Yearly Archives: 2012

Vitals proves vital for a hospital system’s marketing

We often post here about the opportunity directory sites present to get extra exposure and add inbound links (great for SEO) to your website. Recently, we learned of a hospital system that is not just taking advantage of free directory listings by fleshing out physician profiles, they've actually partnered with the team at Vitals.com to get even more value out of the site. This hospital works with the team at Vitals.com to upload correct information for its hundreds of doctors -- to ensure that all its physicians are represented and appear with accurate contact information, background, specialty and insurance information. What's more, they use call center phone numbers for each physician that are assigned only to Vitals.com profiles, so that they can track exactly how many calls come in via the site. Web click-throughs are also tracked, using Google Analytics on the hospital's own site. While this extensive relationship with a directory may be overkill for (and beyond the reach of) independent practices, it speaks volumes about the changing internet directory landscape. When a major hospital system -- with a dedicated team of marketing professionals on staff -- chooses to rely on a directory as a critical marketing source and partner with them, it suggests that this form of internet marketing really has come of age. This hospital understands that a significant number of prospective patients will visit online medical directories every day for physician information. Practices cannot afford to online physician directory and rating sites for the same reason.

By Morgan|2012-11-17T16:45:56-08:00November 26th, 2012|

Do you have staffing troubles ahead?

A poorly-timed departure of a key employee can really put a crimp on your enjoyment and profitability. Recent survey data reported in the online Business Insider cite a lack of trust in corporations and wanting to be their own boss as the top two reasons these workers leave. These data bolster our oft-repeated recommendation that every practice administrator should put a high priority in nurturing the careers of their key employees. After all, how better to foster trust than to take a sincere interest in your employees well being? What's more, such interest often takes the form of giving more responsibility and autonomy to these employees thereby helping to satisfy their desire "to be their own boss." Read more about here about the 5 Reasons Why Gen X Workers Quit.

By Joe Capko|2022-01-01T22:52:37-08:00November 16th, 2012|

Beware of opportunity costs

Recently, we worked with an OB/GYN practice that had taken some big steps to reduce staff costs. In particular, the practice was concerned about their long-standing process of providing new maternity cases a lengthy consultation with an RN -- covering all the information a newly pregnant woman would need, and offering her a relaxed opportunity to ask questions. Because the RNs were paid at $22-$25/hour, the practice manager and managing physician partner felt that these consults were an extremely wasteful expense. They reasoned that the consults could be easily incorporated into the initial physician visit -- adding 15 or 20 minutes to the visit, instead of paying for 30-45 minutes of RN time for the consult. The maternity visit with an OB would be included in the patient's global payment -- no additional revenue would be generated by adding 15-20 minutes of physician time to the visit. But, the practice reasoned, they would no longer be incurring the RN costs of $15-20 per consult -- and, since the revenue was the same either way, the impact would be bottom-line positive, right? Wrong. What the practice failed to consider was the opportunity cost of tacking 15-20 uncompensated minutes onto the physician visit. While the practice no longer had to pay an RN $15 to discuss pre-natal vitamins and exercise with maternity patients, the practice was giving up 15-20 minutes of provider appointment time -- time which could potentially be billed out at much more than $15 if it were used for an additional patient visit. Provider time is a practice's most precious resource -- it's the only means the practice has to generate revenue. Using providers to do tasks that can be done by an RN or MA almost never makes economic sense for a practice. Plus, taking higher level tasks away from your RNs and MAs deprives them of the satisfaction they get from those activities. Keep everyone -- especially your providers -- utilized at their highest potential, and you'll keep everyone more satisfied with their roles and your practice more profitable.

By Morgan|2022-01-01T22:52:38-08:00November 13th, 2012|

Quoted today in American Medical News

Simple steps to improve patient service -- here's the link. http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2012/11/05/bica1105.htm

By Morgan|2012-11-05T10:16:34-08:00November 5th, 2012|

Faux busyness

It might be the toughest message a practice management consultant has to deliver to a physician client: you're just not working hard enough. When doctors bring us in to analyze their practices' profitability problems, they usually expect us to find they're over-staffed, or that their building expenses are too high, or that their billing service is inadequate. And, to be sure, we do often find those problems. But, it's just as often the case that we find that the physicians are seeing many fewer patients than they thought. And, when we show the doctors data comparing their visit volume against other practices in their specialty, we'll hear, "but we're so busy!" How is it possible that we can walk into a practice and see underutilized exam space and know immediately that visit volume is an issue, while the physicians simultaneously feel -- truly believe -- that they're operating at capacity? This is the phenomenon I like to call 'faux busyness.' The physicians feel busy -- fully occupied -- but the real number of patients they're seeing tells a different story. The sad thing about faux busyness is that it's just as tiring as the real thing, but a lot less profitable. What are some of the causes of faux busyness? Here are a few: Provider calendars with gaping holes -- so that the physician is in the office all day, but not seeing patients much of the time Providers scheduled in multiple places for partial days -- adding transit time and scheduling hassles to every day Layout issues, inconsistently prepped exam rooms, and other issues that require physicians to be moving around the office too much -- cutting into possible visit time Is faux busyness cutting into your practice's profitability? There's only one way to find out: start digging into data. Analyze your scheduling processes to determine if they include unnecessary complexity. Make sure your staff understand the importance of booking next-available appointments. And look to benchmarks to reality test your patient volume against comparable practices.

By Morgan|2022-01-01T22:52:38-08:00October 30th, 2012|

Scheduling for Profitability and Patient Satisfaction

Many practices fail to appreciate how critical a role scheduling has in a practice's profits and the way patients perceive care. As an example, consider how an ineffective reminder system can cause a cascade of ill consequences for your practice: the patient forgets their appointment -- the provider sits unproductive -- patients can't get into see their "fully-booked" provider. Both practice profitability and patient care are compromised. To avoid these scheduling problems, it's important to periodically review your scheduling operation from a patient's perspective. For each step make sure you have a comprehensive understanding of the full range of outcomes. Do you know, for example, what happens when your reminder system fails to deliver to a patient? Is someone on your staff charged with following up? Do you effectively track "no-shows?" Do you have goals for reducing them? Whether you conduct a review of your scheduling procedures using an outside consultant or your own staff, you may be surprised to see a boost in morale because scheduling staff have a tough job and are rarely consulted by management. Understanding the challenges that your scheduling staff face and their ideas for improving processes are great first steps toward increasing your practice's finances and improving the mood of patients and staff alike.

By Joe Capko|2022-01-01T22:52:38-08:00October 25th, 2012|

Common sense marketing

Did anyone else catch the recent This American Life episode called "What Doesn't Kill You?" It featured a story about comedian Tig Notaro and her four months of sheer hell -- which included a harrowing, life-threatening bout with C. difficile, a breast cancer diagnosis, and the unexpected, accidental death of her mother. Ms. Notaro turned the experiences -- amazingly -- into a highly personal comedy set that has come to be regarded as a legendary performance. There was much to love in the segment. But, there was one small aspect of it that really made me the practice management consultant in me wince: the hospital survey that was sent to Notaro's mother after her death. Notaro made great comic lemonade out of the survey that asked her deceased mother if her hospital stay was comfortable, and if all procedures were clearly explained in language she could understand (Notaro's mom was unconscious during her entire visit, and died at the hospital). But, the comedy reflected the pain that the survey caused. We're all for surveying patients -- it's a wonderful way to learn what you need to know to improve your operations, and many patients will feel that you care more about them just because you asked for their feedback. But, a mistake like mailing a survey to a deceased patient is really inexcusable -- especially because it's so easily avoided. Did the hospital's database fail to either track or remove deceased patients? If you're mailing or emailing surveys or newsletters and tips to your patients to improve your practice and build on your patient relationships, good for you! But, be sure you have processes in place to segment your lists and exclude specific patients from mailings that might upset them. And be sure you have a routine in place to clean your lists periodically to remove patients who've moved or passed on.

By Morgan|2022-01-01T22:52:39-08:00October 21st, 2012|

Thank goodness, it’s about more than just money

The Harvard Business Review recently shared a wonderful tip about employee motivation: It's not all about the money. This is a great reminder for medical practices. For the most part, practice budgets don't allow for relying on salaries and benefits in order to attract talent; thank goodness remuneration is not the only thing that drives employee loyalty! The HBR newsletter noted that flex time, recognition of contributions and a result-oriented culture are all powerful influences on employee satisfaction. Your practice may not be able to offer flex time to all employees, but imagine the benefits of allow some employees to work part-time, or evenings and weekends - you might be surprised how many roles can fit non-traditional hours. (We recently recommended a cardiology practice add a weekend scheduler, for example -- a great solution for preventing piled-up appointment requests on Monday mornings, and for increasing the odds that appointment phone calls will actually reach the patient.) Even more important, that family atmosphere that exists at many practices encourages loyalty. Given your medical practice staff just a little room for growth, combined with some flexibility and encouragement, and you'll be rewarded with lower turnover -- without busting the compensation budget.

By Morgan|2012-11-17T16:54:39-08:00October 18th, 2012|

Moneyball lessons for medical practices

I've been reading the (fascinating and fun) book Moneyball. It's amazing how it exposes that any business -- even the $7 billion professional baseball industry -- can be guided by market mythology that is intuitively satisfying but not entirely accurate. The book tracks the efforts of the Oakland A's in the early 2000s to become more data-driven in choosing new players. The A's were motivated by their relatively puny player budget. They hoped to somehow assemble a winning roster even though they didn't have enough financial resources to bring on a single superstar. Historically, dozens of statistics were regularly tracked about baseball, but only a certain few favorites got all the attention. The A's dug into the data, and arrived at the surprising insight that the stats that got all the attention weren't the ones that actually correlated with team performance. One of my favorite parts of the book is when the general manager finds that the lure of the old, 'gut feel' approach to managing a baseball team was so powerful, he couldn't watch the games live without risking incorrect decisions driven by emotion. Only by looking at data alone -- and not observing the quirks and ups-and-downs of actual play -- can he trust himself to decide correctly. What a powerful idea for managers of all sorts. In the daily pace of a medical practice, how often do emotion, misperception or unquestioned assumptions get in the way of good decision-making? In our work, we bring surprises to our practice management clients all the time, by simply analyzing data as objective outsiders. Are you operating under assumptions, or emotional conclusions, such as: - "I've always coded like this, and never had a problem" - "Our no-show rate is about average" - "Saturday clinics wouldn't be popular around here" - "We couldn't make more money in the current reimbursement environment" - "No one on our staff would ever steal from us -- we're like a family" - "We don't use outside collections - I'm confident our receivables will be paid eventually" Are unchallenged assumptions hurting your practice? Just like baseball, medicine is a combination of passion, talent, art

By Morgan|2022-01-01T22:52:39-08:00October 12th, 2012|

Are you the Brilliant Jerk?

The New York Times recently published an illuminating article entitled What Do You Do With Brilliant Jerk? The piece struck a chord with me because the process the article described -- a brilliant founder, essential to the creation of an organization, eventually becomes a thorn in its side -- is something we see all the time in our work with practices. The emergence of the Brilliant Jerk in medical practices is a natural and predictable consequence of changing demands as practices grow. When practices change, personality traits that were invaluable can become highly problematic, e.g., a brilliant clinician who cannot artfully interact with his colleagues or staff on operational or business matters. The plight of the Brilliant Jerk is not enviable. Practice profitability is a function of the efficiency and productivity of the entire clinical and administrative staff. For example, Brilliant Jerks often fail to appreciate management guru Peter Drucker's advice, "Accept the fact that we have to treat almost anybody as a volunteer." The Brilliant Jerk's behavior is generally at odds with a harmonious and efficient operation because they fail to appreciate the value of others within the organization. It isn't easy to contemplate whether you've become the Brilliant Jerk, but it is certainly worth considering, since your career and financial well-being are at stake. First, consider how many of your professional relationships are strained relative to your colleagues'. Second, consider how much you have adapted to the changing needs of your organization. If you are finding yourself in strained business relationships within an organization that has experienced considerable change while you have the same attitudes and "standard operating procedures," well, it's quite possible you're becoming your practice's Brilliant Jerk. If you suspect that you are the Brilliant Jerk, you have an excellent opportunity to test your brilliance in adopting an urgently-needed program of remediation. An objective assessment from a consultant that has the breadth of experience to give you some practical advice, or perhaps from a career coach, can be a good place to start. And you might be surprised how much you get out of the effort: improving relationships with your colleagues

By Joe Capko|2022-01-01T22:52:39-08:00October 8th, 2012|

New column in Repertoire magazine

We've contributed a bi-monthly column to Repertoire magazine for the past several years. Our goal is to give some insight into the challenges of medical practice management to reps who sell devices, pharmaceuticals, EMR and other services to physicians. For September, we looked at the surprising ways physician practices are vulnerable to theft, overcharging and fraud. Read it here: How Doctors Get Ripped Off

By Morgan|2012-10-07T10:57:20-08:00October 7th, 2012|

New study claims ‘billions’ in Medicare costs may be due to questionable upcoding

A new study from the Center for Public Integrity has identified a trend towards higher coding of Medicare visits over the last decade -- and suggests this increased utilization of higher codes could signal increasing, habitual abuse. The study also notes that medical groups representing doctors assert that treating seniors has gotten more complex over the last ten years -- both because Medicare patients tend to have multiple, complex conditions and because EMR and coordination of care make treating them more time-consuming and make documentation and coding more accurate. A few tidbits from the report that stood out: The report cites the seemingly alarming statistic that "more than 7,500 physicians billed the two top paying codes for three out of four office visits in 2008, a sharp rise from the numbers of doctors who did so at the start of the decade." But, 7,500 is less than 1% of the total number of practicing physicians in the US (829,673, per the Kaiser Family Foundation). Even if every one of these physicians is coding fraudulently, this is a pretty small proportion of physicians who are 'cheating' -- compare that with, for example, the 15% of Americans who've admitted to cheating on their taxes. The report reveals that the lowest code, 99211, typically pays only about $20. Will the reality of how paltry this is -- considering this figure not only compensates the doctor, but pays for the office, technology, clinical and business staff -- be lost in the outrage over more evidence of 'greedy doctors'? (If every single minute of an hour were dedicated to 99211 visits -- ignoring the need for administration, transition and documentation time between patients, late and no-show patients -- that still only amounts to $240/hour. Not much to pay a doctor, cover her overhead, and compensate staff.) The report also notes that, "the number of doctors who billed at least half of their office visits at one of the two most expensive codes more than doubled to at least 17,000 practitioners...[and] those who quit using the two least expensive codes rose 63 percent, climbing to more than 13,000 in

By Morgan|2016-03-04T12:10:30-08:00September 18th, 2012|

An operations management classic

I recently heard about a classic book from the eighties that apparently was all the rage among business students and aficionados back in the day, but that somehow slipped by me. Since it was about operations management, and presented in an unusual format -- a novel -- I felt compelled to check it out. Now that I have, I think medical practice managers should, too. It's called The Goal, by Eli Goldratt, and it tells the story of a plant manager named Alex Rogo who must turn around abysmal performance in his manufacturing plant. Despite achieving 'efficiencies' in many steps of production, the plant's productivity overall has deteriorated to the point where orders are backed up for weeks, and the company's salespeople can't reliably forecast when orders can be delivered (and so can't really sell any new orders, either). If Alex can't fix the plant, it will be shut down. Alex is mentored in the book by a professor named Jonah, who guides him in the process of understanding the plant's constraints -- bottlenecks -- and how to increase their throughput. By analyzing what really drives (or holds back) production in his plant, Alex learns that many of his most relied-upon assumptions aren't correct -- and develops a better way to improve his plant's productivity. I happened to be reading this book while working with a medical practice that was having workflow problems, and the parallels were striking. This practice was proud of its wonderful system for triaging patients -- but, the system was so efficient, patients were waiting for ages in exam rooms for their providers. The practice had over-optimized in triage, creating huge bottlenecks down the line at the exam rooms -- and, no benefit whatsoever to patients and no improvement at all in the number of patients seen! They needed to look at their "plant" with fresh eyes, just like Alex did, to see that overall process efficiency is dependent on the performance of the slowest link in the chain.

By Morgan|2012-06-27T14:26:42-08:00July 3rd, 2012|

Another interesting (dispiriting) take on medical billing

A recent New York Times article and follow-up blog post discuss the challenges patients have understanding medical bills, through the eyes of a consultant named Jean Poole who has made a career of deciphering (usually highly erroneous) medical bills and helping patients recoup incorrect charges or reduce their outstanding bills. Billing is so challenging for practices -- even though specialized staff are usually handling the task, they have to contend with constant changing rules, reluctance of some payers to address issues, and the myriad of payment schemes with varying patient responsibility. But imagine how it is for patients -- who don't have any specialized knowledge to help them deal with the strange language and calculations of their bills. Ms. Poole's service would seem to be a godsend for patients who find themselves unexpectedly owing thousands of dollars (as the article points out, patient out-of-pocket obligations and opaque hospital fee schedules can lead to big surprises). It's great that she offers this service, for sure -- but how frustrating that it's so needed. The frequency of errors and lack of transparency in insurance company documents to patients is a big source of difficulty for practices. When patients feel they've been incorrectly charged or can't understand their bills, it undermines the trust they have in their physicians and other care providers. When your practice provides services in conjunction with a hospital, their billing clarity and accuracy (or lack thereof) can rub off on your patient relationships. While you can't control how hospitals manage their side of billing, you can at least make sure you're communicating as clearly and directly as possible with patients about what your practice will bill and how much of that bill their payer has declared to be the patient's responsibility.

By Morgan|2022-01-01T22:52:39-08:00June 27th, 2012|

Hey coach

When you think coach, you think team. Unfortunately, you might be thinking about a sports team instead of the practice. In reality, every practice needs a coach to guide team performance and come out a winner. The coach might be a high level administrator, manager or a direct supervisor, it might even be the physician in a smaller practice. In a practice with little structure it could be someone that has assumed the role because he or she just has the knack - Someone everyone feels good about and trusts. If the coach is doing a great job the practice runs well and everyone is happy. If you are someone else's boss or responsible for someone else's performance, coaching is your way creating an awesome team. So, hey coach, how are you doing? Let's take a look at what the successful coach really does: 1. Create a constructive, winning climate for your team. 2. Lead your team to improved performance by providing encouragement, feedback and recognition. 3. Take action with people on the team who don't carry their load. 4. Take charge and set the tone for your team to be successful. Coaching is not just dealing with poor performance issues, it's staying in touch with the entire team (including the best performers) and providing them with tools to be even more successful. You have the opportunity to create a positive, winning climate by staying in touch. Concrete things to think about in your role of coach include clarifying goals, brainstorming with the team and providing recognition. If your team feels you value and respect each of the them, they will go to the mat for you - and that's a very big deal. You have the power to make this a reality. You can guide people to go from where they are to where they want to be - and that is powerful!

By Judy Capko|2012-06-27T12:03:50-08:00June 13th, 2012|

New CMS program supports enhanced primary care at $20/patient

Will your practice be taking part in this eight-state pilot? Requirements will include EHR, flexible hours, various preventive and individualized care activities. http://www.innovations.cms.gov/initiatives/Comprehensive-Primary-Care-Initiative/index.html

By Morgan|2016-03-04T12:11:20-08:00June 7th, 2012|

Better hiring, better employee retention

I have a new article on Kareo's "Getting Paid" blog about how fine-tuning your hiring and on-boarding processes can reduce turnover. This article I found on Rypple shares the same idea about the importance of hiring for fit -- plus, adds a few more ideas for retaining employees. Can any of these enhance your practice?

By Morgan|2022-01-01T22:52:39-08:00June 7th, 2012|

Post on KevinMD about cash discounts

Great post on KevinMD today about hospitals, practices and other healthcare provider organizations giving discounts for cash payments. Patients who have insurance need to conceal that fact to take advantage of these discounts, though. Should they have to? Seems to me that, with the payments not applying towards deductible amounts, everyone wins (doctor, patient, even the insurer). http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2012/06/hide-health-insurance-status-pay-cash.html

By Morgan|2022-01-01T22:52:39-08:00June 6th, 2012|

Changing trends in compensation for administrators

It is common for successful administrators of medical practices to be paid for their accomplisments. This has been achieved through a combination of a base salary, fringe benefits and an attractive bonus tied to the financial performance of the practice each year. That being said, things are a changin'! With reimbursement trends lowering revenue in many specialties, there is only so much related to financial performance that is under the control of top administrators as their bosses, struggling with their own ability to eek a living, begin to ponder other ways to pay the administrator. We would be interested in hearing from both administrators and physicians on how they are broaching this subject and coming up with new compensation models for administrators, CEO's and COO's. Tell us what you think and what actions you have taken.

By Judy Capko|2012-06-28T15:53:24-08:00May 30th, 2012|

Costly (and easily correctable) telephone mistakes

All of us by now have had the feeling of being held captive by a merciless phone tree or being asked, "Can you please hold?" before being left in limbo for five, ten or even fifteen minutes or more. Like you, patients don't like having their time wasted when calling your practice. Nonetheless, many practices have taken high demand and technological developments as an excuse for failing to review and refine the systems they have in place for serving their patients over the phone. If you've recently reviewed your online presence and encountered a negative review, you can appreciate how important it is to establish with your patients a sense that you are dedicated to taking good care of them regardless of whether they are in or out of the exam room. Improving patient phone service needn't be an overwhelming chore for your all-ready busy office. In fact, this process is ideally suited for working on around your schedule as there are many components that can be improved in fifteen minute blocks. Most modern telephone systems have impressive reporting capabilities, despite the fact that most practice staff usually know nothing about them. Make it a priority to generate reports that can serve as benchmarks for your practice's performance in this area. How long do callers wait on hold? How many calls come in relative to your patient visits? When are calls coming in? One very common problem is the rush of calls that often occurs as the practice opens up after the lunch hour. As the lunch hour is the most convenient times for many of your patients to call, the simple fact is that you should have telephone coverage over lunch. Rotating this assignment through your staff is easy to implement -- you'll get more new patient bookings and smooth the flow of calls, meaning happier patients and staff. You should have a current diagram of your phone tree that illustrates that patients can find their way through the tree in a timely manner. Consulting with your systems reports, eliminate branches of the tree that are infrequently accessed. You've

By Joe Capko|2022-01-01T22:52:39-08:00May 10th, 2012|

The keys to improving staff performance

Staff members need to feel valued and part of a team. Sometimes in the hustle of getting through the day and taking casre of patients, practice leaders can forget to acknowledge staff and make them feel important. Quite simply, if you make CAM part of your every day thoughts and actions you will win staff over, keep them committed and reduce disenchantment and turnover. The CAM is communication, accountability and motivation. Communicate well. Let your staff know you appreciate their contribution and if there are areas where improvement is needed be willing to discuss it and provide improvement support before performance deteriorates. Accountability. Give employees clear direction and performance standards that define your expectations. Of course, this must be supported by training staff and giving them the tools to succeed, and if they fail to hit the mark hold them accountable by meeting with them and discussing ways to avoid a recurrence. Motivation. Yep, it's management's job to keep staff motivated. It's a matter of giving them an opportunity to grow their skills and remembering the old adage "compliment in public, criticize in private" - and make the criticism constructive. Also invest in your staff by giving them opportunity for continuing education and upward mobility. Help your insurance staff become certified coders, have your nurse and receptionist participate in conducting chart audits. Help your top performers move up the organizational ladder when job openings occur. Delegate tasks to staff to show your confidence in them and give you the opportunity to focus on responsibilities that require your expertise. By doing these simple things you create a great work environment that is a "win-win-win" for physicians, management and staff!

By Judy Capko|2022-01-01T22:52:40-08:00April 28th, 2012|

A novel new mobile medical practice

Just heard about Hangover Heaven, a mobile medical business in Las Vegas started by anesthesiologist Jason Burke, MD. Dr. Burke brings over-imbibers relief -- direct to their hotel rooms or any location on the Vegas strip! We're always interested in novel new medical practice models -- and this is one we definitely didn't see coming. Hangover Heaven

By Morgan|2012-06-27T12:06:06-08:00April 25th, 2012|

OB/GYNs are hard-working … this one may be the hardest-working!

We've been working on several projects with OB/GYNs of late, so stories related to obstetrics are catching my attention more than usual. This one is really inspiring: a 101-year-old OB who has personally delivered more than 15,000 babies! I heard about him on NPR -- read or listen to the story here: At 101, and 15,000 babies, an OB/GYN works on

By Morgan|2022-01-01T22:52:40-08:00April 12th, 2012|

Hotel Hôpital

What if hotel billing were like medical billing? A funny-but-sad video by Costs of Care in partnership with Harvard Medical School and the University of Chicago explores the possibility in a tongue-in-cheek way (click "continue reading" to view the video). "Surprise" medical costs do more than just frustrate patients -- they hurt practices, too. By helping patients understand the costs of their care, practices can help patients make more informed decisions, plan better, and maintain a positive relationship with the practice. And, patients who are better informed and understand what they'll be charged are more likely to pay their bills.

By Morgan|2022-01-01T22:52:40-08:00March 25th, 2012|

Medicare-focused practice network shows high promise – Forbes

This article about ChenMed on Forbes really caught my eye, because for a while now I've been wondering why no one has created a practice focusing on Medicare patients. All the big attention is generated for practices quitting the program, but while Medicare's hassles and limitations get plenty of coverage, the spotlight is rarely trained on its advantages: speedy and predictable reimbursement. ChenMed has identified a few key success factors, including location (they started in Virginia, which they identified as an area poorly served for Medicare patients), an emphasis on preventive care, and a custom, home-grown technology system. They're raising capital and looking to expand into other markets. We'll be watching. Read the story on Forbes.

By Morgan|2022-01-01T22:52:40-08:00February 26th, 2012|

It’s easy and it makes a difference to your practice and your patients

MarketingProfs has a nice summary of how important it is for any small/local business to monitor, own and, if necessary, "clean up" its listings in online directories. For medical practices, this is doubly important, because of the increasing number of medicine-related directories and ratings sites that are pulling from licensing and other databases -- databases that are often outdated. Moreover, patients often look for listings online while on-the-go -- for example, using mobile phones. Keeping tabs on this information helps insure all the places you're listed relate to the "real" you -- i.e., the real identity of your practice. It doesn't have to be time-consuming. Work on it over a few weeks, one site at a time, until you get all your medical site listings and main yellow pages directories claimed and cleaned up. Then be sure you have Google Alerts set up so you'll receive notices when pages are launched or updated containing your practice information -- so you can fix any erroneous data. (Find Google Alerts here.)

By Morgan|2022-01-01T22:52:40-08:00February 4th, 2012|

Doing things the MBA way

My partner Joe Capko and I just had a new article published in Practice Link, a magazine for job-hunting physicians. Our assignment was to explore the idea of a "15 minute MBA for doctors." In other words, are there guideposts that we can draw from business school training that might help physicians know what they need to learn, and how to develop the business skills they'll need to thrive in the future -- whether they run their own practices or work for a larger system? We're delighted with the input we had from the physicians we interviewed -- wonderful advice for newly minted doctors. We spoke with a wide range of physicians -- including anesthesia, OB/GYN, pediatrics, family practice and academia -- as well as a number of practice management experts to get a diversity of viewpoints. Check it out here - we'd welcome any feedback.

By Morgan|2012-01-22T18:50:57-08:00January 22nd, 2012|

Inspiration from small businesses

I recently completed a series of articles for Kareo's Getting Paid blog about how small business management issues relate to practice management. While medical practices have an important mission that reaches beyond business, they can't achieve that mission without succeeding on business terms. And, in many fundamental ways, medical practices are not so different from other kinds of small businesses. There's a lot to be learned from examining the success factors that apply to seemingly-unrelated businesses. Plus, it's kind of interesting and fun to think about other businesses in the 'real world' and how they deal with their challenges -- almost like looking at your own organization through a different lens. If you're interested in checking out the Small Business Lessons for Physician Practices series, here are the links: Small Business Lessons for Practices: Human Resources Getting Started with Marketing Financial Basics Operations Management for Physician Practices

By Morgan|2022-01-01T22:52:40-08:00January 9th, 2012|

Tackling a long list of resolutions for your practice? Here’s how to start.

It's that time of year again ... when every goal you've imagined for your practice seems possible, and every problem seems fixable. So you make that long list of resolutions, but, by week two, you're already overwhelmed and discouraged. After all, there was a reason you didn't fix all those problems or implement all those big ideas last year: it was too much to do all at once. Before you get discouraged, start again. And this time, pick just ONE thing. Focus on that, and you can tackle it. And once that one item is conquered, you can then move onto the next. For more on this approach, visit this article from Harvard Business Review. Need help setting your priorities for success in 2012? We can help. Contact us for more information about our practice assessment services and practice management consulting. Let's make 2012 your best year ever!

By Morgan|2012-01-02T10:38:30-08:00January 4th, 2012|