Question: What are the best ancillaries for internal medicine groups?
Answer: That depends on what you like to do, what your market's needs are, and what your payers are willing to cover. Here are some of the ideas we've seen lately:
- CT scans
- Botox
- Sleep labs
- Pulmonary function testing/spirometry
- Vitamins and other nutrition products
- Smoking cessation
- Weight loss clinics
- DEXA
- Hearing tests
Some keys to success include:
- Running your numbers carefully. How exactly will you bill for this new service? Can you make enough on it to cover your expenses? What's the break-even point, and when can you expect to reach it?
- Understanding exactly how you will ensure you have adequate, motivated staff to provide the service.
- Thinking about the impact this new service will have on your patient base. For example, offering Botox can change the type of patients you have in your waiting room.
- Having a plan for marketing the service to new and existing patients.
- Evaluating potential competitors. Can you out-perform them?
- Planning your scheduling for the service.