JOHN SHUFELDT, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP In retrospect, it was bound to happen: An estranged husband received information from his insurance company about his wife’s outpatient treatment. He called the patient accounting office to confirm the residential address his wife gave to the registration clerk. He thanked the woman who supplied him with the information profusely, then got in his car and drove to the domestic violence shelter where his wife was recovering from the …
Read MoreEmphasizing the Positive Gets Results in Occ Med Sales
A successful occupational health sales professional should develop a mechanism to monitor his or her choice of words and commit to using the English language to the mutual advantage of both the provider and the sales prospects. However, sales professionals often make poor word choices at critical moments. Negative words abound in our daily vocabulary. Frequently used negative words include bad, poor, problem, complication, unacceptable, and difficult. When calling on an occupational medicine prospect, these …
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No Appointment Needed: The Resurgence of Urgent Care Centers in the United States
Urgent message: A new report from the California Health Care Foundation, excerpted here, examines how the growth of urgent care is influencing delivery of healthcare—and what the prospects for the future of the industry might be. Prepared for the California HealthCare Foundation by Robin M. Weinick, PhD and Renée M. Betancourt, BA The days of having a family doctor in town who cared for all of a patient’s health needs are long gone. In their …
Read MoreDeveloping Data: October, 2007
UCA’s Survey Committee has conducted two annual member surveys, to date, designed to establish benchmarks in an industry for which data have been sorely lacking. In Developing Data, we will share one or two tidbits from the second annual survey and other sources in an effort to help readers get a sense of what their peers are doing, and what kind of trends are developing as urgent care evolves. In this issue: Are payors reimbursing …
Read MoreProper Coding for Removal of Foreign Bodies
Q.Recently we removed a tampon that was retained for one week. What is the code for removing a foreign body from the vagina? A.Although this procedure involves significant work, and the resultant foul odor can leave an exam room unusable for hours, the procedure is considered to be a part of the E/M. Of course, this is hard to understand, since there is a code for removing a foreign body from the external ear canal …
Read MoreEffective Occupational Medicine Sales Through Effective Questioning
A productive occupational medicine sales effort is predicated on your ability to identify a prospect’s need and then to match that need with your services. Both require knowing when and how to ask the right questions. Why is Questioning So Important? Invariably, you begin your association with a prospect as“just another salesperson.” You must set yourself apart from the start. Breaking the ice to pique interest is one area in which well-constructed questions can secure …
Read MoreHiring an Employee
JOHN SHUFELDT, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP Let’s be honest, we have all done it: hired someone who, in retrospect, had only two brain cells, both of which turned out to be mutually inhibitory. Have I told you about the time (many years ago) when I hired a provider who, on a busy day, locked himself in the bathroom and screamed, “If you don’t get me some more help, I am going to start drinking?” Since …
Read MoreDeveloping Data: September, 2007
UCA’s Survey Committee has conducted two annual member surveys, to date, designed to establish benchmarks in an industry for which data have been sorely lacking. Each month in Developing Data, we will share one or two tidbits from the second annual survey in an effort to help readers get a sense of what their peers are doing, and what kind of trends are developing as urgent care evolves. In this issue: How much time do …
Read MoreCoding for Removal of Impacted Cerumen (69210)
Q.What is the correct use of CPT code 69210 (removal impacted cerumen [separate procedure], one or both ears)? – Question submitted by Kathy Partenheimer, Medical of Dubois A.In the July 2005 issue of CPT Assistant, the AMA clearly indicates that you should report 69210 onlywhen the following two criteria are both met: “the patient had cerumen impaction” “the removal required physician work using at least an otoscope and instrumentation rather than simple lavage” [emphasis added]. …
Read MoreTop Communicators Apply These Principles
Who among your network of colleagues and friends do you consider to be “great communicators?” What characteristics do they have in common that make them great? Consider the following principles underlying one’s ability to communicate effectively: Keep it simple. Break every message down to a simple, easy-to-digest concept. Avoid too much detail or trying to jam too many concepts into a single interchange. Use basic, short words. Assume your subject has a minimal attention span. …
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