Even though many providers are switching over to cloud-based EHR systems, there are still a number of risks and problems with cloud vendors and their contracts. All of these vendors are not created equally, and that can put medical professionals at risk from information and financial standpoints, which can also affect patient care. Before any … Read more

The healthcare landscape is evolving and changing rapidly, making it more important to measure what is providing value and what is not. With that in mind, the real goal should be to collect only the most important areas of data and use those metrics to find what makes a practice profitable and what should be … Read more

Your medical practice needs to offer the best medical services to every single person who walks through your door. Quality service begins with a well-running staff ready for an influx of clients on any given day. They must record the proper patient information, schedule appointments, handle billing issues and address problems that may arise. Your … Read more

Even if your current claims process brings in a steady stream of reimbursements, it might surprise you to learn that hidden fees and inefficient protocol unnecessarily cost you thousands of dollars each month. It is impossible to push every medical claim through without a few slipping into the dreaded “pending status,” but there are steps … Read more

What is a HIPAA Compliant Patient Portal? Almost every medical professional in private practice today has a business website, but does it have the ability to provision a HIPAA compliant account for your patients? A portal like this will enable your patients to interact with your practice, review their treatment plan, update insurance info, pay … Read more

Dr. Russell Dohner hangs his signature fedora on the hat rack precisely at 10 o’clock each morning. One by one they arrive – with colds, ear aches and the occasional broken bone. Regardless of why they come, each will hand over a $5 bill – payment in full for services rendered. No insurance required nor … Read more

Consultant Live’s Physicians Practice asked Jeff Brunken, president of insurer The MGIS Companies, and Sue Larsen, president of Astute Doctor Education, to come up with a list of things to never say during patient interactions. These may sound reasonable in casual settings, but here are 11 things Physicians should never say to patients. “Thanks for … Read more

A working mom’s life is, quite literally, a balancing act. Lean too far toward the office, and your children get short shrift. Lean too far toward home, and office resentments can flare up. Practice managers and physicians can relate to this type of performance—working moms must be accommodated to keep them in their jobs, but … Read more

Universal implementation of electronic health records does not mean they are viewed favorably by those who use them, particularly physicians. According to RAND health reports, doctors’ perspectives of EHRs remain mixed even though they have been widely adopted. Although the overall concept of is viewed as good, EHRs have “significantly worsened” many physicians’ satisfaction with … Read more

Patient payments, long a sore spot for providers, are becoming increasingly important as more patients move to high-deductible plans. Here are six ways to ease the pain. 1. Make it easy for patients to provide information. For collections and medical billing, the more information you have on a patient, the better. So think carefully about  … Read more