New Year, New Opportunities

Whether you've experienced anticipation or anxiety, 2014 is upon us.

The year when full implementation of the Affordable Care Act becomes a reality is no longer on the horizon, but right in front of medical practices nationwide. With it comes a number of likely changes at your medical practice, ranging from new regulations to new patients to, possibly, new staff roles and responsibilities.

As the saying goes, with change comes opportunity and you'll do what's best for your medical practice and your staff.  And Physicians Practice will continue to help you along your path, offering relevant solutions-based articles to help you meet tomorrow's challenges. But for us, change is also afoot.

We have a brand new Physician Advisory Board, comprised of private-practice physicians of varying specialties from across the nation, to help guide our editorial team in giving you the tips and advice you need at your medical practice. These physicians, like you, are on the front line every day and will help us ensure we get you the information you need to be successful.  See their names on page 4 in this issue and learn more about each member at http://bit.ly/2014-PAB.

And to continue meeting our 20+ year goal of providing practical, proven solutions to the real-world concerns your practices face, we are unveiling a new column in 2014: Business 101.  Starting with this issue, we'll get back to basics on running a medical practice from a business standpoint. In this issue, we'll discuss creating and following a strategic plan and in upcoming issues, we'll look at managing finances, creating a strong team, and other aspects to boost your office's business prowess.

We've also tweaked some of our existing columns, including a direct request from our readers to provide more digital guidance for their practices. So each month, our Noteworthy column will feature an "App of the Month," to help you expand your knowledge of digital tools, communicate with patients, and serve other functions to aid you and your employees in running your practice.

We also will continue to create great digital magazines, providing tablet editions that contain some of our most popular content  highlighted with audio, video, and interactive elements (more on that here: http://bit.ly/PhysPract4iPad).

And if you like us in print and online, what about in person? Stay tuned for some exciting announcements about Physicians Practice bringing its signature practice-management expertise to a location near you, through our new Practice Rx events. We'll provide in-depth presentations and thought-provoking discussions to address key challenges you are facing in private practice.

Since this is our January 2014 issue, let us be the first to welcome you to the new year of change and new possibilities: for us here at Physicians Practice and for you and your medical practice. Let's work together to ensure that this year is a successful one and results in a positive impact on operations at your office. We're here to help, so just let us know how.

Keith L. Martin is the executive editor of Physicians Practice. Is there something else you'd like to see from Physicians Practice in 2014? Tell us at editor@physicianspractice.com. Unless you say otherwise, we'll assume that we're free to publish your comments in upcoming issues of Physicians Practice, in print and online.

This article originally appeared in the January 2014 issue of Physicians Practice.