Escaping the Tyranny of the Urgent by Delivering Planned Care

L. Gordon Moore

These four components can help you provide care that is more proactive, organized and satisfying.

How to Bill for Services Performed by Nonphysician Practitioners

Betsy Nicoletti

Learning payers' rules will help you assess the value of hiring an NPP.

Developing a Solo Practice Exit Strategy

Vasilios J. Kalogredis

It's never too soon to start planning a smooth transition from solo practice to retirement.

An Introduction to Personal Health Records

Scott Endsley, David C. Kibbe, Anthony Linares, Karen Colorafi

Here's what you need to know about this growing trend to give patients access to a portable health record.

Retail Health Clinics Are Rolling Your Way

Drew Sullivan

Your patients will soon be able to choose between your office and the big-box retailer around the corner when they're feeling sick. Will this trend bring increased competition or cooperation?

An Update on Tobacco Cessation Reimbursement

Mary Theobald, Carlos Roberto Jaén

Slowly but surely, it's getting easier to help your patients kick the habit.

Planned Care: Some Assembly Required

Robert Edsall

(But each piece is useful in itself.)

What Do Retail Clinics Mean for Family Medicine?

John Bachman

These clinics may be clearing a permanent space for themselves in the health care landscape.

Enabling the disabled?

Anna Meenan

On parenthood

Anna Santa Maria

Going cash-only

NEWS & TRENDS

Medicare drug plan enrollment ends; appeals begin | AAFP defends use of high-level E/M codes | TransforMED selects 36 practices to test new model of care

CODING & DOCUMENTATION

Cindy Hughes

Coding an injection with an office visit | E/M services for unrelated problems on the same day | ED services and admission on the same day | Debridement services | Mini-mental status exams

PRACTICE PEARLS

Model healthy behavior for your patients | Reduce returned mail | Create a simple drug reference for patients | Use a date stamp | Code detailed history with 4,3,2,1 | Let your staff do their jobs | Remember prescription preferences

How to Defuse an Exploding Physician

David Schumer

These six steps can help physicians deal with the stress of their profession before it leads to burnout.