In case you missed it … Fake emails featuring HHS letterhead and the “signature” of the director of the OCR are circulating. These emails aim to fraudulently draw clicks with a message that the recipient be included in a HIPAA “rules audit.” Like many phishing schemes, the emails are very convincing. They even include a […]
More productivity, better morale, and better patient service, with no extra costs? It may sound like a dream (or maybe an illusion?), but that’s the idea behind employee engagement. Engaged employees go above and beyond the objective requirements of their job. They’re observant about ways to provide better service to your patients, and take steps […]
When Judy, Joe, and I begin consulting engagements with practices around the country, we’re almost always asked, “Do you think our practice could be overstaffed?” Usually, the administrator or physician leader who asks seems to assume that overstaffing is a terrible mistake, one that will surely undermine the organization’s profitability. Oddly enough, I don’t think […]
Committed, well-trained employees can make all the difference in patient service. After all, your employees are usually the first point of contact for your patients. Your employee costs are also probably one of your largest practice expenses (if not the largest). So how can you be sure your investment in staff is delivering the kind […]
Technology for the medical practice front office has many benefits. It can speed up processes, keep critical data safe from fire and flood, allow practice staff to tap resources from other organizations via the Internet, and so on. The list is long and growing. But my favorite front office technology benefit by far is the […]
I recently authored this white paper for Kronos on automated on-call scheduling. This is a critical task that has long begged for a reliable technology solution; thankfully, technology innovation is finally catching up to that need. Click the download button to check it out.
Does your specialty have an association just for practice administrators and managers? Specialty practice management associations like the AOA (for ENT administrators), ADAM (for dermatology managers), and others are some of the most lively and valuable networking and education groups around. If you haven’t looked into whether your specialty has a practice management association, it’s […]
It’s a fact of medical practice management life that unilateral decisions by other organizations can show up out of the blue and negatively affect the practice business, such as when a payer changes reimbursement terms or stops paying for a code that was previously reimbursed. In situations like these, practices have no obvious short-term option […]
Q4 is here! For many practices, it’s the busiest time of the year, as patients who’ve been timing their care to maximize the value of their insurance coverage or their tax deductions are now ready to schedule. During this period, a greater proportion of reimbursement will usually be collected from health plans, rather than patients. […]
If you missed my webinar earlier this month (“Tips for Choosing and Managing Outsourced RCM”), a recording is available on YouTube — courtesy of the host, 4MedApproved, and the generous sponsor, Care360.
Considering outsourcing your medical billing? Not sure you know all you need to know to choose wisely? This upcoming free webinar will help you refine your screening strategy as you look for the perfect billing partner, and prepare to set a productive relationship. Some of the topics we’ll hit on: why technology matters; what’s the […]
This amusing television ad from Cigna is bound to attract a bit of attention from fans of Grey’s Anatomy, Scrubs, House, ER, and MASH. It’s cute. If you recognize any of these tv docs, you’ll likely enjoy it. And it has a message that can help patients get more out of their insurance, and help […]
I stumbled upon this quote by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently: I think a simple rule of business is, if you do the things that are easier first, then you can actually make a lot of progress. This makes so much sense for any enterprise. If you’re stuck, try chipping away at the easiest part […]
Capko & Morgan has had the honor of collaborating with the MedData Group on several recent MedData Point surveys. This month, we worked together on one of our favorite subjects: billing and collections. The results may reflect some subtle but interesting changes to recent trends. For the past few years, it has seemed that the […]
A recent Peterson-Kaiser Health System Tracker study revealed an interesting finding: average copayments are declining. Their study, which analyzed claims data from Truven MarketScan, found that average copay amounts paid by patients decreased by 26% from 2004 to 2014. Seems like a positive trend for patients and practices … except that it’s not. It’s part […]
If you’ve been on Facebook a while, either solely as an individual or with a practice business page, you have probably noticed that it’s a lot rarer for business page posts to show up in users’ newsfeeds. This is a frustrating problem for businesses that previously relied on Facebook to reach their communities with regular […]
When we work with practices that are not as profitable as planned, or that are even struggling financially, the managers and owners almost always ask, “Are we overstaffed?” And almost always — contrary to expectations — our opinion is that they’re not. In fact, when we work with practices that are struggling, it’s more likely […]
I’m working on an ebook right now about medical practice staffing. More specifically, it’s about how the instinct to cut staff, to be as leanly staffed as possible, can backfire*. There are dozens of little details that any practice can explore to improve profitability. These small changes can be made with much less risk than […]
Effectively collecting copays (or coinsurance for procedures) has become much more important in recent years. One reason is they’ve become a much bigger proportion of total reimbursement. Once just a token $5 or $10 payment, office visit copays have increased to $30, $40, or even $60 in many cases. They now often account for a […]
A few months ago, I was honored to host a #kareochat (thanks, @gokareo!) about filling the appointment schedule. The discussion hit on one of my favorite topics: payer directories. Repeat visitors to this space and/or readers of my ebook probably already know that I consider payer directory listings to be the top reputation management priority […]
Are you transitioning to a new EHR? It’s exciting to imagine the benefits you’ll enjoy when your new system is finally in place — but it can be a little nerve-racking to consider the process of getting there. (If you’ve already done it once, you know that unexpected things can go wrong — and that […]
I observed something this morning when making toast. I don’t make toast often, but when I do, I tend to let it go for a few minutes before heading back into the kitchen to check on it, hovering outside the toaster oven to make sure I grab it when it’s “just right.” Now, like you […]
Capko & Morgan recently collaborated with MedData Group* on a physician survey about front office technology awareness and plans. The results seemed to confirm what we see among our clients: many physicians are unaware of the full array of excellent innovations that have recently emerged to support the medical practice front office. Check out this […]
Did you miss our Kareo-led tweet chat this morning on Filling the Medical Practice Appointment Schedule? It was fun and there were a lively group of commenters sharing ideas. You can see the highlights by clicking this link.
If you are among the many, many practices that are considering an EHR switch in 2016, you won’t want to miss my webinar this Wednesday, 1/20/16, at 11 Pacific/2 Eastern. It’s a short, sweet, 30-minute presentation with 7 steps you can take to organize your search and decision-making. The webinar is free, courtesy of sponsor […]
Is New Year, new EHR your practice’s resolution? You’re not alone. Software Advice analyzed requests for EHR recommendations through its system, and they found that the number of buyers replacing an existing EHR increased 59% in 2015 versus 2014, and that 60% of their total buyer population was switchers. Practices as a whole are more […]
Whether you’ve got the deductible reset blues or have simply resolved to keep your schedule as full as it can be in 2016, I’ve got some ideas to share in my new webinar, “Five Tips to Fill the Schedule in 2016.” It’s free (sponsored by Kareo). Some highlights of what will be covered: Reputation management […]
Ahhh, January. We’re already six days in, and it’s still hard to believe we’re a week into a brand new year. Perhaps especially so if low volume has you moving through your days more slowly — and worrying about what your revenue numbers will be at month- and quarter-end. The January effect on medical practices […]
It’s almost a new year — woohoo! Resolution time! Fresh start! And for many patients, brand new insurance! For many patients with new insurance, it’s also time to shop for new doctors. When they do, will they find you? By now you probably already know that there are many resources out there to help you […]
It’s almost that time again: deductibles re-set in less than a month. Got your game face on? For many practices, the end of the year is so busy, it’s hard to think about planning for slow business in January, February and March. Ironically, the cause of the busyness in Q4 is related to the cause […]