Physicians News Health news for doctors and patients.

Although the facts and circumstances surrounding if, when and how a group practice may implode are unpredictable, physicians together with practice legal counsel, can take certain steps to prepare for that eventuality, even if they believe it to be unlikely.

The lawsuits further complicate hospitals’ struggle to balance legal, ethical and pragmatic obligations to provide charity care.

The continued viability of the S corporation has become somewhat more questionable since the enactment of the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003. Consider the advantages and disadvantages of continuing as an S corporation before seeking status as a C corporation.

Outsourcing should be viewed as a strategic initiative, as opposed to a purely tactical decision to eliminate the responsibility of completing a process.

The types of patients that are being seen, the methods and methodologies for contracting, and the determination of when and whether to expand or contract specific services will ultimately lead to a more cost-effective practice.

Requirements which relate to subject selection and protection, informed consent, privacy and confidentiality, conflicts of interests, and fee splitting and referrals need to be reviewed regularly by researchers, otherwise they can result in a trap for the unwary.

Particular market variables are dictating whether a community hospital will merge with an academic medical center, for-profit hospital chain, other community hospitals, or go it alone, with each bringing advantages and disadvantages, both for the institution and the physicians who practice there.

There are many ways to own real estate and incorporate it into a portfolio.

What is evident one year later is that there is still considerable misunderstanding surrounding the operation of the HIPAA privacy rules.

It is possible to negotiate arrangements with the group enabling the senior doctor to phase down gradually, so that the later years of practice are enjoyable, not grueling.