As patients become more active healthcare consumers, they want to have stronger engagement with their providers, including more direct interaction outside of the yearly check-in. Recent research backs up this idea, revealing that survey respondents of all generations are seeking greater connectivity with healthcare practices, including convenient communications via text and online tools. More specifically, 73 percent of patients want to be able to text their doctor’s office, while nearly 80 percent would like to receive text messages from their doctor, especially about appointments.

As summer hits its stride, barbecues, pool parties and fireworks displays are in full swing. Unfortunately, with all the fun comes an increased risk for injury, especially around the 4th of July. As the nation prepares to celebrate Independence Day, specialty practices may want to keep these somewhat unusual ICD-10 codes within easy reach to make sure practitioners correctly and completely document the conditions they see.

Interested in increasing your practice's performance by improving patient workflow? It may not be as intimidating as you think. By evaluating your practice, asking and answering thoughtful questions, and creating an actionable plan, you can start on your way to transforming how your practice is ran. This practice evaluation guide poses questions that encourage you to truly assess the areas in need of improvement and provides you with the tools to execute a resolution.

When specialty practices want to strengthen their balance sheets, they can either cut costs or increase revenue. Although pursuing both options is probably wise, finding opportunities to boost the flow of dollars into a practice can be a more positive and ultimately lucrative way of ensuring optimal financial performance. Yet, specialty physicians sometimes struggle to identify new revenue sources. The good news is that it may be easier than you think. By leveraging your electronic medical record (EMR) and practice management (PM) systems to enhance the reliability and consistency of the following key activities, an organization can make meaningful strides in increasing the amount of money coming into the practice.

There is a tug of war underway in healthcare, and physicians are sitting squarely in the middle. On one side, patients are demanding providers’ attention and expertise to address often complex medical conditions. On the other, there are evolving regulatory requirements, such as those found in the 2019 Quality Payment Program (QPP), which requires providers to regularly submit detailed measures of quality, cost, interoperability and more. As a result of the constant push and pull, physicians are becoming increasingly frustrated and disheartened. Most entered the profession to treat and care for patients, however, they are becoming sidetracked as they try to effectively demonstrate their performance to receive adequate reimbursement.

In today's consumer-driven healthcare marketplace, specialty practices must do more than just treat patients. By promoting practice expertise in the community, setting yourself apart from competitors and clearly articulating how well you meet customer needs, you can create a marketing strategy that allows your practice to reach new heights.

Although all physicians suffer from burnout to some degree, some feel it more keenly than others. According to a recent survey in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, orthopedic surgeons have one of the highest burnout rates, with nearly half the specialty expressing feelings of emotional frustration, depression and depletion.

Healthcare organizations want engaged patients but aren’t always clear on what an engaged patient acts or sounds like. For those that have a solid grasp on what patient engagement is, a clear pathway to achieving patient engagement can still prove challenging. They find themselves asking, “is it technology driven, people driven, or process driven?” It’s really all three.