03.10.16

Medical Practice Governance: How You Can Ensure its Effectiveness

All medical practices are governed in some fashion or another, whether by an individual owner or a formal board of directors. Managing their practice can be a difficult job for physicians who are already working long hours. This article explains how to form a governing board and how to address certain issues, such as how frequently the board should meet and who should set the agenda and manage the task of taking minutes. Fortunately, a competent governance structure can help physicians meet those challenges.

02.12.16

Listen to Your Patients: Their Opinions Matter
Jason Flahive

In a patient-centric health care world, it is critical to know what patients are thinking — whether it is about their medical care, individual physicians and staff or the practice as a whole. This article offers a number of mechanisms for gathering feedback from patients that can be put to practical use, such as encouraging online ratings and reviews or facilitating feedback from home.

01.25.16

Minimize Disputes by Implementing a Buy-Sell Agreement
Danielle M. Gilbert

As your practice continues to grow and take on more patients, you might consider hiring one or more physicians to help with the extra workload. If you do, make sure each physician signs a buy-sell agreement if they intend to take an ownership share of your practice. This article goes into the specifics of establishing a buy-sell agreement at your practice to ultimately protect it from disgruntled physicians and minimize disputes, should they arise.

11.30.15

Dissension in the Ranks: How to Knock Out Physician Conflicts
Amanda Gutierrez

Unfortunately, not all doctors in physician practices get along. Whether they are haggling over administrative matters or a partner’s job responsibilities, the tension and disagreements can turn a normally congenial practice into a war zone. This article offers ways that doctors can learn to coexist peaceably.

10.30.15

Mobile Technology Integration in Your Practice
D’Ann R. Meisenheimer

Smartphones and other mobile devices are becoming as prominent in health care settings as they are in other walks of life. That means physicians are now grappling with the benefits and implications. For example, some 83% of them are using smartphones or tablets to perform tasks related to patient care. The most common activities are interfacing with an electronic health record (EHR), entering medical notes, e-prescribing, searching for clinical information, accessing professional resources and communicating with colleagues. This article offers four ways to use this technology to improve a physician practice.

09.10.15

How to Flourish as an Independent Practitioner

While the trend is clearly toward physician employment by hospitals and health plans, many doctors would prefer to practice independently for as long as possible. So what does it mean to be independent and how can one stay that way? This blog notes that the dream is more manageable when five components are in place: fiscal strength, care coordination, risk assumption, competitive advantage and embracement of change.

08.19.15

Does Third-Party Billing Make Sense for My Practice?
Jason Flahive

Physician practices wrestle frequently with the decision about whether to outsource their billing processes. It can be hard to balance the pros and cons. What’s good for one practice might not work for another. This article offers certain recommendations that can help physicians make the best choice.

07.30.15

Harnessing Technology in Your Practice: HIT Mandates and Opportunities for Physician Practices

Health information technology (HIT) is a rapidly expanding dimension of health care delivery. Physician practices are subject to government mandates, but also are offered opportunities with the technology they use. This article describes some of the most active areas — meaningful use of Electronic Health Records (EHRs), HIPAA security risk analyses, administrative simplification and ICD-10 transition — and steps that practices should take to succeed.

06.17.15

Paths to Practice Success in a Value-Based Market
Amanda Gutierrez

It is no secret that health care reimbursement is moving from a volume-based model to a value-based paradigm. Unfortunately, this is a transformational change for which most practices are not prepared. This blog explains why that is so.

03.30.15

Compensating Physicians for the Value of Their Work

It is hard to miss news reports discussing the shift in the basis for provider reimbursements from “volume” to “value.” Public and private payers are promoting value-based payment methodologies for physicians and hospitals — including “meaningful use,” “pay-for-performance” and more. This blog explains what value means in your practice and how to compensate providers accordingly.