Billing is way more than billing.In a typical medical practice, more than 300 insurance cards cross the front desk every month. The variety of plans and coverage along with the complexities of coding and the difference among payers requires expertise and technology to effectively manage accounts receivable, regardless of practice size.There are two basics required to manage your billing and accounts receivable -- a practice management system and a clearinghouse.The ...

Do you cringe when you hear the phrase "office meeting"? Some medical practices meet too frequently and some seldom meet, but others have it just right – routine meetings with preparation, an agenda, and follow-up. Your practice can get it right, too.And make no mistake, meetings are important. Medical practices, regardless of size, have a variety of positions that are not interchangeable, but do interact throughout the day.To make ...

Your staff members are your most important (and costliest) resource. Have you invested in them? Do they know what is expected of them? Have you asked them if they have what they need to do their jobs?Optimizing staff performance is a process. It starts with a plan, not the formal performance review.You can't do a successful performance evaluation without establishing accurate standards against which the employee's performance can be ...

Revenue Cycle Management. What does it mean? In a nutshell, it means taking steps to assure that you get paid for what you do and that you get paid in a timely fashion.The revenue cycle starts when the patient calls your office for an appointment and your staff captures the patient's name, phone number, and maybe the name of their insurance company.The cycle ends when the balance on their account ...

"How many staffers should we have per doctor?" was the opening question in a recent column . We looked at the impact of staff on provider productivity and ultimately practice profitability as an approach to address that question.In that piece, we focused primarily on clinical staff, but in this column, we'll dig even deeper into medical practice operations, looking at the way a practice utilizes nonclinical support staff for ...

"How many staffers should we have per doctor?" That's a question I'm asked at almost every seminar I present. Of course, like many good consultants, I almost invariably respond "it depends."One of the factors that needs to be considered is what jobs we're talking about -- clinical or front office. It's staffing in the clinical area that will do most to enhance a physician's productivity, so that's what we'll focus ...

Although every day can bring surprises in a medical practice, you can develop a clinical team that can optimize the efficiencies of your operation and make it easier for you to see your patients.There are three key areas that lead to provider frustration in daily operations: preparation and anticipation; the daily dance; and being in the moment. Address these, and your days should go more smoothly.Preparation and anticipationAre your charts ...

The daily appointment schedule is often a sore spot in everyone's day:* Patients aren't completely satisfied because they can't get an appointment when they want one. * Physicians feel they've lost control of their day when the flow is not running smoothly and they fall behind and patients complain. * Nurses and medical assistants are frustrated at the hodgepodge of types of appointments that get scheduled seemingly without any consideration for timing ...