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FEATURES

22 Tips for Improving Your Practice

Rod Aymond

‘Good enough’ is no longer good enough. For today's family practice, it's improve it or lose it.

Could Your Office Cope With Disaster?

Gerard Klinzing, Charles McClure

Medical practices should remember the Boy Scout motto and be prepared for a day when the unexpected happens.

Rebuilding After a Fire

Clinton C. Sanford, Susan Smith

The physicians in this practice didn't think disaster would strike. Learn from their experience and don't get caught unprepared.

Re-engineering a Family Practice Center

Robin Gotler, George E. Kikano, Jack Valancy

The authors' success can be a lesson to physician groups as well as residency clinics.

Sneak Preview of the (Revised) Revised E/M Documentation Guidelines

Leigh Ann H. Backer

The more you learn about them now, the better prepared you'll be when they hit.

EDITOR'S PAGE

The Draft Documentation Guidelines: Unloading the Last Straw

Robert L. Edsall

While I suppose a good cover story shouldn't elicit a groan from readers, we think the documentation guidelines are important enough to you that they merit cover-story prominence. If the final guidelines look anything like the draft version available now, the good news is...

EDITORIAL

An Alarming Case of Viagra Abuse

Ted J. Stuart, Jr.

This FP's letter to a health care plan crystallizes feelings you may share.

LETTERS

Learning to relax

Joy in teaching

Make the most of what you have

Joy and faith

Cutting back

Correction

GETTING PAID

How to Prevent a Prepayment Review From Becoming a No-Payment Review

Kent J. Moore

These three documentation tips may help you avoid a Medicare claim denial.

CODING & DOCUMENTATION

Coding and Documentation

Kent J. Moore

Two physicians, one admission | Two physicians, one delivery | Coding a limited well-woman exam | Re-established patient | Minor procedures without their own codes | Vitamin B-12 injection | X-ray code components

MONITOR

Monitor

Accountability, measurement can increase performance | Patients value coordination of care, not ‘gatekeeping’ | Fraud-fighters suspected of fraud | Y2K Update: HCFA urges providers to test claims processing | New vaccine requirements | Market for primary care physicians cools...

PRACTICE DIARY

Seven Ways of Looking at Hepatitis C

Sanford J. Brown

This month's Diary is a bit of a departure from the normal format. I've patterned it after Wallace Stevens' poem “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird,” in an attempt to demonstrate how a single disease can take on many faces.

IMPROVING PATIENT CARE

Practical Ways to Improve Patient Satisfaction With Visit Length

George E. Kikano, David A. Gross, Kurt C. Stange

Research points to two techniques that can prevent your patients from saying, ‘My doctor didn't spend enough time with me.’

COMPUTERS

Four Tips for More Efficient Word Processing

Gil L. Solomon

These easy-to-learn skills will help you make the most of your word processing software and your time.

ASK FPM

Ask FPM

Gerald R. Keenan, Jr., Sherry DiDomenico, Sharon Hotchkiss

Patient-discharge letter | Assignment agreements | Stark regulations

BALANCING ACT

What Your Body, Mind and Spirit Can Tell You

Marshall O. Zaslove

Caring for yourself will enable you to take better care of your patients.



Disclosure

All editors and editorial advisory board members in a position to control content for this activity, FPM journal, are required to disclose any relevant financial relationships. View disclosures.



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