There’s some mystique surrounding spa practices and spa patients. So here are four stories straight from physicians about their backgrounds and their customers.

Riverside pediatrician Robert Duncanson, MD, has been devoted to children’s health for 40 years. He now treats grandchildren of his earliest patients.

Physicians don't have to get sued to get smart about malpractice liability. Riverside and San Bernardino County doctors are learning by doing case reviews. And many physicians are gaining insight about the role their staffs play in lawsuits. When it comes to malpractice, knowledge is power.

After joining the relief effort in Louisiana, Donald Sharps, MD, can see how important teamwork is in the local mental health system.

Want help from a practice management consultant? Take these nine points to heart.

Southern California Physician interviews physicians just getting settled in medicine. Generally, they like their work (and their time off), have warmed to managed care and see opportunity in technology. Meet the new generation of medical leaders.

Tarzana dermatologist Daniel Gross, MD, says his three roles as a doctor, musician and actor keep him hopping and helping patients better.

Here are 28 queries for you to pose to potential insurance partners.

The economic divide between specialists and general practitioners is real, but physicians don't take out their financial angst on each other. Insurance plans and government payers get the blame for ratcheting down reimbursement. Still, salary considerations are changing who practices what, as medical students move away from primary care. Take a closer look at the salary rankings for 30 practitioner types. On the cover is Kristin Santangelo, MD, a Ventura urologist. She says, "I hear a generalized gripe about more work for less pay."

Donald J. Kurth, MD, sees medicine and political action as intertwined in his effort to improve fates for addicted people.

You may need $10 million in the bank to live later like you do now. See if your retirement planning goals are in line with these nine financial tips.

Patients depend on hospitals and medical staffs to work together to build better healthcare delivery systems. But years after medical staffs were recognized as legal entities, where do these sometimes sensitive partnerships with hospitals stand? Hear what physicians have to say and learn how to strengthen the links in healthcare.

OCMA member Sudeep Kukreja, MD, is a devoted medical missionary. He's traveled to India, Brazil, Kenya, Morocco and beyond to help children.

Here are six things to think about when you're considering technology for your office.

Southern California physicians in academic medicine share what drew them to the university setting and describe its unique challenges. Most doctors who teach doctors say the rewards are personal. A UCI professor says: "It's something innate. It's something you love to do."

Riverside infectious disease specialist Steve Larson, MD, a longtime soldier in the battle against HIV/AIDS, relishes improvements in patient survival.

Check out these nine ways to keep smiles on staff members' faces and keep them employed at your practice.

Organized medicine won't back down from the latest assault to physicians--the Schwarzenegger administration's proposed regulations to control billing practices for emergency services.

Doctors are fighting back in the legal and legislative arenas. Absent satisfactory resolution, some worry the changes will diminish patients' access to care and boost insurance company power.

Read on for details about the onerous regulations.

Riverside family practitioner Vien Doan, DO, fulfills a lifelong dream by organizing medical missions to his homeland of Vietnam.

Understanding these seven common problems may help you avoid being sued.

You don't have to spend a lot of money to get valuable protection against malpractice liability. Simple risk-reducing tactics abound. If you're committed to staying out of the courtroom, commit to applying the common-sense ideas and information-rich resources shared here.

Gary Proffett, MD, a Ventura County hospice physician, sees patients through their final days and nurtures families during the process.

Try these seven tenets about ongoing training to ensure your staffers are top notch.

Emergency physicians, specialists and hospital administrators frequently debate fixes for a vexing problem in Southland emergency departments--call panels. Many have found ways to cover their ERs and others envision better solutions to come. Either way, the issue of call panels is rich with controversy.

Delmer Henninger Jr., MD, operates two sleep labs and advocates for a better understanding of "one third of our lives."

Try these 10 ideas when looking for a professional medical practice consultant.

As an anesthesiologist, actor and advocate, Jeffrey Glaser, MD, is working to create better lives for patients, doctors and others.

Here are eight stepping stones on the path to using electronic medical records in your office.

Want to contract with managed care payers in a more productive fashion? Try these tips and tools to minimize frustration and maximize reimbursement. Collected from your peers and the professionals at the California Medical Association, these pointers will increase your negotiating power and improve your results.

Between private urology practice, surgical innovation, research and advocacy, Alexander Gershman, MD, stays busy and likes it.

Try these seven ideas to ensure the CME courses you choose meet your needs.

Human resources, operations, finance, customer service, business planning-the challenges of practice management are many and diverse. Who better to advise you than successful peers and consulting experts? Try these dos and don'ts to boost the performance of your practice.

Ron Greeno, MD, helped develop the field of hospital medicine and is looking forward to future advancements with excitement.

What's more important than conveying information to patients? Here are seven tips.

   What draws generation after generation into medicine?
   Several Southern California doctors reveal just how and why their family trees are firmly planted in the medical field.
   Compelling role models and mutual understanding of the demands are just the start. A family tradition in medicine is based on love.

Ventura County Medical Association Member David Harris, MD, an adventure junkie, shares tales of voyages and family life.

Here are eight ideas that may help you get more functionally out of your system.

Robert Pugach, MD, advocates for physicians through organized medicine and for urology patients by cultivating innovative therapies.

Female doctors have made progress lately in increasing their leadership, influence and sheer numbers in medicine. But more can be done to harness and highlight the unique contributions that women make in the field. As one female physician says, "Women are humanizing medicine just as it's becoming more technologically advanced and fragmented."

Check out these seven no-nos in pursuing an advanced degree on top of your MD.

Troy Elander, MD, is challenged at home and abroad, performing the first corneal transplant in Uganda and serving as a leader of organized medicine.

Here are five tips to navigating the real estate market to lease or buy office space.

Five physicians get real about getting sued for malpractice. They reveal the emotions they felt, the support they received and the impact on their self-esteem. Learn from their lessons should you ever face a jury.

Los Angeles County Medical Association Member Serineh Voskanian, MD, returns to work in the hospital where she volunteered as a child.

Remember these eight tips on integrating practice management systems and EMRs.

Doctors don't offer help and healing to patients all on their own. A medical practice is a team. That's why choosing the best medical and administrative staffers is so critical. Here are 13 tips to help you find and retain the right people.

Remember these seven tips on integrating practice management systems and EMRs.

More than one-third of all U.S. adults are obese--that's 72 million of us. With those types of numbers, it's an issue every physician should learn to handle.

Nine great tips for communicating smoothly with your patients.

Wondering what the future holds for the practice of medicine? Well, if it's up to today's crop of students, you'd better wear shades.

Orange County oncologist Philip Di Saia, MD, has spent a career improving the odds for his patients.

Mid-summer brings in a new executive team for Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties.