How to find more ‘physicians’ for your practice

© CureMD Healthcare

HISTORY

• This decade has been one in which the healthcare industry has gone through a mammoth transformation, and the metamorphosis shows no signs of slowing down.

• However, with more and more of the 317 million Americans gaining health insurance, and this coinciding with the retirement of the highly productive baby boomers.

Veterans Affairs (VA)

• The highly publicized Veterans Affairs (VA) Scandal earlier this year in which more than 30 veterans died while waiting for healthcare was a harsh reality check of the gravity of the situation.

• Even more alarming is the widely prevalent belief that the situation, particularly with respect to the shortage of primary care physicians, looks to deteriorate further in the coming years despite the government’s efforts via Obamacare.

Veterans Affairs (VA)

• Having said this, history has shown us that necessity is the mother of invention. There are always obstacles, but there are always multiple ways to overcome each of them as well.

• Providers have used technology to endorse various techniques to enhance the way they work and care for patients, despite limited resources.

• Using these simple techniques you can reform the daily operations of your practice and ensure that you cater to more patients each day, and do so more effectively.

Virtual care

• Virtual care – Many in-person appointments are unnecessary and can be avoided. Telephone and email are two mediums through which such appointments can be catered to.

• For example, you can use patient portals to send a patient post-examination email on his condition, etc. You can also tell you front desk to convey information to patients via telephone which will reduce their need for in-person appointments and subsequently save time for you to cater to more patients.

Virtual care

• Furthermore, iPhone apps such as those which monitor heart rates will work for the benefit of both parties concerned as apps, sensory devices and other portable developments allow for patients to communicate their status to their doctor from almost anywhere.

Electronic Medical Records

• Electronic Medical records (EMR) Software –Additionally, automated medical records have

become a necessity for physicians. By switching to these, you’ll realize that a lot of time spent on unnecessary communication with patients can be saved as the mechanisms in these systems allow patients to access their clinical visit summaries, lab results, and other information online.

Delegating data collection

• Delegating data collection – Numerous providers are already using such solutions to transform the clinical operations of their practices, however data entry and collection remains a problem for several of them. If you’re a physician with a similar problem, train your nurses, assistants and other staff to help you in this process.

Delegating data collection

• Imagine that a patient walks in to your practice. Wouldn’t it be great if the receptionist took his basic information and sent him to the nurse who entered all information about his vitals and other demographics? When the patient would finally walk into the exam room, you’d have that information on your computer screen beforehand, and could get straight to the diagnosis. Life would be a lot simpler, no?

Hiring vs. salaries

• Hiring vs. salaries – While you probably agree that delegating makes sense, you’re probably wondering if the added costs in the form of salaries would be worth the effort.

• Even if your practice is small, if the added staff members are utilized well and according to their strengths, they will translate into growth for your practice.

• The apt performance of tasks by these “extra” workers will translate into more care provided every day, and if you multiply that by 365 you’ll see that the benefits are only a fraction of the costs.

Hiring vs. salaries

• The patient load might seem overwhelming, but the rapid rate of advancements in technology mean that you are more than capable of meeting this challenge, and of boosting your practice to new highs in the process.

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