Editor's note: This article is the second in a two-part series about outsourcing. Last month, we focused on outsourcing your office's HR functions. This month, we focus on outsourcing your billing functions. Nobody likes to lose money. Physicians are no exception. However, when it comes to the business of running a practice, that's just what will happen without someone who understands the often confusing ins and outs of your practice's billing system. "This is the most complex part of the physician practice, in my opinion," says Lyle Oelrich, MHA, CHE, CMPE, senior manager of physician services for the consulting firm Pershing, Yoakley & Associates in Knoxville, TN.

Editor's note: This is the second in a two-part series about how to correctly code for the top 10 pain management procedures for physician practices. To decrease denials and increase reimbursement, Linda VanHorn, a pain management specialist, explained the latest coding compliance rules and best practices for pain management procedures coding standards. VanHorn spoke during the recent audioconference "Pain Management Coding for Physician Practices: The 10 most common procedures and how to code for them," sponsored by HCPro, Inc., in Marblehead, MA, the parent company of HealthLeaders Media.

Any electronic medical record (EMR) vendor can dazzle you with a demonstration of its software. All EMR systems offer multifunctional programs that can perform a vast array of services. However, although the purpose of each program is basically the same (i.e., to eliminate paper charts and improve communication), every office runs differently, and the software needs to be tailored to the unique needs of your practice.

The best way to ensure a financially secure retirement is to have a comprehensive plan. And that means having enough money to last for 30-40 years beyond one's working life, allowing for the possibility that you'll live to be 100. Think that sounds like a stretch? Within the next 10 or 15 years, it is widely expected that there will be a big leap in human longevity that will radically change our society, primarily due to advances in medicine, genetics, and technology.

Editor's note: This is the first in a two-part series about physician-advisor relationships. This month, we cover four common flaws in physician-advisor relationships. In September, we will discuss how to remedy these problems so you can move toward your goal of minimizing your exposures to lawsuits and taxes. Most physicians do not get the maximum value from their professional advisors. The main reason for this is that although the typical specialty physician receives nearly 25,000 hours of training in his or her profession, he or she receives zero hours of training in financial issues related to the business of being a doctor.