STARTING PRACTICE: PRACTICAL ASPECTS

This section lists reprints of selected articles from the Bulletin of the American

College of Surgeons outlines recommended policies, suggesting office protocols, and generally reviewing the problems and pitfalls to be avoided in starting a practice. The ACS Bulletin contains a wealth of valuable information, sometimes not appreciated until after years of practice.

The articles listed below are divided by topic.

Socioeconomic
August 1993	MDs can and should do their own coding of claims: Here's how	J. Leopold
March 1994	What surgeons should know about operative reports and reimbursement	MN Painter
July 1994	The CPT system and related College activities	JE Fischer, MD, FACS & I Cohn, MD, FACS
October 1994	Frequently asked questions on the College's coding hotline	MN Painter
January 1995	What surgeons should know about the 1995 Medicare fee schedule.	CA Brown
Technology & Guidelines
June 1992	Instrument decontamination in the medical office.	DC Drummond, MD
June 1994	The PPRC 1994 update.	PW Curreri, MD, FACS
October 1994	Guidelines for office-based surgery: Quality assurance.	ACS Ambulatory Surgical Care Committee
May 1998	Physician qualifications for stereotactic breast biopsy: A revised statement. The revised document was approved by the ACS board of Regents and the ACR board of Chancellors in February 1998 and is presented here in its entirety. Changes to the text are printed in italics.
Surgical Practice
May 1993	Managed care and physicians contracting skills: Questions to ask.	AR Ellenberger
September 1993	What surgeons should now about. Practice expenses.	SA Lightfoot
December 1992	The bottom Line: Use flow sheets to improve surgical scheduling.	Conomikes
February 1994	The bottom line: Surgery's black hole; Is it consuming your practice?	GM Kotoski, RN
September 1994	Hiring an attorney: Why, when, who, how, and how much.	M Ryan, JD
November 1994	The bottom line: Surgeons and mergers: Making the right choice.	K. Zupko
February 1995	Physician-hospital organizations: Prospects and pitfalls.	TM Gorey, JD
Professional Liability
September 1991	The medical record.	I Nisonson, MD, FACS
February 1995	Physician liability: New areas of concern under managed care.	BM Manuel, MD, FACS
Miscellaneous
March 1994	Surgery in the 90s and beyond: Young surgeons voice concerns and satisfactions	K Sandrick
September 1994	Any willing provider legislation: An overview of state laws.	D Schneidman
September 1994	Advance Directives by Patients: "Do Not Resuscitate" in the OR (Also see ACS Publications and Services 1994 catalog for additional ACS statements and publications).	American College of Surgeons
December 1994	Statement of Recommendations to Ensure Quality of Surgical Services in Managed Care Environments (Also see ACS Publications and Services 1994 catalog for additional ACS statements and publications).	American College of Surgeons

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