JOHN SHUFELDT, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP The moment is forever etched in my mind. It occurred while I was in my fourth year of medical school during a radiology rotation in Scottsdale, AZ. I was doing everything I could not to fall asleep while sitting in the dark film-reading room, listening to a tonally flat radiologist dictate plain film reports. I got up to splash some cold water on my face and as I was …
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Playing to Win: Maximizing Profits in Urgent Care
Urgent message: The financial health of your practice depends on a balanced approach that takes into account both increasing income and reducing expenses. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc, Experity From an economic perspective, the independent urgent care owner/operator has a dual goal: to build the long-term value of the medical practice while maximizing cash that can be taken out of the business in the form of income. To achieve both of these goals—to expand revenues …
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Creating a Health Surveillance Product Line
Urgent message: Keeping patients able to perform their jobs is critical to the success of an urgent care occupational medicine program. Donna Lee Gardner, RN, MS, MBA To best meet the needs of employers, an urgent care occupational medicine (UCOM) clinic should feature five basic product lines: • health surveillance • injury/loss management • rehabilitation • prevention services • on-site services This article will address the first of these product lines, health surveillance; the other …
Read MoreDeveloping Data: March, 2008
As an emerging distinct practice environment, urgent care is in the early stages of building a data set specific to its norms and practices. In Developing Data, JUCM will offer results not only from UCA’s annual benchmarking surveys, but also from research conducted elsewhere to present an expansive view of the healthcare marketplace in which urgent care seeks to strengthen its presence. In this issue: How do patients view the importance of “emotional support” from …
Read MoreReaders’ Coding Inquiries
DAVID STERN, MD (Practice Velocity) Q.How would you define the difference between an expanded problem-focused exam and the detailed exam in the 1995 evaluation and management coding guidelines? – Question submitted by Eddie Stahl, Medical Staff Director, Tennessee Urgent Care Associates A.For both the expanded problem-focused exam (EPF) and the detailed exam, the provider must document between two and seven body systems. The difference is that the EPF exam requires a “limited” exam of a …
Read MoreLearning to be Direct in Sales Negotiations
In 2008, we live in a vastly different world in which we feel information-saturated, overburdened, and pressed for time. It is a world in which long dialogue is generally a nuisance and short, to-the-point interchange is embraced. It is a world that values Headline News, USA Today, and Internet blogs more than traditional news shows or in-depth books. In short, we live in a world in which people want things short, simple, and digestible. That …
Read MoreWhat the Gray Haired Never Shared
JOHN SHUFELDT, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP For some reason, it is likely that no one with gray hair ever sat you down and shared with you some secrets to longevity, productivity, and career success in medicine. Why we in medicine tend to “eat our young” remains a mystery to me. If you have seen the movie 300 or read the book Gates of Fire, you understand that we tend to act very “Spartan-like.” I am …
Read MoreDeveloping Data: February, 2008
As an emerging distinct practice environment, urgent care is in the early stages of building a data set specific to its norms and practices. In Developing Data, JUCM will offer results not only from UCA’s annual benchmarking surveys, but also from research conducted elsewhere to present an expansive view of the healthcare marketplace in which urgent care seeks to strengthen its presence. In this issue: How did the corporate structure/organizational models among participants in UCA’s …
Read MoreDeciphering Payor Language and Other Challenges
DAVID STERN, MD (Practice Velocity) Q.Many procedures, such as injections and fracture care, are reported to patients as “surgery.” Patients sometimes accuse us of false billing, as they don’t consider these procedures to be a “surgery.” How can we fix this problem? A.All third-party payors have installed computer software programs that have code descriptions loaded for each CPT code. Many of these code descriptions are hard to understand, and sometimes they are not truly accurate. CPT …
Read MorePublic Speaking Skills Enhance Professional Standing and Proficiency
Whether you are a clinician or a sales professional—or both, as is often the case in the urgent care occupational medicine arena—it is likely that you will find yourself in front of an audience giving a talk at some point. The topic may be a clinical one or something intended to get the audience to employ your professional services; either way, proficiency as a public speaker will greatly improve your chance of making the most …
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