Patient Relations

At what point should an individual take responsibility for his health, and should there be a financial incentive/disincentive to influence that lifestyle?

As a PA, I routinely help families cope with illness and debilitation of a loved one, but it is much harder to be objective with your own parent.

I am a family doctor, always seeking out ways to see one more patient in the day, finding one more resource, helping one more patient through challenges.

There are many ways to structure your December marketing efforts. Be creative and don't forget to tailor your messages to your unique community of patients.

Eight facts about nurse practitioners that your medical practice can use when discussing these providers with patients.

Any patient can become violent or angry at your medical practice. Follow these tips to prevent an intense situation from sidetracking your treatment.

In order to thrive in the new healthcare environment, medical practices must take a proactive approach. Here are six key action items I recommend.

Patient growth is a priority for many practices and managing online reviews is a key driver.

Adding ancillary services may seem like a good idea. Before you commit, consider the fit with your practice and the total costs.

In the past, every time I saw these patients on my schedule, I just wanted to run out of my medical practice. Now I am grateful for the challenges they present.

There is a sense of the sacred in what we do. It is a privilege to share in our patients' lives - both the best and the worst times.

If your practice is beginning its first social media foray, consider starting with Facebook. Once you learn the ropes, then you can join the Twitter-verse.

Opening a concierge medical practice with no established patient base is challenging, but it's not impossible. Here's how one doctor did it.

A social media policy is critical for all medical practices. Here are three key items that every policy should include.

Opiate prescribing can be a high risk activity for doctors if compliance measures aren't implemented. This risk is magnified when dealing with celebrities.

The balance between medical failures and successes can be challenging to navigate. Yet, for our own benefit and sanity, we must accept our humanity.

Many of our patients employ treatments that we would never recommend, and others refuse treatments that we do recommend. Here's how we deal at our practice.

We asked physicians to share their most cringe-worthy professional moments. Here's what they said.

A great patient experience guarantees referrals, leads to great reviews on doctor rating websites, and enhances your medical practice's brand value.

Social media platforms are highly targeted methods for reaching prospective patients; ones your practice can't afford to ignore.

Don't rest on your laurels when it comes to community outreach. Be creative and reach out to patients in ways that are fun and meaningful.

This physician wonders why her patients so often refuse low-risk, high-benefit treatments because the media or family friends say they are dangerous.

Helping patients accept your nonphysician providers.

Combining forces to work as a team will increase your practice's chances of getting paid, and can actually decrease workload.

HIPAA is there for the protection of your patients, not to hinder communication or good customer service.