Physicians News Health news for doctors and patients.

With the removal or reduction in financial incentives for physicians to self-refer, the competition for patients is expected to increase. Effective competition will require patients to be viewed as consumers, as effective marketing, branding and quality of service will have an increased impact on patient decision-making.

A dizzying array of choices is available with respect to the selection of a legal entity for your medical practice.

Medicare’s rules on reassignment of payment are another set of hurdles that must be overcome by physicians and physician groups in attempting to ensure that they are paid correctly in the Medicare program.

The design of an EHR vastly exceeds the content and functional capability of the rather static chart that has for years been produced in the litigation process.

ConnectTheDocs initiative to expand electronic health information exchange in the Commonwealth.

The health care overhaul debate appears to have moved beyond how to expand health insurance to cover all Americans and how to reduce health care spending, as two separate questions. The focus now is working out details of how to structure incentives appropriately to optimize cost, quality and access.

As the U.S. Tax Court continues to see its fair share of cases involving the legitimacy of this popular estate planning tool for the wealthy, one thing is becoming clear – obeying the rules is the key to maximizing its benefits.

To best judge the alternatives, you need to understand the pros and cons as well as the costs and benefits of each alternative.

The general trend in physician compensation has been to simplify and standardize policies and procedures, but there is a new frontier and new challenges.

While for the immediate future these rules impact hospital payments, physicians play an important role in hospital compliance. Physicians also must stay alert for the inevitable use of these payment rules in the medical malpractice arena.