Practice management
Ancillary services | Buying, selling or merging a practice | Center for practice innovation | Coding/documentation | Compensation | Liability issues | Marketing | Pay-for-performance | Practice briefs | Practice finances | Practice re-engineering | Quality measures | Staffing issues | Tort reform
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Ancillary services
Adding cosmetic procedures lifts internists’ sagging incomes
Stagnating incomes encourage some primary care physicians to add botulinum toxin injections and chemical peels to their menu of services
February '08
'Want a stress management class with your physical?'
Bringing ancillary services in-house offers patients one-stop shopping while boosting your bottom line. (January-February 2006)
For these internists, in-house ancillary services can boost revenue—and physician morale
A look at how some internists are bringing services like X-rays, treadmill testing and bone densitometry into their offices. (November 2003)
Coming soon: more changes to the CLIA regulations
A look at how the latest revisions might make life easier for physicians with labs (February 2003)
What internists need to know about the new Stark law
Final rules clarify when you can refer a patient for Medicare services and steer clear of anti-kickback problems (January 2002)
Is your waived lab compliant? Try these four tips
To avoid problems, know the limits of a waiver certificate and document well (September 2001)
With ancillary services, you can do well by doing good
New equipment like X-ray machines can boost your practice's bottom line (October 2000)
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Buying, selling or merging a practice
PMC Tips
Dividing the pie by keeping it simple
May '08
Look before you leap onto practice merger bandwagon (October 2007)
Practice Tips
Starting up: Make or buy? (May 2007)
Starting a new practice? Revised handbook can help. (June 2003)
Want to start a practice? The College has tools to help
A College guide explains how to plan for and build a successful practice (April 2003)
In tough markets, three primary care groups are learning how to make their size count
Making sure that bigger is better (October 2002)
As doctors leave hospital practices, some are finding a 'soft landing'
As they part ways, some hospitals are helping physicians make the jump to keep patient referrals coming (January 2001)
Uncertain times for doctors who sold
How some practices are being affected by post-acquisition blues (June 1998)
Building—and rebuilding—a physician group for the future
An area's gastroenterologists join to accept and manage single-specialty capitation for gastroenterology (March 1998)
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Center for practice innovation
In-office lab tests augment patient self-education efforts
Fifth in a six-part series on small practice issues.
May '08
Managing risk: a little attention equals a lot of prevention
Fourth in a six-part series on small practice issues.
April ’08
The front-office bottleneck: schedules, phones and refills
Third in a six-part series on small practice issues
ACP’s Center for Practice Innovation found that about half of the practices it observed as part of its quality improvement project had problems with phone communication, scheduling and the prescription refill process. The good news is that the bottleneck can be loosened with some relatively simple changes.
March ’08
Staffing can make or break a small practice
In a quest to unveil common problems for small practices and offer solutions, the College's Center for Practice Innovation visited 34 practices across the U.S. over a two-year period. Part one of the six-part series looks at the unique staffing issues faced by small offices. (January 2008)
New ACP center kicks off second phase. (May 2006)
CPI now accepting practice applications. (March 2006)
Help is on the way for small-physician practices
This month, the new Center for Practice Innovation opens its doors for business. (January-February 2006)
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Coding/documentation
Practice Rx
February '08
Tamper-resistant Medicaid prescriptions, billing for PAs (November/December 2007)
'Modest' ICD-9 updates must go into effect on Oct. 1 (October 2007)
Reimbursement relies on timely processing by others (September 2007)
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Compensation
Physician is final arbiter on accuracy of EMR coding
Also, admissions, observation and discharges can span multiple days—the code depends on the cirumstances. (July-August 2007)
More tips and pearls to participate in Medicare’s PQRI (June 2007)
Medicare’s new bonus program offers chance to profit (June 2007)
Groups unite for PCMH (June 2007)
Physicians adapt offices to cope with Medicare Part D
Many practices have appointed 'Part D specialists' to handle prior authorizations and drug formulary plans. (March 2007)
Access fees have physicians moving cautiously
Doctors considering access fees are concerned about legal questions, patient backlash and getting ahead of the pack. (April 2004)
Group visits can save time, but are they right for you?
The new trend in scheduling group visits makes both physicians and patients happy. (April 2004)
Internal medicine takes a hard look at itself during summit on revitalization
Leaders at a two-day meeting on revitalizing the specialty discuss ways to re-tool education, reimbursement and the practice environment. (December 2003)
Small-group strategies for revamping physician pay
Basing pay on collections, not charges, and dividing expenses fairly can help avoid infighting (December 1999)
Changing physician pay can boost autonomy
Experts say 'gainsharing' and other strategies get physicians more involved in how care is managed (December 1998)
Pointers on how to divide income among physicians
From 'eat-what-you-kill' plans to incentives for attending meetings, groups are creating new ways to pay (November 1998)
Getting your fair share? Tips on distributing income
Develop a payment system that rewards hard work (October 1996)
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Liability issues
PMC Tips
Follow a few simple steps to ensure safety
March ’08
Why the nation's toughest elder abuse laws make some California physicians nervous
Problems include onerous reporting requirements and threats from malpractice attorneys (March 2003)
As the malpractice crisis enters year two, doctors and insurers flee some markets
In addition to facing double-digit premium hikes, doctors in some states are losing access to malpractice coverage as insurers flee (April 2002)
With malpractice costs skyrocketing, some physicians are talking 'crisis'
Fallout of the litigious environment includes recruiting problems and defensive medicine (April 2001)
How to make sure your archived records are safe
Soggy or lost records not only jeopardize patient care—they can also lead to legal headaches (July/August 1999)
Guidelines from malpractice insurers?
New protocols designed to counter lawsuits from 'errors in diagnosis' (November 1998)
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Marketing
Patients examine doctors through online rating services. (December 2006)
New Feature - Practice Tips
Low-budget tools to market your practice
"PMC Tips" is a new regular feature on small-practice management from ACP's Practice Management Center. (November 2006)
'Want a stress management class with your physical?'
Bringing ancillary services in-house offers patients one-stop shopping while boosting your bottom line. (January-February 2006)
CCA publication can help you market your practice
Learn more about marketing medical services to managed care plans, patients and employers in order to bring new patients to your practice (December 1999)
10 tips to make marketing work for your practice
In addition to drawing new business, a good marketing plan can help keep existing patients happy by making them feel good about their physician (September 1998)
How to increase your referrals—and your revenue
For subspecialists, personal relationships tend to generate more referrals than professional reputation (January 1998)
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Pay-for-performance
Qualify for quality: CMS offers 1.5% reporting bonus. (May 2007)
Is P4P the next great idea or a passing fad? (May 2007)
Don't wait for all the answers to start measuring quality
Practices should lay the groundwork for quality measurement as College and others grapple with logistics. (June 2006)
Pay for performance disrupts the physician patient relationship. (May 2006)
How to stay ahead of the curve on quality improvement
To keep overhead costs from spiraling way out of control, practices must start small and embrace change. (May 2006)
Teamwork is the new mantra for quality improvement
Getting staff working to the 'top of their license' can make or break quality and pay-for-performance projects. (April 2006)
What can go wrong with pay-for-performance incentives
Because the road to quality improvement contains so many pitfalls, here are some traps to look out for. (March 2006)
College taking lead role in pay-for-performance planning
Physicians need to have a decisive voice in how these programs are designed. (March 2006)
CMS initiative paves way for physician pay-for-reporting
The voluntary program allows doctors to test the waters without a big investment in information technology. (January-February 2006)
Want patients to keep coming back? Ask for their input
Scoring well on patient satisfaction surveys can improve care and boost your pay-for-performance rewards. (January-February 2006)
Letters
Readers discuss pay for performance. (January-February 2006)
Minimizing the hidden costs of quality improvement
To hold on to the maximum amount of performance incentives, physicians take steps to streamline workflow. (December 2005)
Wrapping physicians' minds around quality improvement
Anger and denial can be major barriers to improving patient care and gearing up for pay for performance. (November 2005)
Setting the pay-for-performance bar: simple is better
The hard part is getting physician consensus—and making sure teamwork supports the standards you choose. (October 2005)
Online editorial addresses performance measurement. (July-August 2005)
Alliance adopts a uniform set of clinical pay-for-performance measures
The measurement set could be incorporated into nationwide pay-for-performance programs by next year. (June 2005)
Market forces push pay-for-performance
College takes leading role to make sure physicians help craft national standards. (May 2005)
Pay-for performance takes off in California
First bonus checks are slim, but physicians plan to stay the course to improve quality. (January-February 2005)
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Practice briefs
Practice Tips
Mind your reminders … (November/December 2007)
Practice Tips
Getting paid for mobility (October 2007)
Practice Tips
E&M billing by the hour (September 2007)
Practice Tips
Ring! Ring! Ring! Ring! (July-August 2007)
Practice Tips
'Anything else?'—The secret to effective communication (June 2007)
Practice Tips: This clause should give you pause before taking the job. (April 2007)
Practice Tips: Waived Testing—What is that?? (March 2007)
Five simple ways to smooth scheduling. (January-February 2007)
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Practice finances
Solo doctors take aim at non-billable tasks
Time-strapped practitioners share their tips for working smarter instead of harder. (May 2007)
Letters
Readers discuss orthopedists and internists, MKSAP, and the rising costs of physician services. (October 2005)
Letters
Readers discuss overhead, internal medicine crisis, performance measures. (May 2004)
Physicians try to rein in runaway overhead
Innovations to cut overhead include scheduling software and fielding patients' phone calls at home. (March 2004)
Need practice management help? Try new ACP newsgroup
A new online discussion forum gives internists in small groups a place to share their solutions to everyday problems. (March 2004)
Letters
Readers discuss revitalization, performance measures, reimbursement. (March 2004)
Fine-tuning your practice's finances? Try these tools
A new ACP publication can help you improve the way you collect and use financial data. (November 2003)
Taking a tough stand on nonbillable care
Fed up, some physicians are charging patients for services they once gave away (February 2003)
Claims denied? Take steps to get what you're owed
Try these strategies to keep claims from being denied and appeal those that are rejected (December 2000)
Tips to detect—and prevent—theft in your practice
Divvying up financial duties among your office staff can help keep embezzlement at bay (November 2000)
New solutions to an old problem: health plans that pay too slowly
Doctors are using new techniques to fight delayed payments that cripple their cash flow (September 2000)
Afraid to ask patients for co-pays? Try these tips
Educating both patients and staff can boost collections without making you look like the bad guy (September 2000)
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Practice re-engineering
PMC Tips
February '08
PMC Tips (January 2008)
Wrapping physicians' minds around quality improvement
Anger and denial can be major barriers to improving patient care and gearing up for pay for performance. (November 2005)
Redesigning an office? Opt for simplicity and comfort
You don't have to spend a lot of money to create a calmer, more attractive and productive office. (July-August 2005)
Caring for seniors: making the most of 20-minute visits
Innovative ways to save time while improving patient care for the elderly. (July-August 2003)
Three doctors share innovative strategies for tackling common practice challenges
How physicians used Web-based scheduling, group visits and digital transcription to improve their practices. (May 2003)
How one project is helping doctors improve patient scheduling, more
Physicians are joining an ambitious effort to improve access to care and reduce delays in appointment scheduling (April 2001)
Three free tools to help you build a better practice
The College just made it easier to find new sources of revenue, improve efficiency and boost patient satisfaction (March 2001)
Problems with patients? Fine-tune your front desk
Training in customer service and billing can improve patient satisfaction and office efficiency (March 2001)
Running behind? Try re-engineering
Redesigning your practice's patient flow can save time—and money (July-August 2000)
Does your practice measure up? Try benchmarking
Collecting and analyzing data can help uncover problems—and make your practice run more smoothly (March 2000)
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Quality measures
CMS program gives doctors a glimpse of P4P future
While it lacks financial incentives, the program gives volunteers a trial run in reporting performance data. (May 2006)
The September ACP Observer kicked off a new series with how-tos on launching quality improvement initiatives and participating in pay-for-performance programs. See "Patient registries: a key step to quality improvement." (September 2005)
Working smarter and safer for quality improvement
To spearhead successful QI efforts, hospitalists say you need the right project—and a versatile team. (September 2005)
College calls for physician friendly quality measures. (June 2004)
Letters
Readers discuss overhead, internal medicine crisis, performance measures. (May 2004)
ACP's response to the performance measure movement
Regents' Chair Mary T. Herald explains how the College is tackling the performance measure trend that makes many internists nervous. (January-February 2004)
As NCQA turns its attention to physicians, performance measures find some ready takers
Why six internists volunteered for performance measurement programs—and how those programs affected their practices. (December 2003)
Strategies to tackle outpatient errors
Tracking test results, referrals and even no-shows can help keep you out of trouble (June 2002)
As they struggle to improve quality, HMOs try a new incentive: bonuses
Insurers have learned that financial rewards are an effective way to encourage innovation (June 2001)
Patient satisfaction surveys: how to do them right
You need to ask the right questions, get enough responses—and then put the information to good use (April 2000)
Efforts to prevent prescription errors heat up
A different look at the problem and what physicians can do to avoid making the most common mistakes (June 1998)
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Staffing issues
PMC Tips
A road map can guide locum tenens travels
April ’08
Staffing can make or break a small practice
In a quest to unveil common problems for small practices and offer solutions, the College's Center for Practice Innovation visited 34 practices across the U.S. over a two-year period. Part one of the six-part series looks at the unique staffing issues faced by small offices. (January 2008)
Physicians adapt offices to cope with Medicare Part D
Many practices have appointed 'Part D specialists' to handle prior authorizations and drug formulary plans. (March 2007)
New Feature - Practice Tips
More hands make light work
"PMC Tips" is a new regular feature on small-practice management from ACP's Practice Management Center. (December 2006)
With doctors and housestaff in short supply, physician assistants help fill the coverage gaps
PAs can handle routine patient care, freeing physicians for more complex cases. (October 2005)
Need help hiring new staff?
The College's Small Practice Newsgroup is discussing what you can—and cannot—ask candidates in a job interview. (May 2004)
Letters
Readers discuss the future of physician assistants. (September 2003)
10 recruiting tips to stay fully staffed in a tough market
You can find a good fit with planning, perseverance and patience (February 2003)
Tips to survive when a physician retires
With an aging workforce and tight reimbursements, practices face some tough choices (September 2002)
Rightsizing, not downsizing, is key to staffing success
Moving staff to the right tasks and benchmarking can help the bottom line more than cutting positions (May 2002)
How to integrate a midlevel into your practice team
Physicians often either give their midlevel providers too little responsibility and autonomy, or they expect them to do too much (Web Only)
Problems retaining physicians? Try these strategies
A little education and support at work and home can go a long way in keeping new recruits happy (February 2001)
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Tort reform
Texas tort reform: One year later, some physicians say they're reaping big benefits
However, not all liability carriers here have dropped premium rates. (January-February 2005)
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