Author: Krista Wolfe

How up-to-date are the contracts in your practice? Where are they located? Do you know how many signed agreements you have, perhaps hidden in the dark recesses of multiple file cabinets? Contract management is a task that, while far from glamorous, is critical to practice success. Outdated, lapsed, or unintentionally automatically renewed agreements can cost […]

Even if you’re in a specialty that doesn’t typically treat patients with flu symptoms, you’ll no doubt have a stream of people in and out of your office over the next several months who are sneezing, coughing, and otherwise sharing their germs. Your staff members are on the front line during flu season and, as […]

Medical malpractice suits are filed every day, all around the country, by patients who were either harmed while receiving medical care, or who feel that they were. Most physicians, over the course of a career, will be named in at least one lawsuit, the vast majority of which are dismissed or settled out of court. […]

It’s long been known that job satisfaction is based on much more than money. Doing meaningful work, feeling appreciated and respected, and having a reasonable degree of control within the office environment trumps money for most people. You can attract and keep the best staff in town by creating and maintaining a culture within your […]

Every dollar that you don’t spend on overhead drops directly to the bottom line of your financials at the end of each month. Some expenses – rent and malpractice insurance, for example – are more or less fixed. It’s your variable expenses that, when scrutinized and managed, can make a difference in profitability. Consider the […]

Most offices have a policy of collecting co-pays and charges not covered by insurance at the time patients are seen. Having a policy is good; enforcing it successfully is even better. Here are a few reminders about how to collect at the time of service. Make the expectation clear. Patients should be aware of your […]

It was only a couple of decades ago that most healthcare practitioners didn’t think of themselves as being in business, much less in competition with other doctors to win patients and keep their schedules full. Times have changed. Practice promotion is now considered not only acceptable, but also necessary, and an important aspect of marketing […]

The largest expenses in a medical practice – typically payroll, rent and malpractice insurance – are relatively fixed. You can save a bit on utilities by being energy conscious and cut cash outflow to a degree for certain services with sharp negotiation, but there is only so much you can do to reduce those expenses. […]

In a recent post on practice branding, we touched on the topic of office décor. Let’s delve a little deeper here, because appearance and first impressions really do matter. A clean, tastefully decorated office is inviting for patients, and a work space that is pleasing and efficient can help keep staff satisfaction levels high. You […]

If you’re old enough – say, 50ish or beyond – you probably remember a time when women who had breast cancer were very “hush hush” about their illness and treatment. People would whisper about this friend or that family member having cancer, but speaking about it openly simply wasn’t done. Thank goodness those days have […]