Opinion
Open Notes
- Author:
- Joseph S. Eastern, MD
With the implementation of the Cures Act, medical notes have evolved into a tool to communicate with the patient, rather than just among health...
Opinion
Office etiquette: Answering patient phone calls
- Author:
- Joseph S. Eastern, MD
In my office, one of the many consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic has been a dramatic increase in telephone traffic.
Opinion
What to do if an employee tests positive for COVID-19
- Author:
- Joseph S. Eastern, MD
If action is required, you’ll need to determine who needs to quarantine and who needs to be tested.
Opinion
How do you answer patients’ emails?
- Author:
- Joseph S. Eastern, MD
Several groups, including the American Medical Informatics Association and the American Medical Association have proposed standards, but none have...
Opinion
Can patients record office visits?
- Author:
- Joseph S. Eastern, MD
How would you respond to a patient asking (or demanding) to record all or part of their office visit?
Opinion
Escaping the daily grind
- Author:
- Joseph S. Eastern, MD
I write this reminder every couple of years because it's so easy to lose sight of the overall landscape among the pressures of our daily routines...
Opinion
Full-time, part-time, FTE: Know the differences
- Author:
- Joseph S. Eastern, MD
While rules vary from state to state, some generalizations can be made.
Opinion
Exorcising your ghosts
- Author:
- Joseph S. Eastern, MD
"Ghosting" is the situation where an employee disappears without any warning, notice, or explanation.
Opinion
Financial planning in the COVID-19 era
- Author:
- Joseph S. Eastern, MD
Many readers have expressed the fear that their retirement savings would never recover from the COVID-19 hit.
Opinion
OSHA in the COVID-19 era
- Author:
- Joseph S. Eastern, MD
To be certain you are complying with all the rules, you can call your local OSHA office and request an inspection.
Opinion
If you reopen it, will they come?
- Author:
- Joseph S. Eastern, MD
The big question, of course, is whether patients can be convinced that it is safe to leave their homes and come to your office.
News
Overhead management during a crisis
- Author:
- Joseph S. Eastern, MD
I sincerely hope that all of our practices will return to some semblance of normal in the coming months; but we cannot assume a best possible...
Opinion
COVID-19: What now?
- Author:
- Joseph S. Eastern, MD
With great reluctance, I must trot out a hoary old cliché: Hope for the best, but plan for the worst.
Opinion
Medical identity theft
- Author:
- Joseph S. Eastern, MD
If your office's computer system does not have effective fraud protection, you could be held liable for any fraud committed with information...
Opinion
Be alert for embezzlement
- Author:
- Joseph S. Eastern, MD
Embezzlement remains far more common in medical offices than generally assumed - and it often occurs in full view of physicians.