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5 ways hospitals can reduce their physician shortage rate!

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Is your hospital facing a shortage of physicians?

The country has been hit by massive physician shortages. Bureaucratic pressures, financial constraints and the sheer pressure of offering medical care while trying to deal with complex electronic systems, have forced physicians to retire early. Recent studies suggest that the shortage will only become more acute over the years.

Retaining physicians and providing a healthy environment to work in has quickly become the biggest worry and challenge of hospital CEOs. Physicians quitting their jobs and leave can lead to dissatisfied and confused patients.

5 ways to improve physician retention…

The magic of a shared vision!

There is nothing that works like teamwork! Explain about your hospital’s goals, aspirations and vision for the future. Let new recruits know beforehand the patient population they are most likely to handle and the volume of work per day. Being transparent can invoke trust and make physicians feel a part of a team and not well-oiled machinery.

Provide administrative support…

The deluge of admin work every single day can catch most physicians, off-guard. Delegate staff to junior staff, hire scribes or outsource tasks such as billing and transcription. This can, not just unburden physicians but also cut down on administrative expenses.

Perks matter!

To make physicians stay longer offer perks that most competitors don’t. Profit-sharing options, paid holidays, fitness and entertainment space, allowances, lesser working hours and a positive work atmosphere and culture, can stop physicians from looking for other employment opportunities.

Is there space for professional development?

Every healthcare professional likes to grow, to fledge. An environment that stifles their growth and wears them out means they are going to quit sooner rather than later. Include professional development activities such as conducting regular workshops, seminars, group discussions etc… This will not only ensures your employees are actively involved, but also, more aware of current healthcare regulations. A working environment that is conducive to growth can make physicians stay back longer at your hospitals. It is not just perks and incentives, but the fact that they can navigate tricky learning curves with your organization that will help them stay put!

Offer EMR training!

The major reason for befuddled and disgruntled physicians is complex EMR systems. Hire EMR consultants and experts to train new physicians. Manuals and discussion forums can only be of so much help. Hiring someone to offer remote or on-site EMR guidance to new recruits will prevent them from feeling lost and increase productivity at the practice.

Is It The Insurer’s Responsibility To Pay Out Of Network Physician Providers?

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The answer is an obvious “yes”. But most medical practices tiptoe around the out of network issue. It could be because reimbursement policies and healthcare regulations are so complicated; everybody shares a vague discomfort when it comes to medical reimbursement.

The AMA in a recent post encourages medical practices to make the insurer accountable for out of network physician reimbursement. One of the key points the AMA emphasizes on is that medical practices should have a clear cut fee schedule.

Over-billing Controversies !

There have been several controversies surrounding the medical billing practices of out-of-network providers. Patients have cried foul over grossly inflated bills. A physician in California billed a patient $30,000 for a gall bladder removal procedure. The Medicare rate for the surgery is as low as $778.

It is a question of integrity…

Physician practices need to stand up for their patients and for fair medical billing practices. They will have to stand up and intervene to curb the menace of over-billing  And, the browbeating of helpless patients, into paying huge, bills. It is important that physicians are aware of how the insurer calculates the charges for out of network care.

The need for patients to get more involved !

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 Providers are certainly pushed to a corner when the affable patient who was okay with the fees, suddenly makes a hue and cry about the charges. The major reason for conflict seems to be the patients’ poor understanding of the billing process. Some patients don’t even know that out of network providers can be more expensive than in network medical care providers.

Unless it is an emergency patients should explore and learn about insurance plans, treatment options and cost of service. Patients need to be aware of their responsibilities and understand EOBs.

The need for more transparency !

The healthcare industry is in an unhealthy state as everybody has a vague feeling of distrust towards one another. Better and more open communication, among-st healthcare practices, physicians, patients and insurers is the only cure for this “pointing fingers” epidemic. 

Medical Practice Managers Needn’t Sulk ! Take It One Step At A Time.

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Medical Practice

What are your Plans this 2013 ?

Agreed ! It is probably too late in the year to make a resolution list, and berate yourself the whole year for not following it. But it is never too late for change. The year brings with it lots of changes to the way you work. From working towards Meaningful Use requirements to choosing those nine CQMS you want to qualify for !

Ten Steps you must take to Ensure you roll with the Punches !

1. Being the first one off the block does have its advantages! Whether it is testing ICD-10, or educating patients on your EHR do it now !

2. Choose clinical quality measurements keeping your patient population, practice workflow and specialty in mind.

3. Perform an audit. It needn’t be an extensive one that brings everything to a standstill. But make a vow that you conduct “mock audits” on important processes such as billing, regularly.

4. Try to reduce costs on every aspect of your medical practice’s food chain. From stationary supplies to revenue cycle management.

5. Focus on maintaining accurate clinical documentation. RAC audit might just be around the corner.

6. Hire a financial counselor or if it’s too expensive, train your front office staff on financial counseling to collect self pays. Remember it consists of a significant revenue opportunity.

7. Have a clinical discussion with your pharmacist to reduce drug costs.

8. Analyze your AR reports, revenue cycle management reports and look for ways to optimize your workflow and exploit revenue opportunities.

9. Be active on social networking sites. That could be the easiest way to engage with your patients.

10. Instead of setting an ambitious annual goal, set small, practical and immensely achievable monthly goals to increase collections !