Practice Builders »
Managing Office Staff: What Podiatry Can Learn From The Airline Industry
Some might argue right out of the gate that running a practice the way the airline industry runs their airlines might be a downright disaster, especially in the area of time management. I might have once agreed as I have had my share of delays. However, when you consider that a major airline like Continental (now United) had as of August logged in 6,000 flights per day and shows an overall 85 percent success rate with departures and an 82 percent success rate with arrivals during the months of May and June 2011, the airline’s reputation is not as bad as you might have believed.1
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A Guide To Achieving CMS ‘Meaningful Use’ Standards
In January 2011, I ventured into solo practice after being in a group practice since completing my residency training in 2004. In group practice, charting was for the most part traditional. I utilized voice dictation very efficiently with pre-set “macros” creating a Word document for each patient visit. The system saved, printed and signed the documents for each visit. The staff placed labs, operative reports, discharge summaries and all other faxes in patient charts. Staff pulled charts and re-filed them each day.
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How To Hire The Right People For Your Practice
The owner/manager of a podiatry practice is tasked with three important functions. These functions are as follows: performing and promoting a medical service for which there is a sufficient demand; hiring the right people and putting them in the right positions to help provide this service in a competitive marketplace; and providing the leadership and guidance for those people who will help the practice prosper over time.
Practice Builders »
Elevating Patient Care And Ancillary Revenue With Online Product Fulfillment
Running a practice has many challenges. In a perfect world, our patients would be our only focus. However, as we know, there are many other issues vying for our attention. As if the day-to-day realities of managing staff and keeping a practice running were not challenging enough, there are factors that can actually set it back. These factors include rising overhead costs, shrinking insurance reimbursements and dwindling revenue.
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Secrets To Bringing An Entrepreneurial Edge To Your Practice
I have always felt that physicians needed a simple business model to manage their practices. After reading almost every business book on the planet, I was fortunate to read a book called Traction: Get a Grip On Your Business by Gino Wickman three years ago and was fascinated by the business process.1 I saw an immediate application in the Village Podiatry model. As a result, our group has grown 35 to 40 percent per year over the last three years using many of the tools outlined in the book.
Practice Builders »
Key Insights On Integrating EHR Into Your Practice
The challenges of integrating a new practice management system and electronic health records (EHR) system into your practice can be tremendous, especially with a busy practice. However, these upgrades can increase efficiency and potentially reduce the need for additional staff members, thereby improving your bottom line.
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Can Coaching Help You Meet Your Professional Goals?
Many people spend much more time thinking about what to do next weekend than what to do with the rest of their lives. This type of short-term thinking tends to lead to a lack of achievement and, on a societal level, the type of economic, environmental and political problems our country faces today.
Forty years ago, Earl Nightingale was a well-known speaker, especially for his program The Strangest Secret.1 This secret is that people actually become what they think about most of the time. So I ask you now, “What do you think about most of the time?”
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How To Set Up A Cosmetic Care Room In Your Practice
The first question podiatrists ask after they decide to add cosmetic services to their practice is “How do I set up a room?” Some believe it will be quite an undertaking. Others think it will be a breeze and can be done in one day. Either may be true, according to their vision of the concept, but they should know that these rooms are different than traditional podiatry treatment rooms. They should also know the overall setup and appearance contributes to the success of the cosmetic services part of their practice.
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Keeping Patients In Your Practice: A New Paradigm For Treating Infections
It is vital to have a network of multidisciplinary specialists to whom one can refer patients. While appropriate referrals are key to ensuring optimal outcomes, the DPM should take the lead in facilitating the best treatment choices for patient care.
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Why You Should Add A Medical Nail Technician To Your Practice
I believe the podiatry field is in a crisis. With the aging of the baby boomers, we have seen an explosion of patients with diabetes and non-invasive foot care into our offices. At the same time, co-pays are rising steadily while reimbursement decreases bit by bit, and insurance companies are refusing more claims. The results are higher workloads but lower income and profit in our practices. Unfortunately, this duality results in a rise in practice failures. What can we do to solve this dilemma?
