Suz Redfearn

We’ll let the pundits haggle over whether Medicare D is helping seniors. We’re concerned with how it’s affecting you. If changing formularies and requests for new scripts are wearing you out, try these recommendations for making things easier.

Our new occasional series on the nexus of healthcare and the changing economy begins with a look at health savings accounts. Increasingly popular with patients, HSAs promise owners the chance to have more control over how their healthcare dollars are spent. Yet they present unique challenges for your billing office.

You put a lot of cash into purchasing and implementing your EMR. Are you taking advantage of everything you paid for?

Are you using your brother-in-law Larry to handle all your practice’s accounting? Big mistake - unless Larry happens to have a good understanding of the peculiarities of healthcare economics and can do more than fill out tax forms. Your practice is your livelihood. You need a pro.

Ever wish you had a can of lawsuit repellant? Well, now you do. Follow our easier-than-you-think advice to reduce your chances of ever being sued for malpractice.

The design, amount, and location of your practice’s physical space are becoming more important. Here’s what you need to know.

Is there a place for religion in the office? Where do you draw the line between respecting employees’ deeply held convictions and your need to maintain a professional atmosphere? And what are your legal obligations?

If you’re a new physician, you have seemingly boundless choices when it comes to practice models and styles - too many for your own good, perhaps. How to decide? We’re here to help.

It’s the eternal problem: How to handle the barrage of pharmaceutical reps coming through your office door? Help is on the way.

A good front-desk person can help you retain patients for years - and a bad one can drive them away. Do you know the difference?

Effectively treating patients requires more than good clinical skills. Just as important is learning how to listen.

Yes, you can survive a Medicare audit, as long as you know what to do. Here's how to get through it - and better yet, avoid it altogether.

Hospital ownership of private practices was hot for a while in the '90s, but in many cases the relationships just didn't work. So why does it seem to be coming back in style?

Worrying about whether your coding and billing practices are within the law can keep you awake at night. We offer some guidelines to help you stay on track.

It's a trap that even the most technologically cutting-edge practices - the ones that have already bought and implemented their own EMRs - can fall into: failing to take full advantage of all their systems' features. Here's how to turbo-charge your system.

It's a trap that even the most technologically cutting-edge practices -the ones that have already bought and implemented their own EMRS -can fall into: failing to take full advantage of all their systems' features. Here's how to turbo-charge your system.

You remember the eight-track versus cassette tape debate? Or VHS versus betamax? Well, the electronic health records world is having its own debate, behind the scenes, over technology standards. How will it all shake out - and how does it affect you?

Extend a friendly hand to everyone your practice relies on, from the phone-repair guy to, yes, the pharmaceutical rep. You'll be glad you did.

Burnout is a growing problem for physicians. Here is some advice on how to cope.

How to create a solid savings plan and build capital for your practice

Setting up a compensation plan for physician managers

One practice reduces phone tag with an online appointment scheduling system

Pampering ancillaries build loyalty and revenue

More patients are paying out of pocket. Here's advice on how to collect.

How one oncology practice helps patients handle bad news

How one office comforts and impresses patients with 1950s decor