Look ahead to your office’s future
Besides considering how the office affects your current practice, think about how the facility fits into your future. Offices often hinder doctors ability to change the way they practice. Don... Read More >
Charging a re-billing fee
nbsp I ran across a physician practice that has begun charging a rebilling fee beginning at days. They clearly state on their patient statements that the rebilling fee will be... Read More >
Communicate effectively with referring physicians
When it comes to ensuring your referral sources last, spend time giving your referrers what they most want-timely and effective communication. When a new referrer enters your market, make contact.... Read More >
Physician Fee Schedule Promises Significant Reimbursement Changes in the Coming Year
by Julie E. Kass and Mark A. Stanley, Ober Kaler, www.ober.com CMS has released its Calendar Year CY Final Rule with Comment Period for practitioners who are paid under the... Read More >
Starting physician salary information
nbsp The HealthCare Group s Physician Starting Salary Survey for is an excellent source of starting salary information. It also includes information on issues like covenants not to compete. You... Read More >
Job description for managing physician/director in a group practice
Role Profile Managing Physician Director in a Group Practice GENERAL SUMMARY OF DUTIES The Managing Director is the elected representative of the Board of Directors. This representation is both external... Read More >
Exit interviews
nbsp The value of exit interviews is directly correlated to what you will do with the information, and the number of interviews you do. If you have a low number... Read More >
Promote cultural competency
Cultural differences between patients, staff, and physicians pose barriers to true patient involvement. Such differences can occur in thoughts, communications, customs, beliefs, and values. Cultural competence, therefore, is integrating the... Read More >
Deceased patients with unpaid balances
How are you managing the accounts of deceased patients when they have a balance? If you were told there is no estate, are you confirming this with the courts? Do... Read More >
Advantages to hospital employment?
Here are a few of the most common advantages I hear out there for a physician s employment by a hospital A stable financial circumstance, including, but not limited to... Read More >
Unauthorized prescription call in
nbsp Suppose a clinical employee comes to you and says that she overheard one of your RN s calling in a prescription yesterday for her daughter. As best the employee... Read More >
Employee policy handling lax work effort that may lead to internal theft
nbsp A medical practice recently had two instances of what appears to be cash theft by an employee. The staff in the reception area that handles the cash boxes had... Read More >
Registration evaluation
nbsp Does the staff make it a priority to accurately gather and enter the necessary registration information for each patient? Yes No Do they know what information is necessary to... Read More >
Some things just don’t change
nbsp I ran across the following email post from April, for some reason I kept it in one of my Outlook folders and after reading it, I can see why... Read More >
Lawyers Warn: Bosses Who ‘Friend’ Are Begging to Be Sued
nbsp Tresa Baldas The National Law Journal October , Bosses who friend their subordinates on social networking sites may seem warm and harmless, but they ve got liability risk written... Read More >
Schedule for patient convenience
Physicians used to be advised to keep their office hours during the civilized part of the day-between a.m. and p.m. Things have changed, however. Now you must increasingly apply marketing... Read More >
Use caution when discussing your malpractice case
You may be tempted to ask a physician friend to review your malpractice case to determine whether you are missing anything. Resist this temptation. The rules of malpractice cases do... Read More >
Practice has cure for insurance paperwork – avoidance
Patients frustrations with health insurance paperwork are well-known. But it s also a frustrating tangle for doctors and their staffs. CNN reports about one innovative practice that has decided to... Read More >
IRS announces 2010 pension plan & social security wage limits
Pension Plan Amounts The major pension plan and related amounts will stay the same for . This means that the following amounts will remain unchanged from their amount benefit limit... Read More >
Train & monitor your front desk personnel – a personal story
After finishing a meeting yesterday in the Medical Center, I decided to walk down the street a couple of blocks to say hello to a client. As I entered the... Read More >
IRS Unveils Retirement Plan Navigator
nbsp The IRS announced a new Web-based tool to help small businesses i.e. medical practices determine which tax-favored pension plan best suits their needs and how to keep the plan... Read More >
Three key objectives for efficient scheduling
As office volume becomes ever more crucial to economic survival, you ll have to schedule patient visits as efficiently as possible. How can you reach the golden mean? Three pointers... Read More >
Updating fee schedules appropriately
Knowing the importance of updating your rates is only half the battle. Now you must actually take care of your fee schedule. If you still feel uncomfortable raising prices and... Read More >
Try to predict your practice needs
I often urge physicians to ask two often overlooked questions when thinking of hiring a new colleague Can you get Dr. New on the panel with your major managed care... Read More >
Pay partners for taking on extra duties
Aside from your top physician leader, the increasing complexity of medical practice creates the need for physicians in all size groups to kick in with various aspects of running the... Read More >
Patient satisfaction surveys – put in online
In today s electronic age, it just doesn t make sense to send out patient satisfaction surveys on paper. I bet most of your patients have email and access to... Read More >
Repayment or compensation? When does intent occur?
Here is a common scenario the physician-owner takes out money from his or her medical practice for one reason then later decides to characterize it differently. For example, the physician... Read More >
Terminating a payor contract
nbsp Deciding to terminate a payor contract is always a tough proposition, especially when a payor contract provides you with a lot of your revenues. However, sometimes you just have... Read More >
2010 OIG Work Plan
The Office of Inspector General OIG , Department of Health amp Human Services, released its Work Plan for fiscal year . The Work Plan describes the work the OIG plans... Read More >
FMV compensationand work RVUs
nbsp Suppose a hospital is proposing a new method compensating its physicians based upon a WRVU work relative value unit model. The physicians will be paid a base salary based... Read More >
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Accounting and Tax Services Litigation Support Managed Care Consulting Managed Care Contract Negotiations Medical Practice and Healthcare Entity Valuation Medical Practice Assessment Medical Practice Brokerage Medical Practice Embezzlement Consulting Medical Practice Management Medical Practice Merger Advice Medical Strategic Planning Newsletter Personal Financial Planning Oversight Physician Compensation Models Physician Compliance Physician Financial Management Services Retirement UncategorizedAbout Reed Tinsley, CPA
As a top advisor to physicians, I help increase practice profits by delivering hands-on, expert medical accounting/tax support, practice counsel, and revenue-building strategies. Read More >
