Legal Compliance

Important financial and compliance issues can be digested easily with a little planning. March is a good time to look at HR issues in your practice.

Payers know that correctly writing down every patient encounter is difficult for physicians, if not impossible. Therefore, exploiting this is easy for them.

When admitting patients to the hospital, knowing Medicare rules and making use of diligent charting can make all the difference.

More physicians are using their mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets for healthcare purposes. But not all are using them securely.

A little preparation will go a long way toward helping medical practices pass meaningful use audits.

Mobile devices bring great benefits to healthcare, but they also pose great risks. Here's how to mitigate those risks.

How to use technology and education to assist your medical practice's physicians with the ICD-10 transition before it happens.

Poor physician communication makes it more likely a patient will file a malpractice lawsuit against you. Here are 10 things to never say to patients.

No matter how cleverly structured, schemes to circumvent Stark Law are risky for physicians, and the consequences of failing to comply can be devastating.

HHS asserts that a proposed rule is trying to strike a balance between the individual privacy protections of HIPAA and public safety considerations.

Many physicians fail to review or update their informed consent forms to ensure they comply with state laws, standards of practice, and specific regulations.

As healthcare reform initiatives pick up, malpractice risks may increase for many physicians.

A new year brings new opportunities - and new challenges - to medical practices. Take our poll to let us know what challenge has you most concerned going into 2014.

Medical practices face many challenges in 2014. Here are 10 of the biggest.

Asking physicians and staff to sign a mobile device agreement reinforces the importance of mobile security.

One expert shares guidance regarding what a medical practice risk analysis should include and consider.

In preparing for 2014, make sure you consider the changes in the benefits your practice may offer.

Dismissing a patient from your medical practice without taking the proper precautions can raise ethical and legal problems.

Payers are cracking down on routine copay waivers. Here's what your practice needs to know.

Huge government fines designed to punish marketing tactics are almost unique to the field of medicine because of the third-party payer system.

Physicians must think twice before sending any potentially critical information regarding a colleague via e-mail or other casual form of communication.

Need to “fire” a patient for non-payment or disruptive behavior? There are ethical principles to consider.

Virtually every federal regulatory concern currently plaguing the modern practice of medicine also existed in some form in the 1950s.

How medical practices can create a compliance program and some of the specific areas it should address.

Great documentation at your medical practice will boost revenue. Is your practice doing all it can to ensure physicians are documenting correctly?

Here are tips for managing three medical practice risk areas: HIPAA breaches, Medicare audits, and EHR liability issues.

Earlier this week, new HIPAA mandates went into effect. Is your practice in compliance?

The social media activity of your medical practice staff could be putting you and your practice at risk.

Sept. 23, 2013 is the date for compliance with the HIPAA Omnibus Final Rule. Updated business associate agreements and Notice of Privacy Practices are critical.

Do you believe incentives, such as direct payments, would help motivate your patients to engage in healthier behaviors?