Productivity

When it comes to creating happier patients, skip the perks in the waiting room and instead focus on boosting the morale of your staff. Here’s how.

Seasoned practice owners and administrators know the importance of setting practice goals, both short and long term.

Mainstream EHR vendors have gotten better at catering to physicians in specialties outside of primary care, but don't count out niche EHR vendors. We help you examine your purchasing options.

Chances are you are going to get audited in the next few years. But don’t panic - use our audit guide to get your practice prepared instead.

Advance preparation is your key to successfully managing the ICD-10 conversion. Here’s what your practice needs to know and do to get ready.

Abstracted with permission from Chapter 4 of The Toyota Way by Jeffrey Liker. This chapter summarizes the principles of lean manufacturing, now being used in medical practices. Order the book at www.amazon.com.

A sample review form for staff performance.

Detailed elements to consider when reviewing workflow in your office. Use this checklist to help define staff responsibilities and best methods to make workflow seamless.

Hospitalist admit billing; coding for pre-op exam; selecting high vs. moderate risk.

It’s expensive, time-consuming, and practically a prerequisite for practicing medicine today. But does board certification make you a better physician? You might be surprised by the answer.

Physician profiling is used by payers to steer their members to in-network physicians who, by their measures, are the most cost-efficient and provide the highest quality of care. Wonder if you’ve made the grade? Look yourself up in a provider directory: if you see a star or two beside your name, you’ve been profiled.

If your idea of effective marketing is a Yellow Pages ad, then you need some help. We show you clever, cheap, and effective ways to get the word out about how great your practice is.

Coding is hard. It’s tedious. Yet it is how you get paid for the services you perform. So we asked the experts where things go wrong most of the time - and how to fix them.

Problem visits with counseling; coding for suture removal; mixing exam types?

It is easy to fall prey to the pressure to update your own office building. But before you do, there are a few things you should consider.

Most practices waste scads of money - then wonder why they need a microscope to see their bottom line. To keep you on the right road, we’ve posted the signs to a more efficient and productive practice.

Does your medical practice have a Web site? If so, you are on your way to building a patient portal.

As December comes to a close, you realize that your practice has survived another year.

Have you heard about that “free” electronic medical records system that your local hospital, vendor, or the government is offering? Sounds good, right? But be careful. While there are ways to get EMR software for little or no cost, there are still expenses (and sometimes other strings) attached.

In many practices, partner conflict is as common as nasal infections. It may be easy to “let it go,” but that can lead to unprofessional conduct. Here’s how to diffuse disagreements and preempt disputes.

Is your practice in the market for a new EHR or other new technology you’re not all that familiar with? Or do you want to upgrade some outdated software or IT tool, and you’re not sure how to start looking? Physicians Practice’s new Product Assessment Worksheet, adapted from a checklist created by New Jersey’s Regional Women’s Health Group, can help you compare products and ensure they are appropriate for your office’s specific needs.

You’re ready to buy an EMR. But how do you know which one is right for your practice?