Physicians who voluntarily submit data to CMS under certain quality measures will be able to receive a 1.5% pay increase effective July 1. In total, there are 74 quality measures. CMS titled this new program the 2007 Physician Quality Reporting Initia-tive (PQRI). The PQRI program-the latest effort by the Bush administration to restrain runaway spending on physician services under Medicare-is similar to the claims-based quality reporting system implemented in January 2006 under the Physician Voluntary Reporting Program (PVRP).

Like all other modifiers, you may only use -57 and -24 in certain situations. Which modifier you use will depend on whether a patient needs to have major surgery. This article will take a closer look at these modifiers and examine when and how you should use them before and after surgery. Modifier -57 You should append modifier -57 to an E/M service when the decision for major surgery is made during the visit. Major procedures have a 90-day global period, which means that no routine follow-up services can be billed in addition to the surgery for 90 days from the day of surgery.

Editor's note: This article is the first in a two-part series about how to correctly code for the top 10 pain management procedures for physician practices. This month we discuss five common pain management procedures. Next month we will cover five more procedures. Coding correctly for medical procedures can be a cumbersome and confusing process on its own without having to deal with constantly changing coding guidelines. Because the AMA often replaces old codes with new ones, it's important to keep up with the changes, said Linda VanHorn, a pain management specialist

Editor's note: This article is the first in a two-part series about outsourcing. This month we discuss outsourcing your office's HR functions. Next month we will cover outsourcing billing and coding. The day has only just begun, and you're already overwhelmed. You have a new hire who needs to be trained, payroll that needs processing, and employee benefits that need to be managed-and that's only your morning routine. Sound familiar? Outsourcing your HR functions to a professional employer organization (PEO) is a way to alleviate some of the chaos.

Like many successful people, physicians are often so busy dealing with their practices and their personal lives that they never take the time to deal with the important challenge of creating a tax-wise estate plan for their families. In fact, a recent survey by Medical Economics showed that less than 5% of all doctors had a proper estate plan in place. In this article, we will examine the three most significant mistakes physicians make when creating (or ignoring) their family's estate plan. We'll also cover simple tools that a doctor can use to avoid such mistakes and allow his or her family to elude the unnecessary costs that come with poor planning.