FRANK H. LEONE, MBA, MPH Urgent care clinic operators tend to think of increasing employer-generated volume primarily in terms of new prospects; that is, they tend to believe that growth is attained primarily by expanding their client base. But in many cases, there is as much—if not more—opportunity inherent in selling additional services to existing clients. And “cross selling” to existing clients is just one of many potential advantages that your clinic can accrue by …
Read MoreHow to Define a Type B ED—and Other Vexing Questions
DAVID STERN, MD (Practice Velocity) The urgent care practitioner may not live by coding alone, but proper reimbursement depends on it. To that end, Dr. David Stern, who is in great demand as a speaker and consultant on coding in urgent care, will offer answers to commonly asked questions in every issue of JUCM. In this issue, he addresses a potpourri of issues raised by urgent care practitioners. Q.A consultant tells us that we have …
Read MoreWhat to Do When You Get Named in a Malpractice Suit
JOHN SHUFELDT, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP Your front office receptionist informs you that there is a man at the door who says he is a process server, and that he wants you to sign for a registered letter. Your first thought, of course, is to run out the back door of your office or to simply feign a stroke. Instead, common sense prevails and you sign for the letter informing you that you are a …
Read MoreDeveloping Data: February, 2007
UCAOA’S Survey Committee drew two important conclusions from its first industry-wide survey: urgent care is a growing industry nationwide, and those within the industry are hungry for benchmarking data. In each issue of JUCM, Developing Data will seek to fulfill that need. In this issue: Just what constitutes an “average” business day for an urgent care clinic?
Read MoreType of Structures Housing Urgent Care Clinics
UCAOA’S Survey Committee drew two important conclusions from its first industry-wide survey: urgent care is a growing industry nationwide, and those within the industry are hungry for benchmarking data. In each issue of JUCM, Developing Data will seek to fulfill that need. In this issue, who owns, who leases, and where are they located?More than half (53%) of the survey participants own the buildings in which their practice is located; 47% lease. The average business …
Read MoreCoding Conundrum: E/M with a Procedure
Q.We always get denials for the E/M code in addition to a procedure. Are we doing something wrong? A.Denials for payment for an E/M in addition to a procedure may stem from several sources: Missing modifier If you perform a procedure with a 0- or 10-day global period and you perform and document a separate E/M on the same day, always attach modifier -25 to the E/M to reduce denials and costs of rebilling. Use …
Read MoreProtecting Yourself Against Medical Malpractice Claims, Part 2
In the December issue of JUCM, Dr. Shufeldt introduced a discussion on how to not be named in a malpractice suit by suggesting that providing excellent customer service, never saying “no” to a patient, and thorough documentation of the pertinent positives and negatives are viable techniques to reduce your malpractice exposure. Here, he continues the discussion with other precautions you can take. Failure to make an appropriate referral is a reason commonly cited when providers …
Read MoreEmergencies in the Office: Why Are 911 Calls Placed From Family Medicine and Urgent Care Offices?
Urgent message: New data indicate that calls to 911 from family medicine and urgent care offices and subsequent transport to ED occur for a wide range of reasons, with the distribution varying to a large degree based on the age of the patient and the practice setting. Introduction Life-threatening emergencies have been reported to occur in primary care medical offices.1,2 However, the type of medical emergencies that occur remains unclear. Previous studies that have attempted …
Read MoreKeeping Your Ear to the Customer
FRANK H. LEONE, MBA, MPH “Keep your ear to the customer” is a central tenet of effective marketing. Awareness of how your services are used and valued can be especially important in a field like occupational medicine, where the people you treat are often not the ones who contract for those services. There are many ways to keep your ear to the customer, and there are many customer subgroups. “Customers” might include patients, employers, carriers/payors, …
Read MoreProtecting Yourself Against Medical Malpractice Claims, Part 2
JOHN SHUFELDT, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP In the December issue of JUCM, Dr. Shufeldt introduced a discussion on how to not be named in a malpractice suit by suggesting that providing excellent customer service, never saying “no” to a patient, and thorough documentation of the pertinent positives and negatives are viable techniques to reduce your malpractice exposure. Here, he continues the discussion with other precautions you can take.
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