Physician burnout is turning out to be one of those problems that never seems to go away. According to the Physicians Foundation’s 2018 Survey of America’s Physicians, medical professionals across the country continue to suffer the negative emotional and psychological effects of issues such as low morale, high pessimism (especially regarding the future of healthcare) and job dissatisfaction. Nearly 78 percent of physicians surveyed declared feelings of burnout “sometimes/often/always.” Unfortunately, many of America’s healthcare providers are overextended, overworked and struggling to maintain compliance while bogged down by an ever-increasing amount of required paperwork.

Bringing a new physician into your practice often starts long before his or her first day at work. First you had to actively recruit for the position. After compiling the initial pool of candidates, you then had to take time to conduct interviews and attend meetups before making the final selection. Then came salary negotiations, the final employment agreement and believe it or not, that was just the beginning. The onboarding of a new physician is often a multi-week process that includes verification of credentials, acquisition of ID numbers for items such as his or her medical license, DEA license, NPI, Medicare, etc. Then comes the process of applying for and obtaining necessary privileges and credentials for the practice’s accepted insurance plans as well as any relevant hospitals or ambulatory service centers.

Back-to-school season is a time of high energy for ophthalmology practices, with increased visits from kids and teens. As patients enter into a new school year, now is a great time for ophthalmology practices to boost their own knowledge. One place to start: tech innovations that increase efficiency and drive revenue.

Although having a comprehensive marketing plan is vital to attract patients to a practice, if the appointment scheduling process is clunky and/or error-prone, it can be a turn off to patients and leave a poor impression before the individual even walks through the door. Providing the optimal patient experience is a key trend among plastic surgery practices as they aim to meet the demands of rising consumerism. Here are three strategies to make sure scheduling reinforces a good reputation.

Attracting and retaining patients is a constant priority for physicians, and plastic surgeons are no exception. Without a focused strategy for drawing patients into a practice, organizations can experience slow periods, retention problems and a lack of repeat business that can all impact revenue flow. How does this affect you?

Interested in creating a team dedicated to staying up-to-date on the ever-changing healthcare marketplace? The pressure to meet compliance regulations doesn't have be to be on one person. Develop a dedicated and passionate Quality Improvement team that meets regularly to document, collect and analyze reporting measures. Where do you begin? Fill out the form below to get started.

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.

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.