Physicians Practice Pearls®

Tech demos often focus on standard features that don't tell the whole story. Take control by providing vendors with a list of the problems you want to solve.

Effective patient collections are becoming more critical to the financial health of your practice. Here are several strategies to help your practice get paid.

Patient portals aren’t just a cool marketing tool. In addition to helping a practice meet meaningful use, they are an important part of medical homes.

Reporting vaccine administration can be tricky. Practices should review most recent updates and be aware of differences between commercial and federal payers.

Employees who are "engaged" have greater commitment to the practice, and often go above and beyond their basic job descriptions.

Attending a conference shouldn't be done on the fly. If you prepare ahead of time and have a plan, you'll get the most value for your time.

Even dedicated staff can sometimes have tunnel vision. But unless team members work together to achieve practice-wide goals, productivity suffers.

I have a 95 percent success rate when attempting to gain “approval” for medically needed testing. Here are some of my success strategies.

Coming together to benefit from economies of scale is good for physicians and their patients. One way to do that is to form a super group.

There are all kinds of health apps that track blood pressure, medications, nutrition, you name it. Now Apple is entering the fray with the goal of interoperability.

Reviewing the definitions of modifiers first will ensure that applying a modifier goes from a game of chance to a sure thing.

Hiring mistakes can be costly, resulting in high turnover, reduced productivity, and lackluster moral. Here are some easy ways to refine your interviewing skills.

Illness can lead to trying and often tender times for patients and their loved ones. Here are five ways physicians can manage intimate patient encounters.

Done haphazardly or postponed until a month before a new physician starts, sloppy credentialing can spell cash-flow delays and more. Here's how to do it right.

It is important for practices to participate in patient-centered programs in order to focus their culture on improving the patient experience.

Information overload is emotionally unhealthy and can result in poor concentration, poor decision making, and an inability to get work done.

Claims are paid based on the CPT code submitted to the payer. The diagnosis code supports medical necessity and tells the payer why the service was performed.

Patient-centered care is not just for primary-care practices. Here's what you need to know about the Patient-Centered Specialty Practice program.

It's hard to know what your staff really thinks. However, finding out is important: good staff morale isn't a nicety, it's a necessity to the health of your practice.

Public speaking for medical professionals can be daunting. But adequate preparation and a clear vision of what you want to share will help ensure success.

Medical scribes can increase efficiency and the quality of chart documentation. Here's how to calculate your ROI if you choose to use scribes in your practice.

While the physician will set the tone for patient visits, staff members can and should help facilitate that process.

Happy patients are less likely to sue your practice. Develop your patient-staff relationships to keep them content.

Don't be seduced into thinking "more is better." Multitasking can actually slow down productivity in your practice.

Fifteen months into a direct-pay practice, this physician recommends building a financial reserve first for any physician considering a similar path.

If you participate in quality care programs be sure you have a good understanding of your data. Otherwise you could lose out on potential revenue from payers.

Physicians may feel they praise staff members, but, in reality many come up short. Here are guidelines for giving effective praise.

Sometimes patients show up for preventive care and an urgent problem. Should you eat the cost for one service? Or bill for both?