A little encouragement can go a long way in keeping your employees happy. Remember to recognize them for their accomplishments and thank them for a job well done.
A little encouragement can go a long way in keeping your employees happy. Remember to recognize them for their accomplishments and thank them for a job well done.
A little encouragement can go a long way in keeping your employees happy. Remember to recognize them for their accomplishments and thank them for a job well done.
At Practice Management we use multi-factor authentication — a layered defense security system that helps keep your patients’ protected heath information safe.
Our revenue cycle management and billing services utilize only the best security to safeguard your patients’ protected health information. Contact us today to learn more.
Mistakes made during the credentialing process can lead to slow reimbursements. We have the expertise to handle your credentialing and keep your revenue flowing.
Did you know: Engaged employees are 21% more productive
Happy employees are more productive. Providing a positive workplace that fosters growth and respects opinions can transform your practice.
Humanize your practice on your social media accounts by sharing pictures of your staff. Your followers will enjoy seeing the people behind your practice.
Making resolutions for the new year doesn’t have to be focused on personal development alone. You can also set professional goals to improve your health center in 2020. Even if you believed 2019 was a banner year, making a few minor tweaks to the way you operate your health center can yield incredible results. Don’t know where to start? Here are four suggestions to help make this year your best year yet.
We live in the digital era where convenience and efficiency rule. This is no different in the healthcare field. Providing your patients with a web portal where they can schedule appointments, access their records and communicate with your office is vital in our modern society. If you already have a web portal implemented, try to find ways to make improvements to make it even easier to access and navigate. Your patients will thank you.
Going to a health center can be quite stressful for patients, so having a well-trained, friendly staff should be at the top of your list for 2020. Your staff should be well versed in all your protocols, understand how to use the technology leveraged by your office and always be courteous to patients. If you believe you are lacking in one of these areas, provide training to make improvements. It will help deliver a better patient experience and can also reduce stress on your staff.
The revenue cycle for health centers is an ever-evolving process that can be downright complicated. Unfortunately, this means you are probably not taking advantage of your revenue potential. If you believe your revenue isn’t optimized it’s time to refocus your efforts in 2020 and make the necessary changes to reach your goals. You can make improvements in areas such as daily claim filing, payment posting, patient statement processing and even fix credentialing issues. Revenue optimization isn’t an easy task, so if your health center doesn’t have the expertise or the time, consider partnering with a reputable third-party company that can help you reach your full potential.
No matter which goals you choose to set for this year make them measurable. Creating goals that can’t be quantified makes tracking progress nearly impossible. For instance, the first suggestion involved improving patient access. You can measure how long it takes for a patient to access the web portal and schedule an appointment. Possibly one of your goals is to have a friendlier staff. Offer your patients the means to provide feedback utilizing a numerical scale to grade their experience dealing with your employees. Setting clear, measurable goals will make it easier for everyone to work toward meeting and possibly even exceeding your benchmarks.
Regardless of the goals you want to achieve this year, if you and your staff work hard at reaching them, 2020 will be a year to remember.
Bedside manner isn’t just for hospitals — it has to do with the general relationship between a doctor and their patients, as well as treatment. In fact, people expect more proficient bedside manner when it comes to their primary care physicians and the offices they frequent, because they have gotten to know these doctors, and hopefully vice versa. So is there a way for these smaller offices to build upon their bedside manner? Of course! We’ve come up with a few:
This is going to be your biggest and most easily obtained way to build your bedside manner, because empathy can take as little as sixty seconds. When we say “empathy” we mean the ability to relate to another’s thoughts, feelings, and circumstances — literally, “Oh, I feel you” or “I understand you.” It goes such a long way, and is worth every moment you spend using it. It doesn’t make the appointments any longer than they “need” to be, but rather makes lasting impressions on you as a caregiver, and will bring you closer to understanding your patient as a whole. Health is more than just physical, it’s also emotional and mental, so it’s important that you can connect with them at least a little bit.
Now, that doesn’t mean be blunt without any kind of buffer or filter over what you say. While it might work with some patients, a majority would rather have a softer conversation. What we mean by transparent is tell them what they need to know, when they want to know it. Unless you truly do not know the answer to their questions (in which case, be honest and try to find the answer ASAP), keep your responses to the point, and not vague.
It’s weird to think, but a lot of people see doctors as these otherworldly beings that are just plain hard to talk to. You don’t have to reveal your whole life story, but try to make yourself relatable to the patients — this goes hand in hand with the idea of empathy. If you can find common ground that both of you can stand on, then getting them to open up will be that much easier, as well as gain their trust.
Your job is to sit and listen to what the patient has to say, and listen to their concerns as well as their complaints. You can steer the conversation in the right direction, but the more you hear from the patient, the better they’re going to feel about your decision as a physician.
Empathy is going to be your biggest and best friend when it comes to bedside manner, so remember to put yourself out there, listen, and relate! You’ll see that your patients have a higher satisfaction level, and they’ll keep coming back!
A patient can come into a health clinic for a vast and often times overwhelming amount of reasons, and as a doctor or a nurse, it can be difficult to hone in on the problem given the small time frame we have. We all know, though, how important it is to have that relationship with the patient, and how bedside manner can even affect their health. So here are some tips on how to improve patient satisfaction!
These are just a few ways to help keep your patient satisfaction rate high and, by extension, the staff’s satisfaction high as well! Just remember that everyone is human with human concerns and worries; your patients are there seeking your help, so let’s give it to them!
As much as we hate to admit it, we are human. We live in bodies that are going to fall ill and get injured at least once in our lifetime, because that’s just how living, mobile creatures function. It’s part of survival. We also have to take into consideration that our surroundings and working conditions can greatly impact our health, and in turn, our work ability and the quality of said work. While there are, unfortunately, companies and places that do not believe that the health of their workers is important, the truth is that it’s one of the main things holding an organization together. Here’s why it’s so imperative:
Better work quality and productivity. If an employee knows that they’re safe if they need to take a sick day gives them tons of relief and more appreciation for the job, and therefore motivates them to do better and out-perform your competitors.
Happier employees. Keeping your workers comfortable is a big “YES” in the unofficial business handbook, because that happiness will trickle into their interactions with other employees, customers, and the general public, and ultimately to reviews and suggested clients. If your employees are healthy — both mentally and physically — they will tell everyone how great it is to work there.
Lower turnover rate. Meaning your employees, if they’re happy and healthy, will want to stay where they are. Say goodbye to that dreadful hiring and training process, because mentally sound and physically stable people won’t want to leave a place with such great benefits.
Reduces healthcare costs. If you already offer healthcare plans for your employees, that puts you a step ahead! There’s more to it, though, because you need to help enforce their healthy behaviors at work as well. Try to keep healthy snacks in the break room, give everyone a step count to reach for a special goal or prize, or even give them a “fun day” or a “de-stress day” for mental health purposes — remember, both are equally important.
Employees are really what makes any health center or organization flow smoothly; without the help, you are overwhelmed and not putting out any of your work goals and needs. So treat your employees like family; their health is important!
Starting up your own medical practice is a big deal; you get to be your own boss and put those long, grueling hours of hard studying and clinicals to good use. But where do you start? Is there a wrong and a right way to do it? Where’s the money coming from? Don’t sweat it! Here’s a list of the cheapest states to start a medical practice in!
#5. Utah:
This is the most “expensive” on this entire list. Your license to practice fee is roughly $200, and the majority of the state is comprised of national parks, but that also means fewer competitors in the field.
#4. North Dakota:
Their overall cost of living is straddling the national average, and your median home will be upwards of $200,000. However, healthcare is cheap and the air quality is amazing. There are fewer doctors in North Dakota as well, which will increase your chances for more clients. Your license fee is about $200.
#3. Michigan:
Michigan as a whole is relatively cheap when you compare it to the national average; housing, if not on the waterfront, is easy to come by, as is affordable as healthcare. There are, however, a larger amount of taxes. Your license to practice will cost you approximately $151.50, but you’ll have it in a month or two. The average home cost is very similar to that of Missouri – which is featured later in this list.
#2. Wisconsin:
In the cheese state, obtaining your license will cost you no more than $75, with the average wait time is between eight (8) and twelve (12) weeks. Wisconsin rides the country average when it comes to renting and owning homes or buildings, but that’s for the state as a whole, and not individual cities. There is also a dense population, promising you a bigger client base.
#1. Missouri:
You’ll find that Missouri is your go-to state for affordability; not only is your license to practice going to cost you a mere $75 with a two (2) to three (3) week waiting period, but it’s one of the cheaper states when it comes to housing. In places like St. Louis, you might find higher prices, but lesser cities will definitely show you a difference. The median home price in Missouri is $156,000.
A good thing to remember is that, the closer you get to one of the coasts, the more expensive it’s going to be. Whether it pays for itself truly depends on your neighbors, the other doctors, and competition, as well as your staff, affordability, and bedside manner. You have the chance to be great — go do it!