Physicians News Health news for doctors and patients.

The aggressive use of all-products clauses in managed care participation agreements, sometimes referred to as "cram-down," is becoming the focus of increased scrutiny as insurers use them more coercively to build and retain their physician networks across product lines.

A new option has evolved in the life insurance marketplace that retains the value of life insurance as a personal, business and estate planning tool, and allows policy-owners to reapply this value to lifetime needs. The number and kind of innovative applications of the lifetime settlement concept have grown rapidly and dramatically since the concept first took shape a few years ago.

Many residents and fellows have received very little formal education regarding an array of non-clinical business subjects. A senior resident or fellow is likely to be surprised as he or she transition into the professional world. Consider five survival tips to make the transition smoother.

There are six essential roles or functions in the front office. With proper data collection tools, education and defined job functions, the front office staff can and will be a cash flow powerhouse.

The emergence of e-mail communication in the delivery of patient care, although offering significant benefits, presents new legal and ethical challenges to physicians. If physicians are going to integrate electronic messaging systems into their practices, they need to be aware of the unique issues pertaining to such systems, inform patients of the relevant confidentiality, security and privacy issues presented by electronic medical communications and adopt appropriate policies, procedures and safeguards to meet the obligations associated with the use of such technology.

Philadelphia City Councilman Michael A. Nutter has introduced a bill with moderate smoking restrictions. It's time that Philadelphia join over 200 local governments in curbing our nation's third leading cause of preventable death.

There are a good many reasons to consider establishing a Living Trust as a substitute for a Will. However, the Living Trust is not an appropriate planning device in all cases.

From a resident’s standpoint, if you are looking for a long-term relationship, you should at least ask a lot of questions about the practice’s future plans. From the practice’s standpoint, you may not want to commit to a particular course of action before the "honeymoon" period of associateship.

In addition to adding several new Safe Harbor Regulations, the regulations published by the OIG on November 19, 1999 revised several of the existing Safe Harbor Regulations that are relevant to physician practices.

The NLRB has concluded that interns, residents and fellows qualify as employees under the National Labor Relations Act. There is little question that the decision will have an enormous impact on the unionization of teaching hospitals.