Operations

Hurricane Katrina was a stark reminder that the worst thing that can happen sometimes does. Be ready before the clouds darken.

Midlevel providers can be a god-send to a busy practice, but you need to know how to best integrate them into your workflow.

Effectively treating patients requires more than good clinical skills. Just as important is learning how to listen.

Another selection from our popular weekly e-mail newsletter. This month: How to make call duty fair.

Some physician board meetings are bastions of inefficiency, hard feelings, and finger-pointing. Don’t let bad meetings split up a good practice.

Another selection from our popular weekly e-mail newsletter. This issue: dealing with cancellations.

Our weekly e-mail newsletter covers all the bases. Here's a favorite.

It's not clear yet if "concierge medicine" - sometimes called retainer-based practice - is truly the wave of the future, but it's certainly more than just a passing fad. Is this style of practice right for you?

Many practices focus time and money on appealing denied claims - a good strategy, if necessary. But wouldn't you rather avoid denials altogether?

Patient satisfaction surveys are becoming more common in private practice. What do you do when your patients are unhappy?

Too many practices are devising telephone protocols for their convenience rather than that of their patients. Turning off the phones isn't a solution. These tips can help you provide better service without overwhelming your staff.

Karen Stuart, MD, thought she was making her life easier when she quit delivering babies to focus solely on gynecology. Instead, she got a lot poorer. We help her turn it around.

Here's some help for strengthening your methods of verifying patient eligibility - and some startling data on why you shouldn't overlook this practice.

With malpractice lawsuits and pay-for-performance schemes on the rise, it's more important than ever to get patients to follow your advice - but it's also more challenging. We help you sharpen your teaching skills.

She started medical school at middle age. But life experience gave her little advantage when it came time to manage a practice.

We asked America's leading practice management experts to dish on the biggest, most common mistakes they see. And boy, did they ever. Find out whether you're making any errors - and what to do about it if you are.

A well-run office requires policies on everything from billing to no-shows. Make sure your patients know what your rules are. And ensure they stick to them.

This new column will give you the tools you need to diagnose and solve your office's problems. First up: Are you a high performer?

Anyone can step on a scale, but knowing how to interpret the number staring back at you is a little tougher. Understanding how your practice is faring requires knowing a little about how the other guys are doing. That's where benchmarking comes in.

Ten surefire ways to improve patient flow and get more "touch time" with your patients.

Practice of the Year 2005 Runners-Up: River Rose Obstetrics & Gynecology

Practice of the Year 2005 Runners-Up: Southeast Texas Medical Associates

Practice of the Year 2005 Runners-Up:  The Thyroid Surgery Center of Texas, P.A.

Turnover, collections, and patient flow problems beg for policies with physician backing.

2005 Practice of the Year: This OB practice really delivers the goods! Learn how its total patient focus put it over the top.