Contracts

It's a good time for medical practices to review their de-identification methods to avoid a potential HIPAA violation under recently released rules.

If your medical practice has contracts or affiliations with the military, you need to be aware of additional privacy regulations.

The HIPAA final rule, released Jan. 17, 2013, includes new guidance regarding the transfer of medical records.

A look at some of the specific changes included in the HIPAA omnibus final rule that will impact your medical practice.

Value-based physician compensation incentives are gaining momentum, but aren’t going away any time soon.

Learn what questions to ask and what to look for when negotiating insurance contracts at your medical practice.

Physicians need to do their own “due diligence” regarding what joining a hospital-owned practice would mean. Here are 10 essential questions to consider.

From increasing HIPAA training among staff to stepping up billing compliance efforts, here are key action steps to consider making in the New Year.

Every new business venture into which physicians enter could present significant legal risk and should properly be vetted.

Nonphysician providers can help counteract the physician shortage, but be sure to consider these important legal requirements when employing them.

If you have an arrangement with a hospital for on-call coverage that is paid per diem, take a close look at the agreement so you don't violate federal law.

To ensure you're selecting the right health IT vendor for your practice, ask yourself these nine questions.

Hospitals and physicians have opposing interests in the sale of a medical practice. Here's how to ensure you get what you want as the seller.

Here are six steps to make sure your medical practice office lease is safe, especially when it comes to "fair market value."

Physicians leave practices all the time and most do so with the appropriate amount of notice …but sometimes, that's not the case.

Terminating a disabled physician immediately is not considered fair, but practices need to address the financial impact. Here are some methods to consider.

Proper drafting of physician compensation formulas is important for a physician practice, especially when a physician’s termination is imminent.

Here is an easy and quick tip that will immediately increase your inflow with minimal time and effort from treating staff at your medical practice.

How are your policies and procedures driven? Here are some great tools for identifying a problem area at your medical practice.

Looking for a simple tool to create a payment plan for your patients? Here's one to download and use at your medical practice.

Here's a simple form to download and use at your medical practice to set up a payment plan with patients.

Here's how to avoid a potentially expensive mistake by misclassifying an employee versus a contractor.

What you need to do, see, hear, and understand before signing anything.

As medical reimbursements continue to dwindle, the value proposition for participating in insurance plans becomes increasingly weak. Why not break with tradition and contract directly with employers? Here's how to get started.

Are you ready to make social media platforms part of your practice? Make sure you put reasonable constraints in place.

Are you nearing contract negotiation time? Make sure you understand what you’re reading before you sign. Here’s a detailed analysis of what should and shouldn’t be in your next binding agreement.

Imagine that you're going to your favorite restaurant tonight for their chef's signature dish. Assuming the most likely sequence of events, you will arrive, get seated, place your order, enjoy a great meal, and then depart. There is an implied contract between you and the chef: the chef will prepare a perfect meal, serve it on time, and provide superb service and you will exhibit good manners, pay the bill, and perhaps extol the restaurant to your friends. ...Many aspects of healthcare delivery and business operations can be re-imagined in terms of this metaphor.

You did it. You landed your dream job. The offer is in hand. You've met the staff. And you can already picture your name displayed on the front office door. A little advice? Don't pop the champagne bottle just yet. There's still plenty of work to be done.

Practices might not be forced to sell out to hospitals, but they will need an alignment strategy, argues expert Marc Halley, MBA, because physician-hospital alignment is here to stay. Here's advice on picking the right partner.

If you can't verify a patient's insurance, their signature on this form shows they know they are responsible for payment.