? Take your staff away from it all for a while.

10 Steps to Staying Sane

James M. Turnbull

Physicians face more than their share of stress. Here are some tips for preventing problems down the road.

A New Year's Present From Medicare — and Three From FPM

Robert L. Edsall

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...

Document this

Richard H. Lovell

The mental health care maze

David C. Spendlove, Scott Young

On bread baking and managed care

David E. Hanson

ASK FPM

Robert J. Ranney, Michael Beautyman

Leaving a solo practice | Dismissing a patient for nonpayment of medical bills

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

Using Loan Abatement as a Rural Recruiting Tool

J. Phillip Macon, R. Buck Coats

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

Wanda Kelsey-Mendez

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,...

How to Exercise Power When You Have Limited Authority

Richard E. Thompson

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.

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...