The Journal of medical practice management : MPM
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How can you recognize the best job applicant for an open position in your practice when he or she shows up at your door? The up-to-date, comprehensive job description will be your best guide. In this article, the author suggests what information should be included in job descriptions, who should write job descriptions for your practice, and when and how to determine appropriate salary and benefits for each job description. In addition, this article offers an important disclaimer for job descriptions that will protect you legally and that every employee in your practice should sign.
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An emerging strategy to manage financial risk in clinical practice is to involve the physician at the point of care. Using handheld technology, encounter-specific information along with medical necessity policy can be presented to physicians allowing them to integrate it into their medical decision-making process. Three different strategies are discussed: reference books or paper encounter forms, electronic reference tools, and integrated process tools. The electronic reference tool strategy was evaluated and showed a return on investment exceeding 1200% due to reduced overhead costs associated with rework of claim errors.
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The past decade saw several attempts to consolidate physician practices, but this sector remains one of the last cottage industries in the United States. This article develops a framework for analyzing the optimal size of a physician practice. ⋯ Existing empirical research suggests three "optimal" sizes of practices: 5-10 physicians, based on economies of scale and decision-making; 20-30 physicians, based on economies of scope and initial development of a corporate structure; and 80+ (multi-specialty) physicians, which can create an system of referrals and utilization. The article concludes with observations about the challenges to physician practices as they grow.
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Most medical practice managers know that delegation is a useful practice management tool to streamline both personal and practice efficiency. However, delegation is often underused, misused, and misunderstood. What, precisely, should be delegated in a medical practice and to whom? What are some of the obstacles to successful delegation, and how can the astute medical practice manager identify and overcome them? Which tasks should not be delegated? Finally, why do members of the professional practice staff sometimes resist delegation? In this article, the author provides answers to these intriguing questions, as well as a useful self-quiz to rate delegation skills. In addition, the author provides strategies and sample language you can use with your staff to make your own delegated tasks and responsibilities more enthusiastically accepted.