The most critical part to a medical practice’s success is its staff. You could say that the care the practice provides is the most important, but you can’t have awesome care without an awesome staff. From front desk workers to patient care technicians to doctors, the people your patients encounter are critical to the success of your practice. To keep people coming back and choosing you over one of the many other practices out there, you not only have to wow them with your care but with your staff too. People are much more likely to come back if they’re greeted with a smile…

As a medical practice owner, perhaps the only thing more complicated than understanding medical billing is making the decision to keep billing in-house or to outsource it. I wish I could say there was a right decision. The right answer, however, varies by the uniqueness of each medical practice. There are, however, some consideration points for you to ponder as you decide the best option for your business. Ponder Point #1: Customer Service … Customer service is the most important thing you provide at your medical practice, and no matter where your billing is done, this mantra must remain…

It’s the digital age, people! Wake up and smell the internet! If your clinic, hospital, or office doesn’t have a website, you are way past due for one. Or maybe you have a website but it looks like it is still from the ages of dial up connections… then you’re in dire need of a facelift. Many people don’t know just how important a website can be to their medical practice. People rely so heavily on the internet these days, that the first thing they’ll do when they’re looking for a new provider or a quick place to receive medical care is hop online to a…

Imagine: You wake up one morning feeling absolutely awful. Your body aches. Your nose is running. The room feels like it’s spinning. You’re afraid if you try to eat breakfast you won’t be able to keep it down. You get your spouse to drive you to the doctor. You approach the front desk and try to check in, but the girl behind the glass just stares blankly at you, not understanding a word you are saying. She speaks back, and you also have a hard time understanding her. Another young woman approaches and speaks to you, her words garbled. You understand most of what she says…

Many of you readers are either already physicians in a freestanding ER or in an urgent care facility, or you’re considering starting up one of your own. It’s crucial to understand, though, the difference between the two, as well as the laws that are set in place that affect both types of facilities. These laws are the same as the ones in place for any medical practice, but it won’t hurt to get a little refresher! Freestanding ERs are emergency center facilities that are not attached to a hospital. Pretty self-explanatory, right? Even though they are emergency centers, not…

One of the most important features of your medical practice is your front desk staff. Of course, they aren’t directly providing care for the patients that drop by your clinic or office, but they are the face of your business. If your front desk is lazy or rude, it doesn’t matter how amazing the care you provide is… odds are, patients aren’t going to want to come back if they had a bad experience before seeing you. A bad front desk staff can sour the already negative feelings associated with having to visit a doctor. People want to feel like they are cared about when…

What is medical necessity? And why do coders keep talking about it? Of course, the patient’s treatment was medically necessary. What does this have to do with documentation? Medical necessity and medical decision making are not the same thing. Per the CPT codebook, medical decision making refers to the complexity of establishing a diagnosis and/or selecting a management option. This is measured by three different components: number of diagnoses or treatment options, the amount and/or complexity of data reviewed, and the level of risk of complications and/or morbidity or mortality.

Some changes are coming to Medicare numbers and cards soon. Starting in April 2018 the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will start distributing these new cards to their members with complete transition aimed for April 2019. Current and future members, will all receive a version of these updated cards. There will be a transition period that lasts until the end of 2019. Although, your business processes and systems for Medicare billing, claims status, eligibility must be ready by April 2018 for transactions. So, what’s going to be different? Social Security Numbers (SSN)…

You most likely opened your medical practice to help people, but you may not have fully grasped the business aspect of it all. Just like the retail store down the street, you should market to your audience. You may not be selling a product to clients, but you are selling a service—your healthcare. You need to encourage people to visit your clinic or office instead of your competitors. But how do you draw in more patients? You have to start marketing. Odds are, you’re not sure where to start. Luckily, Medical Practice Success is here to help with a few helpful tips to get your practice more…

It’s always hard to get money from patients when they visit your healthcare establishment, especially when they are suddenly shocked by a high deductible price. Often, the patients will get upset with you, even though the price of their deductible isn’t your fault. You don’t want to be the bad guy and make them pay that much, but you are a business, after all, and you need revenue to keep your business going. They may want to pay later, but that may result in you not getting paid. So, what’s the best way to handle this situation? Patients aren’t often prepared to…