Tag: private practice

Three Things Every Practice Website Needs

Posted on by VettersEnt

The home page of a website gives the viewer a strong first impression of a business. The Internet is a huge part of all our daily lives on a variety of devices. Both potential and current patients are likely looking up your practice website online for anything from address information to medical advice. It is important to help your patients feel welcome and engaged in your practice by giving your website a usable, professional quality. Read more to discover what every practice website needs to help both your business grow and your patients have the best user experience.

Addressing Patient Experiences and Concerns Through Your Practice Website

It is key to understand that every practice website needs to be molded by what the patient wants and is able to use. When you are designing your site, think like one of the patients at your practice. What kind of questions do people have over the phone and in person? Use these observations as your building blocks as you implement the following three elements of maintaining a website.

  1. Information: Patients will use your site for a variety of information about your practice. Make sure that your site is easy to navigate, with the answers to common questions placed in areas and under links that make sense with the content. Think about the kinds of information that patients would like to know and consider everything from logistical information such as an address, to the specialties of the doctors at the practice. Organize it in a way that is not too heavy with text, as readers’ eyes tend to scroll past large bodies of text.
  2. Usability: Consider that patients are going to have varying ways of getting information. Websites that are perfectly navigable on the computer may not be so on a smartphone. Make sure that your website caters to these devices so that patients can view anywhere.
  3. Blog: Consider creating a blog or other news source that keeps patients informed about the practice or other relevant medical concerns. Keep in mind the types of questions that patients may be asking. What are the most effective strategies for dealing with allergies? Where is the best place to start when developing your own food and wellness plan? With all of the conflicting information out on the Internet, patients will trust your website and the clarity it offers.

Help Your Patients by Giving Them What Every Practice Website Needs

Being mindful of user experience and keeping information flowing on your practice’s website will give your patients security and peace of mind on the Internet and in your office. Build your brand through your site so that patients can send your site to others. Do not forget that that first glimpse of an Internet page is a powerful first impression. Continue to get feedback from your patients and remember what every practice website needs to stay current.

Make Your Practice Website Engaging and Professional with Help from Vetters Enterprises

Vetters Enterprises specializes in practice management, private practice business support and revenue cycle optimization. We can perform in-depth assessments of your practice or facility and identify potential issues. Let us keep your business as healthy as you keep your patients! Give us a call at (443) 352-0088.

What’s All the Fuss About CBD? What Every Medical Practice Should Know

Posted on by VettersEnt

Even if your practice doesn’t work with many young adult or adult patients, there’s a good chance you’ve been hearing a lot more about CBD. Cannabidiol (CBD) is an old product that is now being incorporated in thousands of personal care, medical and food products as consumers flock to its attractive touted benefits. Here’s what every medical practice needs to know about this trendy and potentially helpful product.

What is Cannabidiol? How Is It Different from Marijuana?

CBD stands for cannabidiol, which is the second most prevalent active ingredient found in marijuana. While it’s considered to be part of the cannabis plant, it’s technically derived from the hemp plant. Unlike other marijuana components like THC, CBD doesn’t cause a “high.” According to the World Health Organization, CBD does not have any effects that are indicative of a potential for abuse or dependence.

Is It Legal?

All 50 states have laws on the books legalizing CBD with different degrees of restriction. The federal government still classifies CBD in the same class as marijuana but doesn’t actually enforce against it regularly. Since products made with CBD are so trendy right now, many people are able to obtain it online with any licensing required.

Does It Offer Health Benefits?

While CBD is touted as offering a wide range of health benefits, studies are needed to actually confirm many of them before you should go out of your way to promote it at a medical practice. The strongest specific evidence of CBD’s efficacy is currently for treating childhood epilepsy in conditions like Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. In multiple studies, CBD reduced the quantity of seizures and, in some cases, eliminated them entirely. The FDA recently approved the first cannabis-derived medicine, which contains CBD, for use treating those conditions.

Preliminary studies and anecdotal evidence suggest that CBD can also be useful for treating anxiety and insomnia. It can also potentially be an option for patients with chronic pain. One study in the European Journal of Pain found that CBD-based salves applied to the skin could reduce inflammation and pain from arthritis.

Grow Your Medical Practice with Vetters Enterprises

Vetters Enterprises specializes in practice management, private practice business support and revenue cycle optimization. We can perform in-depth assessments of your practice or facility and identify potential issues. Let us keep your business as healthy as you keep your patients! Give us a call at (443) 352-0088.

The Role of Every Doctor in Improving the Opioid Crisis

Posted on by VettersEnt

The opioid crisis is ongoing, and every doctor has a role in providing excellent care for patients and preventing opioid overuse and misuse. While some people seem to think that the solution lies in never prescribing opioids, in reality, some patients are struggling with life-threatening illnesses and in need of palliative care that makes them an appropriate solution. Every physician must now walk a fine line between managing pain and prescribing in a manner that encourages addiction.

Changes in the Opioid Crisis

It’s unsurprising that there is a renewed interest in creating policies to limit prescriptions of opioids in the wake of rising deaths from overdoses. According to the CDC, overdoses from prescription medication are a leading factor in the 16-year increase in opioid overdose deaths. From 1999 to 2010, the amount of prescription opioids sold to hospitals, practices and pharmacies nearly quadrupled without an overall increase in the amount of pain that patients reported.

CDC Guidelines

The CDC released aggressive clinical practice guidelines that suggest limiting initial opioid prescriptions to 3 days unless it is a situation where there is active cancer, a need for palliative care or end-of-life care. The guidelines also caution prescriptions that contain more than 90 morphine milligram equivalents every day due to the increased risk of overdose and lateral efficacy of a stronger prescription.

The CDC’s clinical reminders are a launching point for your practice to serve as a resource for patients and prevent opioid addiction in your community. Some of the reminders include:

  • Start with low dosages
  • When opioids are prescribed for acute pain, prescribe no more than needed
  • Never prescribe extended-release opioids for acute pain
  • Always discuss benefits and risks and availability of non-opioid treatments with patients before prescribing or continuing a prescription

Assessing the Risk and Harm at Your Practice

When you are working with patients who are receiving one prescription for opioids or renewing a prescription, you should always make assessing risk and addressing potential harm a priority. To properly consider risk and harms:

  • Evaluate each patient’s risk factors for opioid-related side effects and hazards
  • Check the prescription drug monitoring program for prescriptions from other providers or high dosages
  • Avoid prescribing benzodiazepine and opioids concurrently
  • Use urine drug testing to identify undisclosed use or the presence of prescribed substances
  • Arrange treatment for opioid use disorder if a patient is in need

Help Impact the Opioid Crisis with Vetters Enterprises

Vetters Enterprises specializes in practice management, private practice business support and revenue cycle optimization. We can perform in-depth assessments of your practice or facility and identify potential issues. Let us keep your business as healthy as you keep your patients! Give us a call at (443) 352-0088.

4 Ways to Overcome Barriers to Chronic Disease Management

Posted on by VettersEnt

As a doctor and healthcare professional, one of the most frustrating situations you regularly encounter is probably non-compliant patients struggling to adhere to their chronic disease management plans. While it’s easy to assume patients simply don’t care, that’s almost never the case. Understanding the barriers to chronic disease management can help you to circumvent them.

The Barriers of Chronic Disease Management

Chronic disease is both prevalent and expensive in the United States. Approximately half of US adults have at least one chronic disease according to 2012 CDC data. That high volume of chronic illness made up over 85% of healthcare spending in 2010. That cost is driven partially by the 80+% of patients who drop out of chronic disease management programs, thereby putting themselves at increased risk of complications or worsening symptoms.

Barriers and How to Overcome Them

  1. Medication Cost: Medication adherence is typically at the heart of most chronic disease management plans, and patients who cannot take their medications regularly are unable to work towards a better state of health. With rising prescription costs, almost 25% of patients worry that they will be unable to afford medications in the future, and over 14% of patients have avoided filling a prescription solely due to cost. Work with your patients to determine if they are taking medication and if the cost could be prohibitive. Exploring budget-friendly options and coupons is a great way to increase engagement.
  2. Lack of Awareness of Resources: Many patients fail to realize the depth and breadth of resources available through your practice and the government. By educating yourself and your patients about all of the resources available and improving their health literacy, you can empower them to better adhere to their chronic disease management plan.
  3. Communication and Support: When patients don’t feel supported at home or by their healthcare provider, it’s a major barrier to chronic disease management. Emphasize preventative care and follow up regularly with patients coping with chronic illnesses. Include family members and friends in the education process as much as possible, and offer your patients resources to share with them.
  4. Mental Health Issues: Depression and anxiety can be additional burdens on top of existing chronic conditions. Acknowledge that many patient populations need mental health support and prioritize screening for depression and mental illness.  

Learn More About Serving Chronic Disease Patients with Vetters Enterprises

Vetters Enterprises specializes in practice management, private practice business support and revenue cycle optimization. We can perform in-depth assessments of your practice or facility and identify potential issues. Let us keep your business as healthy as you keep your patients! Give us a call at (443) 352-0088.

Past Due Balances with Vetters Enterprises

How to Collect Past-Due Patient Balances

Posted on by VettersEnt

There are some problems that universally affect all medical practices, and past-due patient balances is one of them. It’s uncomfortable and unpleasant to ask for payment, especially when you know a patient might be unable to pay in full or you haven’t established collection practices. However, the funds that you collect from patients are essential to keeping your doors open and being able to properly treat patients who do pay on time.

The Impact of Accumulating Past-Due Patient Balances

As deductibles rise, more medical expenses are being shifted from insurer to patient. While the shift takes place, healthcare providers are struggling to maintain high reimbursement levels and collect from patients. One new study found that practices only collect 12% of past-due patient balances at the time of service and collect $0 almost 70% of the time. That alarming statistic shows the need for practices of every size to develop effective strategies for getting past-due patient balances paid.

Establish Your Expectations with Staff and Patients

First, remember that your staff, patients and management need to be all on the same page. If you are going to make payment at the time of service your policy, you should make this clear at every step in the process. When patients schedule an appointment, check with their insurance and let them know how much they should be prepared to pay. Like many hospitals do, you should also ask for payment at the appointment. While you will not collect 100% of the time, you might be surprised how many patients are ready and willing to pay then and there. It takes time and consistency to implement policies, and after a single appointment, many patients will start to expect to pay immediately and prepare.

Offer Multiple Payment Options

If you only accept one or two payment methods, you are hampering your ability to collect past-due patient balances. Offer as many payment methods as possible, including newer options like PayPal, Apple Pay or Google Payments. By meeting the patient’s preference, you improve patient experience and increase your chances of getting paid.

Improve Patient Communication

In one survey, over 50% of patients didn’t understand what their medical costs were, and were more likely to have a negative impression of their doctor as a result. By improving the way that you communicate with patients and making their financial obligations clear, you can also improve their perception of your practice.

Get Help Collecting Past-Due Patient Balances with Vetters Enterprises

Vetters Enterprises specializes in practice management, private practice business support and revenue cycle optimization. We can perform in-depth assessments of your practice or facility and identify potential issues. Let us keep your business as healthy as you keep your patients! Give us a call at (443) 352-0088.

Social Determinants of Health with Vetters Enterprises

Is Addressing Social Determinants of Health Vital to Patient Success?

Posted on by VettersEnt

There’s a lot of buzz around the social determinants of health in the healthcare community, and for many good reasons. The social determinants of health have been found to be critical in promoting optimal patient health, limiting disease and improving healthcare quality. 

What Are the Social Determinants of Health?

Social determinants of health are nonmedical things that affect a patient’s health outcomes and overall health. They can include where a patient is born, where someone lives, what job they have, their age and a wide range of other factors that all shape their daily life and health. These social determinants have a serious effect. One analysis of studies measured adult deaths attributed to social factors and discovered that in 2000, over 245,000 deaths could be attributed to low education, 176,000 to racial segregation, 162,000 to low social support, 133,000 to individual-level poverty and 119,000 to income level equality. For comparison, the number of deaths that could be linked to low social support was nearly identical to the number of deaths from lung cancer.  

The Reality in the United States

Currently, the United States is ranked among the 10 richest countries in the world per capita. However, place of birth is more strongly correlated with life expectancy than genetics. There is no one way to improve these statistics without the work of policymakers, physicians, communities and individuals. Community health partnerships are one effective way to address social determinants of health and support your community.

Getting Involved

How can your workers better address needs like transportation or access to healthy food? One family practice in Columbus, OH partnered with the Mid-Ohio Food Bank to pilot a health initiative for patients with diabetes. While the practice thought almost no patients were living with food insecurity, a whopping 43% of patients surveyed had trouble finding healthy food to eat. The practice added a mini food bank inside and offered participating diabetes patients fresh produce (from the food bank), recipes, cutting boards, peelers and a brief nutrition class. In the first 4 months of the program for 40 patients, 12 patients had reduced A1C levels and the majority of patients indicated positive results. Even more promising? Physician satisfaction increased and burnout levels decreased. While this isn’t feasible for every practice, it’s great food for thought for yours.

Address the Social Determinants of Health with Vetters Enterprises

Vetters Enterprises specializes in practice management, private practice business support and revenue cycle optimization. We can perform in-depth assessments of your practice or facility and identify potential issues. Let us keep your business as healthy as you keep your patients! Give us a call at (443) 352-0088.

Increase Patient Satisfaction with Vetters Enterprises

How Price Transparency Can Increase Patient Satisfaction

Posted on by VettersEnt

Patients today are very educated about healthcare, and many are also footing a bigger proportion of the bill than ever before. As a result, there is a great deal of concern over pricing for health care services. While some offices worry about revealing too much about pricing, it can actually increase patient satisfaction. When consumers understand the quality that they are receiving for the price and the true value of care, they are more likely to make an educated decision.

Why Is Price Transparency So Hard?

Price transparency is a problem that many in the healthcare industry are already aware of. However, nothing captures a potential patient’s attention more than cost. As more consumers utilize high-deductible health plans (HDHPs), they are hoping to spend less in the short-term at the risk of shelling out more if they are injured. As a practice, it can be difficult to predict a course of treatment for a patient in advance, which leads to a misperception on behalf of patients that doctors are intentionally misleading about how much care will cost. 

What Solutions Could You Implement?

Some practices are experimenting with price estimators to increase price transparency and improve patient satisfaction. This allows you to engage the patient and explain potential treatments one-on-one. When presenting pricing, consider explaining things in one of two ways:

  • A bundled out-of-pocket estimate for medically necessary services
  • An estimate of the rate for a procedure covered by insurance and the associated patient costs

Remember that we are living in the age of Amazon, which means that consumers want the most possible for their money, in addition to transparency over what they will be getting. In your conversations, you should also make it clear that everything is an estimate. The projected costs might not align with the actual costs due to a variety of reasons.  

Showing Additional Benefits

While price is the biggest pain point when it comes to patient satisfaction, there are many other things your practice can do to show your value. Board certification, experience and patient experience all make a difference in what patients are willing to pay. When talking to patients and marketing, make it clear that you have plenty to offer beyond the actual services and procedures you provide.

Take Care of Your Physicians with Vetters Enterprises

Vetters Enterprises specializes in practice management, private practice business support and revenue cycle optimization. We can perform in-depth assessments of your practice or facility and identify potential issues. Let us keep your business as healthy as you keep your patients! Give us a call at (443) 352-0088.

Preventing Physician Fatigue with Vetters Enterprises

Preventing Physician Fatigue at Your Medical Practice

Posted on by VettersEnt

As we covered in our last blog, preventing physician fatigue needs to be a major priority for every medical practice. When providers are under constant pressure to perform, not only are they at risk of developing stress-related health issues, but employees and patients can also suffer increased stress and dissatisfaction. Thankfully, there are a number of strategies currently being used by many medical practices to get to work preventing physician fatigue.

How Your Practice Can Work to Prevent Physician Fatigue

  1. Make wellness for your employees a top priority at your medical practice. Remember that physician burnout isn’t just a problem for the doctors experiencing it, but also the patients and employees who may bear the brunt of it.
  2. Create a wellness position at your practice or a collaborative committee. Your wellness chairperson or champion should be someone who can help to survey employees for burnout and troubleshoot initiatives to prevent physician fatigue. These employees can also work to make employees aware of all of the wellness resources available and model positive anti-burnout activities, like leaving the office on time or stopping during lunch for a short meditation session.
  3. Survey your employees on a yearly basis to see what employees are doing to keep themselves in good physical, mental and emotional health. Use the results to identify potential workplace wellness initiatives and get a look at where your medical practice is succeeding and where you could stand to improve.
  4. This might seem obvious, but if you complete a workplace wellness survey, you should also use the results to make positive changes in your workplace. Whether it’s redesigning the way that daily workflow occurs or developing new and better ways for employees to communicate, these changes will show employees that you are listening and that you care about their experience enough to change.
  5. Once you have made some changes, you should repeat the survey to see how things have changed. Are you doing your job when it comes to preventing physician fatigue? Checking back in allows you to also see if there are new areas where you could stand to improve.
  6. Don’t call out employees or embarrass anyone in the office with survey findings. Instead, you should be supportive and continue to emphasize improvement. Just like physician fatigue doesn’t happen overnight, counteracting burnout doesn’t happen in one day either. 

Preventing Physician Fatigue with Vetters Enterprises

Vetters Enterprises specializes in practice management, private practice business support and revenue cycle optimization. We can perform in-depth assessments of your practice or facility and identify potential issues. Let us keep your business as healthy as you keep your patients! Give us a call at (443) 352-0088.

Claims Are Bouncing? Trust Vetters Enterprises

The 4 Most Common Reasons Your Practice’s Claims Are Bouncing

Posted on by VettersEnt

Billing can be time-consuming, tedious and frustrating to say the least. It can be even more frustrating when the medical claims that you worked so hard to submit are bounced right back. What are the most common reasons that a medical practice’s claims are bouncing back after submission?

Minor Errors

Just like it’s easy to miss a comma in an email or mistype a word, it’s also very easy to make minor errors in medical claims. Reimbursements are often denied or delayed due to seemingly-small mistakes, like forgetting to include a plan ID number or mixing up a letter. Because front desks are already so busy and overwhelmed, mistakes can fall through the cracks. One winning solution to this is using a professional outsourced claims processing service that will review claims before submission and look just for errors. The time saved from going through a resubmission is much less than time spent reviewing claims.

Missing Information

Another common reason that claims are bouncing is insufficient information. You always need to submit documentation to back up claims, and you should always supply each insurance provider the information that is requested to process payment in an expedient manner. Again, it is much easier to put the effort into properly gathering everything beforehand instead of needing to go back in the future to find the right documentation.

Skipping Authorization

If you needed authorization before a procedure was performed and it was not secured, you shouldn’t be too surprised that a claim bounced back your way. You should verify whether or not prior authorization is needed before you schedule the procedure. When it is time to bill, ensure that you also include the prior authorization number on the submitted claim. While prior authorizations can seem like an annoying extra step, they are vital to ensuring that claims receive approval in a prompt manner.

Changes on the Patient End

One of the most common reasons for claim denial isn’t necessarily your practice’s fault at all. Claims are often denied because a patient’s coverage has changed, the plan or payer has been changed or coverage has been terminated altogether. Even if you think everything is the same as the last time you spoke with a patient, you should always ask to confirm insurance information and see an insurance card at each appointment.

Trust the Experts at Vetters Enterprises for your Billing Needs

Vetters Enterprises specializes in practice management, private practice business support and revenue cycle optimization. We can perform in-depth assessments of your practice or facility and identify potential issues. Let us keep your business as healthy as you keep your patients! Give us a call at (443) 352-0088.

Call Your Patients with Vetters Enterprises

When You Should Call Your Patients Instead of Emailing

Posted on by VettersEnt

Technology has changed the entire healthcare landscape, and for many doctors, it has also transformed the way that they speak with their patients. Instead of communicating by telephone and letter being the only options, emailing and texting are now on the table. Do you know when you should call your patients instead of emailing or texting?

Why Do Doctors Email?

A growing number of doctors use email for most regular communications, as it can increase practice efficiency and prevent playing phone tag. Doctors also like being able to make themselves available for patient questions and concerns around the clock through email. Email communication can also be perfectly sufficient for quick messages requesting appointments, rescheduling or requesting prescription refills. However, there are HIPAA violations that can come to play over email that aren’t as possible elsewhere.

When Emailing Is Inappropriate

As with any other technology product, there are both upsides and downsides to emailing instead of calling your patients. Beyond potential murky water with HIPAA guidelines, there are many situations where emailing can lead to unnecessary stress and confusion:

  • Discussing issues before completing a physical examination of the patient could lead to misdiagnosis.
  • Email messages can be misinterpreted by the patient receiving them. If the misinterpretation leads to damage, you could be held liable.
  • Anyone who is not the patient could open the email and read sensitive information.

If there is a chance that any of the above scenarios could occur, you should call your patients instead. Remember that the tone of your voice can have a huge effect on the message that a patient receives, and written words are not ideal for conveying tone.

If You Do Email

When it is appropriate to email instead of calling your patients, use the following best practices:

  • Use email messages to supplement your existing patient relationship, send reminders and offer general health tips.
  • Only use email if you have a firewall-protected server and both you and the patient are using encryption technology. Most standard email does not meet HIPAA requirements.
  • Educate your patients about when it is appropriate to email the office instead of calling.

Learn When to Call Your Patients with Vetters Enterprises

Vetters Enterprises specializes in practice management, private practice business support and revenue cycle optimization. We can perform in-depth assessments of your practice or facility and identify potential issues. Let us keep your business as healthy as you keep your patients! Give us a call at (443) 352-0088.