Outsourcing for Your Medical Practice
“Outsourcing” is viewed in a very negative light by many Americans today. And if your medical practice is considering outsourcing one or more job positions or medical practice services, it’s true that outsourcing could keep you from hiring a local individual who desperately needs a job or could even result in layoffs of some of your current staff. But in the current economy, ignoring the cost benefits of outsourcing may not be an option. Here are some things to consider if you’re thinking about outsourcing for your medical practice.
Adding Products and Services to Your Practice
If you’re a practice manager who’s concerned about dwindling patient revenues, you’ve probably already considered adding products and services to your medical practice. But many practice managers stop there because they don’t know how to decide which products and services are appropriate for their practices. There are myriad options for expanding your practice offerings, and sifting through them can become an overwhelming chore. Here are some criteria to consider when adding products and services to your practice.
Auditing Your Practice: Cutting Overhead
Given the state of the economy, dwindling healthcare reimbursements, escalating malpractice costs, and increasing operating expenses, many medical practice managers are finding that it’s advisable or even essential to cut costs, sometimes drastically. But how can you reduce overhead without compromising the quality of your practice, either as a workplace or with regard to patient care? As part of our continuing series on auditing your medical practice, we’ll look at ways to analyze and cut overhead costs with a minimum of difficulty.
You Can Make a Medical Practice Greener
Environmental concerns are on many people’s minds today. Individuals and businesses alike are looking for ways to be “Greener” and to stretch energy dollars. The medical office is no exception, and there are many ways that the Practice Manager can lead the effort in making a doctor’s office more environmentally friendly.
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.
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
7 Tips for Balancing Parenthood and Medical Practice Management
You already know how to manage a medical practice, but how do you go about managing your home life? It isn’t that different. The skills you use at work – organizing, planning, and coordinating staff – can be just as useful when managing your family.
Managing Employees in the Medical Practice
Is your practice legally compliant with employee practices and documentation? Do you have questions about how to handle an employee-performance issue? Do your employees know the expectations of their job and of your office? For practice managers and doctors seeking answers to employee policy and performance issues, it is essential to begin with a comprehensive human resource system. Efficiently acquiring the correct information is critical to the success of a practice.
Attention Practice Mangers! Week#2
Submit your entry for a chance to win a $25 Visa Gift Card in our weekly drawing.
How to Use Facebook to Promote Your Medical Practice
As a physician, you may think you don’t have time to use social media to engage your patients and colleagues and promote your medical practice. But social media is a rapidly growing phenomenon that is not going away. Our series on marketing your practice with social media is designed to help you maximize the effectiveness of social media with a minimal time investment. This article, the third in the series, focuses on Facebook.