A Canadian friend with a business in the United States wanted to give his son a head start after college.  He formed a new corporation in Canada, capitalized it with $250,000 and hired his son to run it for him.  About three months later, the $250,000 and the son went missing.  His son was found in the wilds of central Canada with a new Ferrari and a bundle of cash.  The good news is that following his arrest, conviction and jail sentence, the boy has turned his life around and has become a productive member of Canadian society.  Call it embezzlement, fraud or theft, most such crimes against business are committed by trusted employees – not outsiders. 

The medical industry is not immune, but many are in denial that it could happen to them.  According to the Southern Medical Association, the average amount embezzled from a physician is $106,000 and over 80% of all medical practices will experience embezzlement over a five year time period.

(Excerpted from MGMA Connexion, September 2009)

What should you do when you discover an incident of noncompliance with Medicare/Medicaid regulations?  Should you step forward and notify the authorities?  Should you keep quiet and hope for the best?  Should you wait until somebody finds out or blows the whistle on you?

(Excerpted from MGMA Connexion, September, 2009)

Physicians tend to be a little nervous about the patient empowerment movement spawned by insurers and the government over the course of recent years.  Now patient satisfaction transparency looms on the horizon, as several national insurers contract with outside vendors to survey your patients on office visits.  Insurers may then post those results on the websites and may even use them to calculate your provider’s reimbursement.

(Excerpted from Medical Economics, 8/7/09)

Is it good or bad to use voicemail and e-mail to notify patients about prescription renewals, appointment reminders, and other administrative tasks? What about using such communication tools for test results or clinical information? What guarantee does a medical office have that the right person got the message? What about HIPAA violations?