Practice Management

As has happened throughout the field of medicine over the past decade, a growing number of urologists are merging to create larger, more expansive urology practices. Here's how one newly merged practice stayed on track during the merger process.

If you're like many urologists, managing collections is becoming an increasingly important-and none-too-pleasant- aspect of running your practice's business.

There is certainly a perception that urologists are consolidating into larger and larger organizations, as well as an implication that the small practice model is no longer economically viable. Yet urologist John E. Bertini, Jr, MD, has been able to start, grow, and maintain a small, successful independent practice in downtown Houston for 25 years.

To meet the challenges of a changing specialty, urologists across the country have organized into large, comprehensive integrated practices, often including physicians from other specialties, to deliver the highest quality care and service to patients with urologic diseases and conditions.

Knowing current urologist salaries at a hospital or deciding how much to pay a new urologist joining a group practice can be difficult whether you're the applicant or the hiring physician. Several different compensation models exist, each with their own benefits and drawbacks.

Correcting even one or two inefficiencies around your office can allow you to take back time-and money.

You probably know the financial bottom line of your practice, but how well do you understand just how you got there? To know, it's essential to periodically review your service mix.

There is a lot we can do to improve our practices' efficiency and productivity. One of the simplest methods is to decrease the no-show rate, a problem that affects most medical practices.

Hiring a friend is usually not a good idea, because it can cause more problems in your practice than it solves.

Urologists and other health care providers now need to consider whether to participate in the federal government's new accountable care organization program, finalized in mid-October as a way to help reduce Medicare costs while improving patient care.

By the end of this article, you should better understand the VA practice model as it relates to the practice of urology.

Those of us who are not employed by a hospital or other entity remain small business men/women, and therefore need to be as attentive to the business aspect of our practices as we are to the clinical care we offer our patients.

An organization's mission is more than its day-to-day activities. Writing a new mission statement can be a refreshing opportunity to step away from the busywork and refocus on what matters most.

Setting boundaries and appropriate processes for handling e-mail correspondence with patients can address many of the concerns urologists have about e-mailing patients.

In most urology practices, patients will spend more time with the office staff than with the physician. Therefore, it is essential that the staff is highly motivated to ensure that patients' interaction with the staff remains at a high level from the moment they walk into the reception area and check in at the desk until they make their next appointment and check out.

In a busy urology practice, there are numerous bottlenecks that threaten the ability to effectively manage the day.

By practicing medicine in an ecologically conscious atmosphere, we can contribute to the health of our patients, our staff, and our community; on a much larger scale, we will be helping to sustain the future of our ecosystem.

Marketing remains a major challenge for many medical practices. Here are seven essential factors for building a healthy marketing program for your practice.

It's d?j? vu all over again with physician-hospital affiliations emerging across the country.

The non-medical use of prescription drugs is thought to represent the fastest growing drug problem in the United States, and urologists aren't immune to it.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the new health care reform law, takes some "paltry steps" toward improving the quality of medical care, but it ignores the most fundamental problem that still begs for a solution-how to fairly compensate physicians who treat Medicare patients.

If the trends currently in motion continue, you will see the beginning of accountable care organizations in 2012, with increasing numbers of them year by year, unless there is a repeal of the shared savings portion of the Affordable Care Act or the final rule restricts the potential savings that can be obtained by any ACO.

There is no set fee that you are required to charge, and the patient's contract with his or her insurance company may vary as to how much the insurance company pays.

As physicians, hospitals, insurance companies, and other organizations grapple with this new entity, it appears there are more questions than answers.

Urologists say spending time with family helps them deal with the stress of practicing medicine.