• FEATURES

    New Drugs: How to Decide Which Ones to Prescribe

    Philip J. Mohler

    Four questions will help you identify which new drugs represent real advances in patient care.

    Improve Your ICD-9 Coding With Voice-Recognition Macros

    Dale J. Kliner

    A voice-recognition system can automatically insert the correct ICD-9 codes into your dictated note.

    Precertification, Denials and Appeals: Reducing the Hassles

    Anthony N. Akosa

    These tips can save you time and frustration when dealing with health plans.

    Getting Off the Collections Treadmill

    Kristen Dillon

    After repeatedly sending the same accounts to collection, this practice created a new policy to resolve the problem of patients who don't pay.

    Don't be a Target for a Malpractice Suit

    Edward G. Zurad

    Protect yourself with these tips from a family physician who has successfully defended his care and that of other physicians.

    FROM THE EDITOR

    34 Pieces of Advice Worth Repeating

    Robert Edsall

    You know it's really good advice if you want to hear it again.

    LETTERS

    Reinventing the specialty

    NEWS TRENDS

    NEWS & TRENDS

    CMS proposes edits of more than 10,000 CPT, HCPCS codes | Small but growing numbers of physicians drop health plans | Colonoscopy guideline could aid FPs seeking privileges | United tests program to pay patients' share of medical bills | Who has the best job in America? | ...

    CODING & DOCUMENTATION

    CODING & DOCUMENTATION

    Cindy Hughes

    99211 for a blood pressure check | OB care before and after a C-section | Counseling when the patient is not present | Diagnosis codes for Medicare's initial exam

    PRACTICE PEARLS

    PRACTICE PEARLS

    Identify patients who need a checkup | Remember to consider 99214 | Reconsider records requests | Create an electronic filing cabinet | Build staff morale

    THE LAST WORD

    Dressed to Ill

    Bobby J. Newbell

    If a shirt and tie are too formal and jeans and a T-shirt are too casual, what's a doctor to do?



    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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