Practice Management
You may have already assumed this based on repeat visits by “frequent flyers” in your practice, but a recent study published in PLOS One confirms that without prompts, the majority of patients forget at least part of what they’re told by physicians. One culprit revealed by the study: limited time for provider–patients engagements. Patients surveyed remembered only 49% of their doctor’s instructions on their own; 36% did better with prompts, and 15% either could not …
Read MoreEvery business—universally, in every field—survives on its ability to draw the right customers. For healthcare professionals, that means patients. In this age of on-demand service and walk-in appointments, more than at any other time, providers are also called upon to be astute marketers who know how to help patients find them when they need care. Making the effort doesn’t always assure success, however. So, it may be helpful to know that there are new, independent …
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A study by West Virginia University has shown that urgent care not only has great potential to improve the chance for positive health outcomes in rural areas, but also holds great promise for operators who are willing to make the investment in the country. Joshua Hall, associate professor of economics and director of the Center for Free Enterprise at WVU’s College of Business and Economics, led a team of researchers who considered the entry of …
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The practice of physicians dismissing patients from their care seems to be on the uptick in recent years, according to a new report in JAMA Internal Medicine. Roughly 90% of the 794 practices that were part of the study have “fired” patients in the past 2 years—with 8% saying they’ve terminated relationships with ≥51 patients in that time. The greatest portion of participants (67%) has let up to 20 patients go. Only 10% have not …
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The ever-increasing investment hospitals are making in their own urgent care offerings, along with the growing senior population and evolving habits of younger patients, are key factors in the ongoing growth of the urgent care industry, according to a new report by TMR Research. Urgent Care Centers Market—Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Trends, Analysis, Growth, and Forecast 2017–2025 also credits the pioneering operators who brought the industry to this point, however, noting that the services …
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Would a prospective patient who lands on your homepage after a Google search or seeing one of your ads be able to tell the difference between your center and the one four blocks down? If you’re Sequoia Prompt Care in Visalia, CA they would. The first things a web visitor to their website sees, in big bold letters, is “Click here to QuickPass the waiting room!” Follow that direction and you’re taken to another screen …
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It’s an age-old adage: You never get a second chance to make a first impression. Ironically, young adults in the “Millennial” age group (often defined as those born between 1982 and 2004) seem to have adopted it as a mantra when it comes to healthcare. New data from the Health Industry Distributors Association (HIDA) show Millennials are less inclined than other age groups to make a second trip to a healthcare provider if they were …
Read MoreDavid Stern, MD Q.I read your column about new vs. established patient coding in the January Issue of JUCM. Although the information provided was correct at one time, I believe that Medicare has updated its algorithm to come closer to the algorithm provided by AMA for new vs, established patients. A.You are correct. In a somewhat obscure and rarely referenced information release. (www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNMattersArticles/downloads/MM4032.pdf) CMS did change its position on this issue. “Physicians should not that …
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