By Shirley Titus bio It is an unfortunate reality: Rising prescription drug costs force many patients to skip doses or even forgo potentially life-saving medications. High-cost drugs are continually in the spotlight, most recently with the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) announcement that drug manufacturers will soon be required to include list prices in … [Read more...] about Contain costs by addressing financial barriers to medication adherence
Managing patients
Nearly 3 in 4 Physicians Say They Can’t Provide Easy & Rapid COVID-19 Testing
Development of new lab tests to detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 coronavirus has been faster and more prolific than anybody could dare expect for a pathogen that was unknown just a few months ago. But it still may not be enough to satisfy the urgent demand for COVID-19 testing—at least not yet. That’s the depressing conclusion of a new survey from Harvard … [Read more...] about Nearly 3 in 4 Physicians Say They Can’t Provide Easy & Rapid COVID-19 Testing
4 steps prepare your medical office for coronavirus disease
The true impact of a COVID-19 outbreak in a U.S. community cannot be predicted. However, all healthcare facilities can take steps now to prepare for such an outbreak and protect both their patients and staff. 1 Be prepared: Stay informed about the local COVID-19 situation. Know where to turn for reliable, up-to-date information in your local community. Monitor the CDC … [Read more...] about 4 steps prepare your medical office for coronavirus disease
How your staff can help prevent costly malpractice lawsuits
Doctors aren't the only ones who cause malpractice claims. Staff can cause them too by the way they treat the patients and by the way they do their jobs. It's not the clinical mishap that most often causes a patient to see a lawyer. Many patients sue because they are dissatisfied or because there is a lack of communication. To a great extent it is not the physicians but the … [Read more...] about How your staff can help prevent costly malpractice lawsuits
Internet use can help patients self-diagnose rare genetic disorders
The notion of empowering patients to take control over their own health care is particularly powerful within the realm of genomic diagnostics to the extent that patients can theoretically seek their own tests without a physician's order for an undiagnosed genetic disease or disorder they suspect they might have. Leaving aside the question of whether this is a positive or … [Read more...] about Internet use can help patients self-diagnose rare genetic disorders
The plain and practical side of medical office managing
Equally as important as regulations, revenue, coding, and Medicare are the day-to-day issues of running the office and managing people. Here are solutions to many of the ongoing and aggravating issues managers face every day. They don't come from management school. They are the wisdom of consultants and of managers in medical offices. And they are all simple, workable … [Read more...] about The plain and practical side of medical office managing
Why you need an office policy on collecting fees
Most medical practices take time once a year to create new office goals or a business plan and, hopefully, to upgrade their policy manuals. And consideration of collecting on co-pays and deductibles needs to be an integral part of that business plan, according to Michael Glass, a medical consultant with Transworld Systems Inc. (TSI). Why bother with an office policy? The … [Read more...] about Why you need an office policy on collecting fees
5 essential steps to ensure an effective HIPAA program
By Danika Brinda bio HIPAA Compliance is a term that is often thrown around the healthcare industry; however, I commonly ask myself: Is the meaning of HIPAA Compliance the same throughout the industry? The answer is NO! Walking into a healthcare organization in the last month, the HIPAA Privacy Officer was excited to tell me that they are fully HIPAA compliant and … [Read more...] about 5 essential steps to ensure an effective HIPAA program
Separate room for schedulers calms front office chaos
A few years ago, a North Carolina pediatric practice realized that the front desk is not the best place to check people in, make return appointments, and schedule new appointments – all at the same time. With staff constantly having to answer phones, the area was too busy and too noisy to give waiting patients the attention they deserved. People were waiting in line only to … [Read more...] about Separate room for schedulers calms front office chaos
Social media is a double win for your medical practice and your career
Digital media specialist Brittney Overstreet says social media has given word-of-mouth marketing—the oldest marketing tool—unanticipated strength that can dramatically boost your medical practice or effortlessly destroy it if you don't know how to manage it. Social media, defined as the online method for sharing information with an audience, is used by many patients to … [Read more...] about Social media is a double win for your medical practice and your career