By Michael Sacopulos, Esq, Jeff Segal

People don't like uncertainty. Sociologists teach us that structural ambiguity motivates individuals to seek security and certainty. Well, it's difficult to imagine an industry with a more uncertain future than healthcare. Congress passes laws and regulations by the ream. Third party payers behave more and more like slot machines in the Las Vegas Airport. Patients misinterpret the complexity of medical care by Google searches. What a mess... Who won't want to hit the Staples "Easy Button?"

By Jeffrey J. Denning

In some specialties and locations, it's becoming increasingly hard to attract new associates to practices wishing to grow or replace physicians who exit. Maybe they should rethink the offer package to be more competitive.

By Jeffrey J. Denning

In today's competitive environment, well-established practices still have sales value... if the conditions are right. That's because it's much easier for physicians to buy a practice and grow it to fit than it is to build one up from a dirt floor. But an unexpected and unplanned practice sale is likely to produce disappointing results.

By Karen Zupko

Direct some of the attention that you've paid to EMR implementation to your business office and you'll likely make significantly more than the stimulus money if you do so.

By Tanya McCaffery

You have worked hard, in these times usually harder then you've ever had to, to market your product. You've spent the money on the marketing, spent the time on the business development and you've built your customer base. Your company has a solid reputation and clients are coming in. Now is the time to make sure that you convert the revenues you have worked so hard to earn into money in your bank account.

By Karen Zupko

By now, the term "Meaningful Use" or "EHR Incentive" is embedded in our vernacular. Many practices are eager to reap the payoff promised by CMS for those who adopt and use an EHR in a meaningful way.

By Michael J. Schoppmann

Physicians typically, and traditionally, practice in small groups. According to the AMA Physician Practice Information Survey (2007-2008), 78 percent of office based physicians in the U.S. are in practices in sizes of nine physicians and under, with a majority of those physicians being in either solo practice or in practices of between 2 and 4 physicians. Under the antitrust laws separate groups of physicians that practice in the same or related specialty and are in the same geographic market are considered "competitors". Therefore, if individuals and different physician groups come together and engage in certain concerted activities, such as collective negotiation of fees with individual payors, such action would be considered an illegal conspiracy among competitors and could be held to be a per se violation of the antitrust laws.

By Jeffrey J. Denning

Some attentive physicians are interested in minding the store. They are vastly outnumbered by their 'hands-off management' colleagues who stay in exam rooms and the hospital hoping everything is okay. They 'trust' that managers, billers and CPAs are all doing their jobs vigorously. And these doctors are why we management consultants are in business. Why is supervising the business so repugnant a chore for physicians?

By Tanya McCaffery

Have you ever heard the old phrase, "just because you can, doesn't mean you should?". This is often the case with the internal accounting department. In this day and age, of technology and information as an asset, the internal accounting department is quickly becoming the epitome of something that"just because you can, maybe you shouldn't." In my work with small to midsized companies, I often hear the complaint that it is much easier to have an in house accounting department. But, easier why?

By David B. Mandell, JD, MBA, Jason O'Dell, CWM

A medical practice owner should spend some of his/her time working ON the practice, not just IN it. We know this because we have been there ourselves, with our own practices. Even working "on" the practice, however, if a physician ignores one fundamental legal contract, all of his/her work may be in jeopardy -- as a single bad event could wipe out everything they have worked so hard to build.