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Category : Customer Service
More physicians leave private practice
I was recently interviewed for an article which was published in the Carolina Journalism Network, titled “Physicians move out of private practice,” a story by Laura Montini. The interview was prompted by an article I wrote for The Healthcare Entrepreneur Blog titled, “Time to throw in the towel on private practice…or is it?”
Click here to visit the article (excerpt below).
As an advocate of entrepreneurship, Quatre said that doctors should not lose hope on keeping their private practices afloat.
“When the owner of a practice has a vested interest in seeing the practice succeed, that’s an equation where incentives are alive in a way that has a real natural benefit to the community,” Quatre said.
There is still a place for more entrepreneurial practice owners in health care, he said.
“It’s not time to throw in the towel.”
Via: Physicians move out of private practice | Carolina Journalism Network.
New consumer Medicare website now online – www.medicare.gov
A new version of Medicare’s consumer website was released today, located at www.medicare.gov. The new site is part of a series of steps the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is taking to facilitate use of the website by seniors and those who care for them.
Among features included in the improved website are Medicare benefits summaries, coverage options, rights and protections, and answers to many of Medicare’s FAQ’s.
Take a look at the new Medicare website here. I actually kind of like it.
Remind patients: The end of the year is near (and deductibles will be renewing)
Believe it or not, it’s that time of year again.
As we quickly approach the end of October, today marks just 70 days until calendar year medical benefits will reset for many of your patients. Renewed deductibles, expiration of existing insurance plans, and the zeroing of health savings accounts will — in very short order — mean more money out-of-pocket for your patients. As you’re aware, this has a tendency to accompany the delay of non-urgent care, resulting in decreased volumes and revenues for healthcare practices shortly after the first of the year.
This cyclical nature of medical benefits should come as no surprise, as it is something we see year in and year out. The fact that there is something that can be done about it now is something that many practices neglect to realize however, leaving opportunity out on the doorstep even in light of this predictable, annual occurrence.
So, what do you do about it? The answer is simple – remind your patients. This is a busy time of year, and while patients also realize that their medical benefits will be resetting in just a few short months, day-to-day life often trumps important details like this that can result in the savings of hundreds, if not thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket healthcare expenses.
A simple form letter sent out by mail merge, a mass email distribution, individual phone calls, or in-office reminders can all be acceptable ways to remind your patients that if they anticipate the need for medical, physical therapy, or dental services in the next few months – now is the time to act.
A gentle reminder to your patients may go a long way toward saving them money, ensuring their health, and making them appreciate that you’re looking out for them in more ways than one. If you’d like some ideas on how to communicate this important message to your patients, along with examples of sample letters, don’t hesitate to contact us for more information.
Protect your patients, protect your practice
Just a very short piece here to remind all practice owners that a very simple and thoughtful step toward protecting your patients and protecting yourself against germs is to have hand sanitizer readily accessible to patients (and staff) throughout your practice.
H1N1, or “Swine Flu” is on just about every television channel and every news broadcast, so your patients are really thinking about germs right now. Anytime you have everyone focused in the same direction on a topic like this, it becomes much easier to be relevant and current with your clientele by responding responsibly. Your patients will likely appreciate your thoughtfulness in offering the simple option of keeping their hands clean as they are in your presence, and you might just kill a germ or two.
Oh, and racking your brain over your next promotional giveaway at an upcoming event? You guessed it – give people something they will actually use – small, travel hand sanitizers with your logo proudly displayed on the bottle.
Blogging in healthcare: The power of instant communication
Blogging can (and should) be considered a powerful strategy used for marketing, publicity, and even damage control for an organization who’s stakeholders exist online. For small private practices and large healthcare organizations alike, the power of blogging to reach an audience is often underestimated. The article below from Health Leaders Media does a great job of outlining the benefits of a blogging strategy for healthcare providers, as well as some tips on who and how blogging should be performed.
A blog can be a powerful way to get a hospital’s message out to the public, says Mark Whitman, vice president of digital marketing at Ohio-based brand consulting firm Northlich. “A big advantage of blogs is that information can be shared quickly among all stakeholders,” he says. “Quick response and sharing of information can help stop misinformation and rumors that can be very damaging during times of crisis.”
via Hospital Blogs Can Help During Times of Controversy | www.healthleadersmedia.com
Patients have a voice online…and they’re using it
One of the best things about the Internet is ease of communication. Whether you want to learn from others or share your own story, the flow of information is a mere click away. And it just so happens that learning, sharing, and clicking is exactly what patients are doing.
Through a growing number of business and healthcare review websites, patients are speaking openly about their healthcare experiences, and in a candid manner. From the best of experiences to the worst, your patients have a voice online…and they are using it.
The opportunities and threats that lie within online reviews is staggering. Several 5-star ratings and your practice stands clearly apart from the crowd. One or two bad ones however, and online window shoppers might decide that taking a chance on your practice isn’t going to make their “to-do” list.
The good news is that you likely have many patients in your practice this very day who would be honored to provide you with the highest of online marks…if they only knew where to start.
The trick is to (1) Know what your patients are already saying, and to (2) make sure your most pleased patients are speaking about you online.
And how do you start, you ask? It’s easy.
Step 1: Know what your patients are saying
Visit the most popular online review sites, and see first-hand what is being said about your practice. Many sites exist, and we recommend you stick with the big ones, at least to start. General sites like Yahoo Local, Google Maps, Yelp, and Angie’s List are some of the most popular.
Following this, healthcare specific sites such as HealthGrades, RateMD’s, and Vitals.com are good places to look for categorical reviews of your performance by your patients.
And if you’re not seeing reviews of yourself or your practice, don’t feel left out. It’s simply time to proceed to Step 2 and start building your online reputation.
Step 2: Get your pleased patients talking
This part is easier than you might think. Simply start by educating your Internet-savvy patients as to the benefit of online feedback for your practice. You’ll be surprised at how quickly your patients will flock to tell the masses about how you’ve cared for them, helped their family, or saved their life. If you want to make it a step easier, provide links to popular review sites from your website. Help them out by providing these links, and they’ll be a-clicking away in no time.
Everybody wants cheap advertising, and leveraging the benefit of online reviews is about as cheap as it gets. Don’t forget however, that online reviews work both ways. For every possible good remark, there is also the potential for a bad, which can work in the wrong direction for your practice. Putting some time and energy into making sure your practice’s online reputation is a good one is an investment well made.
As always, we’re here to help, and if you have any questions about how to build your 5-star online rating, or to clean up online reputations that need some work, know that we’re just a call or click away.
Online doctor reviews and how patients are using them
One of the best things about the Internet is ease of communication. Whether you want to learn from others or share your own story, the flow of information is a mere click away. And it just so happens that learning, sharing, and clicking is exactly what patients are doing.
Through a growing number of business and healthcare review websites, patients are speaking openly about their healthcare experiences, and in a candid manner. From the best of experiences to the worst, your patients have a voice online…and they are using it.
The opportunities and threats that lie within online reviews is staggering. Several 5-star ratings and your practice stands clearly apart from the crowd. One or two bad ones however, and online window shoppers might decide that taking a chance on your practice isn’t going to make their “to-do” list.
The good news is that you likely have many patients in your practice this very day who would be honored to provide you with the highest of online marks…if they only knew where to start.
The trick is to (1) Know what your patients are already saying, and to (2) make sure your most pleased patients are speaking about you online.
And how do you start, you ask? It’s easy.
Step 1: Know what your patients are saying
Visit the most popular online review sites, and see first-hand what is being said about your practice. Many sites exist, and we recommend you stick with the big ones, at least to start. General sites like Yahoo Local, Google Maps, Yelp, and Angie’s List are some of the most popular.
Following this, healthcare specific sites such as HealthGrades, RateMD’s, and Vitals.com are good places to look for categorical reviews of your performance by your patients.
And if you’re not seeing reviews of yourself or your practice, don’t feel left out. It’s simply time to proceed to Step 2 and start building your online reputation.
Step 2: Get your pleased patients talking
This part is easier than you might think. Simply start by educating your Internet-savvy patients as to the benefit of online feedback for your practice. You’ll be surprised at how quickly your patients will flock to tell the masses about how you’ve cared for them, helped their family, or saved their life. If you want to make it a step easier, provide links to popular review sites from your website. Help them out by providing these links, and they’ll be a-clicking away in no time.
Everybody wants cheap advertising, and leveraging the benefit of online reviews is about as cheap as it gets. Don’t forget however, that online reviews work both ways. For every possible good remark, there is also the potential for a bad, which can work in the wrong direction for your practice. Putting some time and energy into making sure your practice’s online reputation is a good one is an investment well made.
As always, we’re here to help, and if you have any questions about how to build your 5-star online rating, or to clean up online reputations that need some work, know that we’re just a call or click away.
_________________
Tannus Quatre PT, MBA is a private practice consultant and principal with Vantage Clinical Solutions, Inc., a nationwide healthcare consulting and management firm located in Bend, OR and Denver, CO. Tannus specializes in the areas of healthcare marketing, strategy, and finance, and can be reached through the Vantage Clinical Solutions website.
Build your practice using Twitter and Facebook
Odds are, you’ve heard about Twitter and Facebook by now. But did you know these simple social media tools can actually help build your practice?
They can, and actually do for many practices throughout the country. Social media, while possessing mass appeal for the casual online user, has found a niche for both big and small businesses alike…and healthcare is no exception.
From hospitals to healthcare clinics, businesses are using social media to attract and retain new clients. Here are a few examples of healthcare practices that are using social media to effectively reach their markets.
Apex Physical Therapy (via Twitter)
Elmbrook Family Dental (via Facebook)
Detroit Medical Center (via Twitter)
In case you’re wondering…we’re using it too. Check us out below, and feel free to give us a “follow” if you’d like to see how we’re using the technology to help our clients.
Follow Vantage on Twitter
Follow Vantage on Facebook
And don’t hesitate to contact us if you’d like to know how you can build your practice with social media. It’s easier than you might think.
_________________
Tannus Quatre PT, MBA is a private practice consultant and principal with Vantage Clinical Solutions, Inc., a nationwide healthcare consulting and management firm located in Bend, OR and Denver, CO. Tannus specializes in the areas of healthcare marketing, strategy, and finance, and can be reached through the Vantage Clinical Solutions website.
The debate over online physician reviews
It seems there’s a bit of controversy over whether or not online physician reviews are right for the healthcare industry.
Some physicians argue that online reviews can unfairly tarnish one’s hard-earned reputation, perhaps by patients who may have never even stepped foot into a physician’s office. Patient advocate groups however, claim that online physician reviews provide patients with an ever-important venue through which to help others make wise decisions about whom they seek for care.
Not without flaws, I do think that online physician reviews are a good idea. There’s a number of reasons for this, but atop the list lies simply our first amendment. We are free to speak our minds, and within this falls our ability to use the Internet to tell others of how great or how lousy our doctor (or auto mechanic) may be. This right can obviously be perverted by a physician’s competitor who decides to leave an anonymous bad review, or by a non-patient who wishes to defame the reputation of a physician with whom she or he holds an unrelated grudge. Well, guess what…the same can be said for any other facet of the information age in which we live, and restricting speech to prevent the misuse of this important and empowering technology is itself a perverted notion.
Some physician groups advocate that physicians should enter into contracts with their patients that would prohibit the use of online reviews for rating said physicians. I strongly disagree. The physicians cite privacy as the rationale for this tactic, implying that the patient-physician relationship should be one of two-way confidentiality. As a physician won’t speak of the encounter with others, nor should the patient. This misses the entire point of patient confidentiality, which protects us [as patients] from the disclosure of our most personal medical conditions to others without our consent. In no way should this reciprocally protect a physician from providing bad service or subpar medical care.
As a physical therapist and business owner myself, I understand the rules of engagement for my business and/or clinical behaviors. I also understand that others may not play by the same rules, and have the potential to use tools such as online review sites unfairly against me or any one of my clients. This doesn’t stop me from doing business though, and doesn’t give me cause to require that anyone that I do business with adhere to a set of restrictive rules that limit their ability to speak openly about their dealings with me. It’s what I signed up for when I became a licensed provider, and it’s what I signed up for when entered into business.
This topic is widely debated and I appreciate the opportunity to share my view here. I’d love to hear from others who have different viewpoints either directly through our contact page, or by commenting to this post.
For a great video from ABC News on the topic of online physician reviews, visit Grading Doctors Online – ABC News.
_________________
Tannus Quatre PT, MBA is a private practice consultant and principal with Vantage Clinical Solutions, Inc., a nationwide healthcare consulting and management firm located in Bend, OR and Denver, CO. Tannus specializes in the areas of healthcare marketing, strategy, and finance, and can be reached through the Vantage Clinical Solutions website.
MGMA’s Project SwipeIT: Standardization of health insurance cards
The Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) is taking on waste…IT style.
It’s a great initiative, and I recommend that we consider getting on board. The goal is to prevent up to 2.2 billion in waste that occurs each year through the use of non-standardized insurance cards. By using machine-readable cards, patients, private practice clinics, and insurers can all save. Click below to learn more about this great initiative.
MGMA’s Project SwipeIT for standardized health insurance cards
_________________
Tannus Quatre PT, MBA is a private practice consultant and principal with Vantage Clinical Solutions, Inc., a nationwide healthcare consulting and management firm located in Bend, OR and Denver, CO. Tannus specializes in the areas of healthcare marketing, strategy, and finance, and can be reached through the Vantage Clinical Solutions website.
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