Practice Management

Not all office politics are inherently bad - the key is how individuals in a group work together to meet common goals, according to an expert.

Are you wondering how your dermatology practice can draw in more patients? Social media is the ideal platform to share your brand’s story, connect directly with target audiences and influence their opinion about your practice.

Dr. Derm has become very successful in his 20 years of practice. He now runs 16 offices with 82 employees - most of them full-time. Among his many coveted employees is his 37-year-old nursing clinical coordinator. She has worked with him for more than 10 years and oversees all of the many nurses and medical assistants in the office. Her role is of enormous importance to Dr. Derm and for this she is paid well.

A medical practice owner should spend some of his/her time working on the practice, not just in the practice. We know this because we have our own practice ourselves. Even if the owner works “on” the practice, however, if they ignore one fundamental legal contract, all of his/her work may be in jeopardy - as a single bad event could wipe out everything they have worked so hard to build.

Leaders in aesthetic medicine gathered last week in Las Vegas to share their pearls of wisdom on cosmetic treatments and best business practices to meet the changing needs of a dynamic patient market. Get the details of the valuable insight they exchanged.

My hospital requires documentation of how I spend my time, tabulated in hours per week, for one representative week every month, an exercise related to CMS funding. The time can be allotted among only three mutually exclusive categories: “Hospital Activities,” “Teaching Activities” and “Patient Care.” My university also quantifies my productivity in RVUs, clinical charges, grants submitted, grants awarded and publications.

Electronic medical record (EMR) systems should be considered the digital foundation of a medical practice, allowing practitioners to streamline everything from marketing to scheduling.

With medspas and new dermatology and cosmetic surgery practices popping up all over the place, standing out in the crowd can prove difficult.

Dermatologists have until Sept. 23 to put into place internal policies and procedures needed to comply with sweeping changes coming to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Making each patient visit unforgettably positive requires looking honestly at oneself and one’s practice, says an expert who spoke at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Getting payments from Medicare and other insurers promptly and accurately - and, for many Medicare physicians, continuing to receive payments - requires a strong detail orientation, says an expert who spoke at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Managing group dynamics requires recognizing and addressing a group’s developmental stage and the roles its members are playing - without judgment, an expert says.

Dermatologists still can thrive in small private practices - even in this healthcare environment, where bigger is arguably better.

When considering the best way to spend $100,000 on one’s practice, an expert who spoke at the Cosmetic Surgery Forum recommends a pragmatic approach.

Physicians have a lot on their mind these days and, of course, some of it stems from the tenuous concerns about healthcare reform at a time when they are so busy trying to manage their schedules they don’t have time to come up for air.

Smartphones are the newest distracter in the healthcare environment. A study of pediatric housestaff and faculty at a university-affiliated public teaching hospital noted that residents self reported missing a piece of clinical information in 19 percent of their cases and faculty in 12 percent of their cases due to distractions caused by smartphones.

Workplace violence not only compromises employee safety, it also has legal implications. In 1996, OSHA established federal guidelines for businesses implementing violence-prevention programs. The guidelines, although not mandatory, are often cited in workplace violence-related lawsuits.

When it comes to electronic health record (EHR) implementation, dermatology isn’t at the beginning - the naive stage - or at the end - where the technology is doing what it’s supposed to do. Dermatology is in what one might call the teenage years, an awkward, frustrating, but hopeful, time.

Successful social networking requires consistent messaging and a working grasp of how these media interconnect, says an expert who spoke at the Cosmetic Surgery Forum.

Even if a dermatologist has only a few minutes per visit to devote to patient education, taking a practical approach can boost the impact of these efforts, says Judith Hong, M.D., a third-year dermatology resident at the University of California, San Francisco.

To address a medical mistake or unsatisfactory outcome, Neil S. Prose, M.D., has a unique suggestion: “Imagine yourself on the opposite side of the table from the patient, with the problem in the middle. Then imagine what it would take to get on the same side of the table, working together.”

Dermatologists can provide value in the era of healthcare reform by realistically gauging the cost-effectiveness of many treatment strategies, according to an expert who spoke at the 71st annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology in Miami Beach, Fla.

A letter comes across your office fax machine indicating that your practice has been scheduled for an audit and site visit from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, a Medicare administrative contractor, or a zone program integrity contractor the next morning at 8 a.m. Sound far-fetched? This exact scenario is likely if your practice is scheduled for such a visit from the federal government or a government contractor. The timing is intended to give you little chance to prepare.

No matter how long you have been in practice, chances are you have encountered a toxic employee who poisoned the atmosphere of your workplace. If you don’t take action fast, such an employee can threaten your relationships with your patients and your staff, affecting your income in many ways.

E-prescribing has increased dramatically since 2008, according to a recent data brief from the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology.

A patient has melanoma in situ removed from her face and develops sepsis. She sues her doctor, claiming he should have explained that infection could lead to sepsis and death. Was his warning about the risk of infection enough? What is he required to disclose during his informed consent with his patient?

Electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) increases patient safety, experts say. This tool not only eliminates interpretation errors from handwritten prescriptions, it creates a communications bridge between the physician, pharmacist and patient.

Federal regulators are more closely scrutinizing some dermatologic surgery codes, including those that are considered the “bread and butter” for skin cancer repairs. And codes that are deemed misvalued could be cut by as much as one-third by Medicare. Commercial carriers could follow suit.

Many dermatologists are either implementing or considering implementing electronic medical records systems (EMRs) in their practices. Having just done this for my practice, I wanted to share a few thoughts that may be helpful for those who decide to join the “paperless” ranks in the next year or so.

Patients find physicians more approachable when they are wearing “business casual” dress, according to the results of a patient questionnaire. Respondents still prefer the hallmark white coat, however.