Patient Relations

Patient deductibles will continue to rise to record levels in 2015. Here's how to prepare your practice.

Information requests consume significant resources and represent a real area of risk for medical practices. Here are the top five actions you should take.

Despite the less than impressive state of online physician reviews, it is a factor you should consider in your medical practice marketing.

For hospice providers in both acute care and home settings, one item to place on your New Year's resolutions list is CAHPS Survey Implementation.

Here is Physicians Practice's list of the top health apps in 2014, for physicians and their patients. Featuring links to download the apps.

Mid-December is a great time to celebrate the year's successes and focus on what went right vs. what went wrong at your practice.

I always seek to provide a therapeutic interaction. However, I often seek it in the certainty of medical knowledge and behind the veneer of science.

Here's how to address and deescalate the situation when family members become disruptive or aggressive, and threaten to hinder patient care.

My medical practice donates to various organizations. Recently, I had an idea about how charitable giving could lead to a happier, more professional staff.

Did you ever call your medical practice to try to understand the first impression patients are getting? If not, you might be placing your reputation at risk.

We have all experienced patients who demand certain tests or treatments and see the physician’s role as rubber-stamping whatever is desired. Here's how to deal.

We know patients feel frustration with their physicians on some level. But, surprisingly, it's not always about the long wait.

Many practices struggle with providing same-day care. But in many cases, offering flexibility may mean the difference between keeping and losing a patient.

Here are a few small changes that I recommend that all physicians begin making to improve care coordination, communication, and follow-up care.

Drug-seeking patients are likely coming to your practice. Here's how to address the situation and, if necessary, end a physician-patient relationship.

As the New Year approaches, it is best to re-verify patients' insurance benefits to avoid a poor customer experience.

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.