Monthly Archives: February 2013

A few months back, we shared a link to HARO ("Help a Reporter Out"), a wonderful service that distributes daily inquiries from journalists from all sorts of publications -- we've seen everything from American Medical News, Medical Office Today, to national magazines like Parenting and Best Health, to national television outlets like CNN and Fox News.  The service also features queries from local news stations, websites and publications, too. Are you thinking, so what?  Well, the wonderful thing about HARO is that, unlike ordinary PR work -- i.e., the slog of pitching, pitching, pitching to reporters -- when you respond to a query on HARO, you are actually helping the reporter.  Meaning the reporter wants to hear from you and hear what you have to say. Getting your name and your practice's name and point-of-view out in the media has tremendous value.  The audience will perceive you as an expert selected by the journalist to comment on the subject.  This can elevate your image versus others medical practices in your specialty in your area. And don't let lack of time during the day hold you back from responding!  At least when the story is for print or web, the reporter will usually allow you to answer via email, instead of by phone or in person during business hours.  We do email 'interviews' all the time with reporters here at Capko & Company.  This also gives you more time to think about your answer -- if you're concerned about coming up with your best response on-the-spot. We often share items from HARO that we think will help our client practices and other friends -- if you don't want to receive the daily HARO emails (3x), join our email list (see sidebar) and you'll receive the tidbits we send out that are relevant to your practice.

If you haven't had a chance to read all of our 13 tips for 2013, here is the full list: Master the deductible re-set [commit to less bad debt in 2013!] Analyze your E/M code distribution [reduce audit risk, bill for what you've earned] Cash management quick tip [copays are not petty cash!] Patient service=patient care [the dreaded patient service conflation situation] Review maintenance contracts [don't let auto-pilot become auto-overpay] Get educated [lifelong learning: not just for clinicians] Reach out to local employers [you've got more than one customer] Manager's report card [everyone needs feedback, goals and recognition] Analyze payer performance [remember that you decide which payers you will accept] Engage staff with better meetings [such a simple idea, so much opportunity for upside!] Review payer contracts [it's okay to admit they've been stuffed in a drawer -- just pull them out and read them] Review your directory listings [don't miss out on free promotion -- or let errors online impact your revenue] Make haste slowly [take on important challenges with care -- and get help to jumpstart your planning!]

So, if we asked you where your payer contracts are, you could tell us, right?  And you'd know when you last reviewed them -- and when the next renewal period comes up? Or, are they ... at home, in a closet, where they've been (untouched) for several years?  Are they ... 'somewhere around here'? Well, we're not surprised.  Many of our clients have tucked their payer contracts in a drawer, only to forget about them.  So, don't feel TOO bad about this -- but, feel just bad ENOUGH to resolve to change your habits now! Reviewing your payer contracts annually -- before they end/automatically renew -- is more important than you think.  Many contracts have evergreen provisions that can make extension of your current rates mandatory -- even if you would have been eligible for an increase.  We've worked with practices that have foregone years of increases because they didn't realize their rates would remain unchanged if they failed to contact the payer at renewal time.  (Even when rate increases seem negligible, several years worth of them add up to significant foregone profit.) There also may be provisions in your contracts that you've forgotten about that can lead you to inadvertently fall out of compliance -- which can lead to unexpected reimbursement problems down the road. Bottom line: set a tickler to review each of your contracts a month or so before they renew.  (And, if you can, try to reset your contracts so that they all renew around the same time -- so that you can do your review in one fell swoop.)