When Your Young Patient's Parents are Divorced
A doctor’s office has written in with a situation that I imagine all of us will encounter at some point in our careers as practice managers. A set of divorced parents who do not get along well put their child’s healthcare in the middle of their on-going battles. For this particular practice, the main problem is the extra work they’re dealing with. Parent A wants a copy of everything that Parent B wants and vice versa.
Of course, this is just one of many problems you may encounter when dealing with divorced parents who no longer get along. The doctor is requesting a certain treatment, but the parents disagree on whether or not it should be undertaken. That can cause unnecessary delays in the child’s treatment and a whole lot of headaches for your staff.
Tips for Coping with Long Hours
Working long hours is bad for us. There’s a ream of evidence to support that fact. In the short term, it increases stress, depression, and anxiety. And in the long term, it makes us more likely to have to take time off sick, have an accident at work, or burn out entirely. Thankfully, there are numerous things we – and employers – can do to counteract the negative effects.
Expanding Roles of Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants and How This Affects Doctors
As a practice manager, you are probably aware of media coverage of the physician shortage in the US and the fact that the roles of nurse practitioners and physicians are expanding to meet that shortage. However, some physicians and even some patients are resistant to the change. Whether or not it has influenced your medical practice at this point, how will the expanding roles of nurse practitioners and physician assistants affect physicians?
One positive aspect of this change is that physicians can be freed up to perform more complex revenue-generating procedures because they are spending less time on basic evaluations and general patient care. This is especially positive because of the large number of uninsured individuals who are entering the nation’s patient pool and who will require care for minor illnesses and accidents. The expanding role of NPs and PAs will help keep pace with a growing base of patients who require general care.
How to Write a Medical Practice Marketing Plan
“Nobody plans to fail. They just fail to plan.” This slogan from a commercial on investments is an apt representation of what happens with marketing programs in most medical practices. Busy days slip by with little to no attention paid to marketing, until one day the days just aren’t so busy anymore. Unfortunately, writing and implementing a marketing plan at that point will offer reduced or zero results because your practice will be playing catch-up to others at a time when revenues are lacking. The right time to write a medical practice marketing plan is now – here’s how.
The Economy is Not Why Your Practice is Suffering
Many of today’s medical practices are experiencing lower revenues and even some degree of financial suffering. It’s easy to blame that on the economy – after all, nearly every other industry is holding the recession responsible for their fiscal vulnerability, so why not healthcare? However, it’s crucial to the success of your practice that you avoid using the economy as a scapegoat when, in fact, other factors may be a much stronger influence on your dwindling bottom line.
Practice Management: Saving Money on the Little Things
It is a truism in life: “The little things add up.” For the Office Manager trying to wrestle with a medical practice’s bottomline, it is adage to keep in mind. There are many areas where a practice may be leaking money, and as Office Manager you may be able to plug some of them up.
Avoiding Staffing Mistakes for Medical Office Managers
As a Medical Office Manager you have no doubt had to deal with your share of difficult employees. These confrontational or other negative personality types can bring the rest of the staff down, and adversely impact not only the morale, but also the overall efficiency of your workplace. HR professions agree that the best way to deal with potential adversarial employees is to try to avoid hireing these types in the first place. But how does the Practice Manager do that? One way is to modify your screening methods.
The Implanted Bandit - Why The "Red Flags" Rule Matters
The Implanted Bandit – Why The “Red Flags” Rule Matters
A recent incident in Orange County, CA highlights why the FTC’s “Red Flags” rule instituted in August of 2009 is so important. Last month, a young woman was sentenced to 180 days in jail and 3 years probation for ID theft. She opened a $12,000 credit line in another woman’s name and used it to pay for replacement breast implants and liposuction.
The staff at the Pacific Center for Plastic Surgery became suspicious after Ms. Pampellonne failed to show for her follow up appointments. Detectives ended up tracking her down using the serial number on her old implants. It is unclear how the outstanding debt will be resolved. Will the loan company seek restitution from the surgeon?
If the credit application was filled out at the doctor’s office, that is a possibility. For example, what if staff members failed to check Pampellonne’s drivers license or other photo ID against the information on the loan application before sending it in for processing? An argument might be made that they didn’t take appropriate steps to prevent fraud. Of course, if the thief set up the credit account herself via an online application the surgeon’s office would not be to blame.
Protect Yourself and Your Patients
Every medical office that extends credit or facilitates patient access to credit lines must be diligent in detecting suspicious activity. If you haven’t created written procedures for your ID Theft Prevention Program, get on that right away! Medical ID theft has serious consequences for patients above and beyond a wrecked credit history. Here’s a great educational article from the FTC that outlines some of the red flags healthcare providers should watch out for.
Do you have a “red flag” story to tell? Let us know how your savvy employees caught an ID thief in the act.
Free Red Flags Rule White paper Here
Relax
“Every now and then, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work, your judgment will be surer…the work appears smaller and more of it can be taken in at a glance and a lack of harmony and proportion is more readily seen.” ~ Leonardo da Vinci
Ten Tips for Dealing With a Difficult Patient
Often, the front office is the "hot seat" for dealing with difficult patients. Some of us are better at handling these situations than others. Be aware of the members of your staff who are adept at dealing with angry, defensive, or just plain rude people. They can be an asset on a busy day! When dealing with difficult patients yourself, here are a few tips to keep in mind.