Top Ten Countdown - Best Practices I Employ In My Office

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10. Get involved in the community - As an extension of your practice, it is important that you can show how you give back to the community. Find your passion and get involved with a local charity or organization that helps others or can spread your message. Not only does networking and relationship development expand your practice but patients like to see that you give back and support your community.

9. Dispense out of the office - Of course, we are always told that dispensing products brings in extra revenue to the practice. Yes, that is enticing. However, I find it to be beneficial to my patients and ultimately helps the care that I recommend. By providing a product, bandage or insert that I recommend to the patient, I know exactly what they are getting and we offer instructions on the care and use of the products. Moreover, it is a convenience to patients that do not know how to go online shopping or to the drug store, not quite knowing and understanding exactly what to get.

8. Return phone calls - Although it may be tedious and the last thing you want to do after a long day, returning phone calls from doctors, colleagues, and patients goes a long way. People will remember if they want to hear from you and you don’t respond. People feel slighted and unimportant. However, taking the time to answer questions and return phone calls will make people remember you in a positive light.

7. Have an informative website - Search engine optimization is extremely important today for the growth and reputation management of your company. Having valuable informative information on your site will provide a foundation of trust and knowledge even before patients come in for the consultation.

6. Educate your patients - Proper education about a patient’s condition will improve their outcome. It takes a lot of time to introduce yourself, review a patient’s history, perform a physical, take and evaluate X-rays, diagnose, propose, and implement a plan. I believe one of the most important components of the face to face interaction is the education from the doctor to the patient. The patient has come into your office to feel better. They need to understand what is happening to their body and the stepwise approach that you will take to help them get better.

5. Hire the right staff - Your employees will make or break your practice. From the initial telephone greeting and hold times to making a patient in pain feel comfortable, your staff is critical to a person scheduling an appointment and becoming a recurring, established patient.

4. Train your staff appropriately - Hard work, attention to detail, and excellent customer service is important. However, being knowledgeable about the doctor, their background, the pathologies treated, how you like a patient visit handled in a room and being able to triage are important in running an efficient practice that flows steadily. A well-trained employee will be one step ahead of you, making your flow flawless.

3. Collect up front - Collecting copays and deductibles up front is very important. If outstanding money is not collected within 90 days, the value of the claim is zero. Any additional time trying to collect from the patient is considered a deduction to the practice. I would much rather provide a credit then to chase after someone. If they do not understand why they need to pay, have someone in the office educate them so they are not upset. Frankly, when a patient gets upset, it is not usually about medical care, but about the costs which most people do not understand.

2. Hold monthly meetings - No matter how big or how small your practice may be, it is wise to hold monthly meetings. These should sometimes be a formal meeting to discuss new research being implemented, introduce a new doctor and explain protocol so that everyone is on the same page. In a formal meeting, it is best to start with a team building exercise. Sometimes, I recommend the meetings be more informal and have a team retreat. Unity of the entire team will make the office run more efficiently as the team is more willing to help each other and work as a unit.

1. Provide ethical care - There is no substitute for ethical care in medicine. Patients are coming to us with no knowledge of the human body. They are often in pain and relying on us, the specialist, to feel better. It can be a stressful situation for the patient and sometimes the doctor, but honesty, ethics and correct medical practices will be the most important aspect of your professional career.