March/April 2017

In order to provide high levels of patient care and safety, leaders in the healthcare industry must be able to motivate employee compliance, adherence to policies and preference, and, at a minimum, the following of directions.

This article discusses the deadly sins of a medical practice and what each physician and each practice manager can do to combat those sins or mistakes.

One of the best ways to increase revenue is to look at the office’s scheduling practices and find ways to become more efficient and productive. Working with staff, offering scripts, and monitoring work flow will help accomplish effective and strategi...

This article provides four critical steps to a successful patient portal launch along with some tips from one practice manager who has implemented a portal successfully.

Although we do not know what the Trump administration will do, we can be assured of this: healthcare is a complex problem that will not be solved easily or overnight.

This article reviews what medical providers and suppliers need to know about the September 2016 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services-issued final Emergency Preparedness Rule. This rule outlines the requirements for all providers and suppliers in ...

This article addresses the importance of relationships between physicians and the administrative leader. The goal should be to develop a relationship based on trust, competence, and mutual respect.

In the course of your career, you may find yourself managing one or more employees who dislike—or even hate—you. This is not a problem that is likely to get better on its own. Fortunately, there are many things that you can do if you suspect that one...

Although practices should perform some internal auditing, if this is the only auditing done, there is the risk of the “fox watching the henhouse” effect. There are many considerations in establishing an audit program for physician practices, but the ...

This article reviews the basics of the transition from volume-based to value-based reimbursement, summarizes the latest government healthcare programs under the Affordable Care Act, and explores what providers need to know to navigate the transition ...

In this article, I explore the business case and financial issues in expanding the use of RNs in primary care.

This article reviews the nature of one of the fully qualifying Advanced APMs, the Next Generation Accountable Care Organization (ACO) Model, and its risk–benefit sharing principles based on prior experience with the Medicare Shared Savings Program an...

Nonphysician practitioners such as nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) are being called upon to provide more services in a greater variety of settings. This article discusses these developments, their impact on healthcare deliver...

This is the first in a three-part series of articles intended to guide medical practice managers through the maze of the innovative, yet complex regulations that will affect the amounts paid to healthcare providers by Medicare for at least the next t...