The Private Medical Practice Academy

You never know when your mother-in-law will turn out to be a valuable asset to your practice. Mine was a lab technologist who had started up and ran multiple medical labs.  When we told her that I had decided to start my own practice, one of her first questions was "what labs are you planning to do?" followed by you need a CLIA Waiver.Say what? I had no idea what that was or how to get one. The test said was CLIA Waived. Doesn't that mean that you don't need a CLIA?A CLIA Waived test just means that there are fewer associated rules to follow. You still need to apply for and get a CLIA Waiver. Even for real simple stuff like doing point-of-care lab tests in the office. You want to do a UA or a rapid strep test. Or maybe a urine drug screen or pregnancy test. In this episode of The Private Medical Practice Academy, I chat with Dr. Heather Signorelli, a pathologist who has started and ran multiple labs. We discuss CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments--in case you were wondering) and the different CLIA programs and their requirements.Apply for a CLIA: https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/CLIA/How_to_Apply_for_a_CLIA_Certificate_International_LaboratoriesHow to get a CLIA waiver: https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/CLIA/Downloads/HowObtainCertificateofWaiver.pdfCLIA Waived tests: https://www.cdc.gov/clia/docs/tests-granted-waived-status-under-clia.pdfIf you are doing any labs in your office or are thinking about adding them, you won't want to miss this episode! Also, remember--you can earn 1 AMA PRA Category 1 CME for completing the reflection after listening to the podcast. Click here to reflect and unlock credits & more.  Support the showWant to hear more tips on how to start, run and grow your practice and related medical businesses, please sign up for my newsletter at https://www.thepracticebuildingmd.com Join my FB group, The Private Medical Practice Academy.Enroll in How To Start Your Own Practice and get the step-by-step process for opening your practice.Join The Private Medical Practice Academy Membership for live group coaching, expert guest speakers and everything you need to know to start, grow and leverage your private practice. The course, How To Start Your Own Practice is included in the membership, as a bonus.Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts"I love Sandy Weitz and The Private Medical Practice Academy Podcast." <-- If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people -- just like you -- move toward the practice they want . Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

Drug and Device reps often drop into medical offices--usually uninvited. And they seem to always to be there at the most inopportune times. Most annoying is when they camp out in the back waiting for you. It's no wonder that many physicians have disdain for Drug and Device reps.If this is your attitude, you're missing out on a great (free) opportunity to grow your practice.In this episode, I chat with Omar Khateeb who helps med tech companies grow sales and drive product adoption using social media.  Omar is an interesting guy. His dad is a vascular surgeon and Omar went to med school before becoming a device rep. Omar ultimately transitioned to marketing and teaching reps how to interact with physicians.Drug and device reps can help you grow your practice in multiple ways. They can:help you assess your draw areagive you insight into your competition and  community in generalhelp market youdo research for you--about reimbursement, new procedures, demographicshelp you recruit new physicianshelp you determine where to open a satellite clinichelp you with social media postshelp you with social media content including testimonials, videos of proceduresKey point: Make the rep part of your team rather than view them as a nuisance. Here's some suggestions for how to make the rep part of your team:Set parameters for when you are available to meet with themBe explicit in what your needs and wants areUnderstand they may not have dollars to spend but they have timeEmpower them to help youBe nice. Get to know them.Give them something back. Sure they want you to use their product more. But aside from that--a Linkedin pat on the back, a written or verbal compliment to their manager, inviting them for a cup of coffee. All of these things are either free or low cost to you and high value to them.I know that all of this may seem counter-intuitive and burdensome. That's exactly why you need to listen to this episode. I don't want you to miss out on this opportunity to grow your practice!Support the showWant to hear more tips on how to start, run and grow your practice and related medical businesses, please sign up for my newsletter at https://www.thepracticebuildingmd.com Join my FB group, The Private Medical Practice Academy.Enroll in How To Start Your Own Practice and get the step-by-step process for opening your practice.Join The Private Medical Practice Academy Membership for live group coaching, expert guest speakers and everything you need to know to start, grow and leverage your private practice. The course, How To Start Your Own Practice is included in the membership, as a bonus.Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts"I love Sandy Weitz and The Private Medical Practice Academy Podcast." <-- If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people -- just like you -- move toward the practice they want . Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

I’m frequently asked about the benefits of hiring employees versus having independent contractors.  Many physicians are under the impression that hiring someone as an independent contractor is going to be less expensive than as an employee. But not so fast. The IRS has rules.  The employer is responsible for determining if the new hire meets the criteria. Choose the wrong status and you may be liable for past taxes and the associated penalties.What does it mean to be an Independent Contractor?The IRS and many states have adopted common law principles to define an independent contractor. These rules focus primarily on the level of control an employer has over a service or product. The nature of the work that you expect this new hire to perform also helps to define the employment status. When work is considered integral to the business, it is more likely that the person is an employee.Another factor that helps define employment status is the method of compensation. If a person is on your payroll and receives a steady paycheck they are an employee.The Economic Realities TestThe “economic realities test” looks at the dependence of the worker on the business they work for. If a person gains a large portion of their salary from that business, chances are that person qualifies as an employee. The Right to Control TestCourts also use the "right to control" test. When an employer controls the way work is carried out and a product is delivered, the relationship between the parties is employer/employee. Employer ResponsibilitiesAs an employer, your tax liability is determined by your worker's employment status. When a worker is an employee, you are required to pay state and federal unemployment tax, social security tax, as well as workers compensation and disability premiums to your state’s insurance fund. When a worker is an independent contractor, the hiring party is not required to make any of these payments. The Law Is ClearMost of the staff that you would hire for your medical practice are most likely going to be employees.  I would strongly encourage you to review the IRS guidelines and have a conversation with your CPA prior to hiring any new staff.Support the showWant to hear more tips on how to start, run and grow your practice and related medical businesses, please sign up for my newsletter at https://www.thepracticebuildingmd.com Join my FB group, The Private Medical Practice Academy.Enroll in How To Start Your Own Practice and get the step-by-step process for opening your practice.Join The Private Medical Practice Academy Membership for live group coaching, expert guest speakers and everything you need to know to start, grow and leverage your private practice. The course, How To Start Your Own Practice is included in the membership, as a bonus.Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts"I love Sandy Weitz and The Private Medical Practice Academy Podcast." <-- If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people -- just like you -- move toward the practice they want . Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

Are you afraid of getting audited by insurance companies or Medicare? Do you get anxious when one of the payers sends you a request to audit 5 of your charts?  Have you heard horror stories of the Feds knocking on a physician's door? Don't worry--you are not alone. But not all audits are created equal.Today David Vaughn joins me to discuss what you need to know about the different types of payer audits. David is both an attorney and certified professional coder and has been my healthcare attorney for 20+ years. David has been instrumental in helping my practice's billing compliance.Here are some of the topics we discussed during our conversation: the difference between a benign audit and the one you should be worried aboutwhat to do if you get auditedwhat your liability is with regard to codingthe importance of self-audithow denials may give you insight into your audit riskthe difference between federal payers and private payersin-network vs. out-of-network audit risksIf you are in private practice you will not want to miss this episode!More about David Vaughn: David is one of a limited number of healthcare attorneys in the United States who is also a Certified Professional Coder®, certified by the American Academy of Professional Coders® (“AAPC®”).David has served on the Legal Advisory Board of the AAPC and has written several coding and compliance books and manuals. He is also a national speaker on the legal implications of billing and coding. He also has a national healthcare law practice, and has represented over 2,000 physicians in approximately 40 states in over 10 physician disciplines. His practice consists of representing providers in federal and state prosecutions, qui tam cases, and Medicare and third-party payer audits. He also conducts audits and provides education to providers.You can reach David at david@lalawfirm.net.Support the showWant to hear more tips on how to start, run and grow your practice and related medical businesses, please sign up for my newsletter at https://www.thepracticebuildingmd.com Join my FB group, The Private Medical Practice Academy.Enroll in How To Start Your Own Practice and get the step-by-step process for opening your practice.Join The Private Medical Practice Academy Membership for live group coaching, expert guest speakers and everything you need to know to start, grow and leverage your private practice. The course, How To Start Your Own Practice is included in the membership, as a bonus.Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts"I love Sandy Weitz and The Private Medical Practice Academy Podcast." <-- If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people -- just like you -- move toward the practice they want . Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

 If you are an employed physician, chances are your employer purchases  malpractice insurance for you. Your first introduction to the complexities of malpractice insurance may come when you leave that employer and have to buy a "tail." And, if when you start your own practice you'll need to understand how to get the best malpractice insurance. Today, I chat with Jennifer Wiggins from Aegis Malpractice to help demystify malpractice insurance. Here are some highlights:Difference between claims-made and occurrence malpractice insuranceWhen do you need a tail?How often you should shop your malpractice insuranceThe key elements of a malpractice policyAttorneys and who decides when to settle a caseWhy your practice needs a malpractice policy (and not just the individual physicians)How to choose a malpractice carrierDo you need a broker and if so, how do you which oneWe all know that malpractice insurance is a major expense. You want to make sure that your money is buying you the best policy for your practice.Reflect and earn CME here https://earnc.me/H64HxkSupport the showWant to hear more tips on how to start, run and grow your practice and related medical businesses, please sign up for my newsletter at https://www.thepracticebuildingmd.com Join my FB group, The Private Medical Practice Academy.Enroll in How To Start Your Own Practice and get the step-by-step process for opening your practice.Join The Private Medical Practice Academy Membership for live group coaching, expert guest speakers and everything you need to know to start, grow and leverage your private practice. The course, How To Start Your Own Practice is included in the membership, as a bonus.Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts"I love Sandy Weitz and The Private Medical Practice Academy Podcast." <-- If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people -- just like you -- move toward the practice they want . Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

Today I had a great chat with Dr. John Lin about how to think about choosing to be In-Network vs. Out-of-Network. We all know that dealing with health insurance companies can be very frustrating. But reimbursement rates are only a part of what makes dealing with these companies a headache.Trying to decide whether it makes sense for you and your practice to be In-Network or Out-of-Network has to be an informed calculation rather than an emotional decision.  Here are some of the topics we hit on:What is the demographics of your practice?Can you "afford" to lose that patient population?What percentage of your payor mix does the insurance company make up?How much time (% of an FTE) does it take you and your staff to get prior authorizations and payment for this insurance company?One of the key points of our discussion is that being In-Network  or Out-of-Network is not an all or none decision. Both Dr. Lin and I started our practices In-Network with most payors in order to get our practices full. And then, with time and experience, evaluated and re-evaluated each payor and their contracts to decide whether it was beneficial to our practices.You'll want to listen to our discussion of the decision-making process as you consider these choices for yourself.Dr. Lin is a private practice urologist in Gilbert, Arizona. He is also an immigrant, operates multiple businesses, is an angel investor, and is a very grateful winner. He is an avid student of efficient practice management and frequently speaks on coding, billing, practice management, and online reputation management. Urologists from across the U.S. and the U.K. have visited his practice to learn about practice efficiencies. Dr. Lin consults for numerous physicians who are starting and running successful practices.He believes in sharing knowledge and paying it forward.Dr. Lin helps urology practices throughout the U.S. as the host of The Thriving Urology Practice Facebook Group. He runs multiple YouTube channels. You can also find him on all the popular social media channels as @jclinmd.Support the showWant to hear more tips on how to start, run and grow your practice and related medical businesses, please sign up for my newsletter at https://www.thepracticebuildingmd.com Join my FB group, The Private Medical Practice Academy.Enroll in How To Start Your Own Practice and get the step-by-step process for opening your practice.Join The Private Medical Practice Academy Membership for live group coaching, expert guest speakers and everything you need to know to start, grow and leverage your private practice. The course, How To Start Your Own Practice is included in the membership, as a bonus.Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts"I love Sandy Weitz and The Private Medical Practice Academy Podcast." <-- If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people -- just like you -- move toward the practice they want . Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

You’re a Medicare provider. And you know that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) runs Medicare. But did you know that CMS is just the umbrella organization? The actual administration is done by a Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC.)  What is a MAC? A MAC is a private health care insurer that’s been awarded a geographic jurisdiction to process claims for Medicare Fee-For-Service beneficiaries.  CMS relies on the network of MACs to serve as the primary operational contact between the Medicare Fee-For-Services program and providers enrolled in the program.   Some of the activities the MACs include:Processing claims, enrolling providers, handling 1st stage appeals redetermination requests, responding to provider inquiries, educating providers about Medicare billing requirements, reviewing medical records for selected claims and establishing local coverage determinations One of the functions of each MAC is to establish local coverage determinations (LCD.)  An LCD is a determination of whether a particular item or service is going to be covered on a contractor–wide basis. Before an LCD can be put in place, there's a whole process:The Proposed LCD describes the MAC’s proposed determination regarding coverage, non-coverage or limited coverage for a particular item or service. The public announcement  begins with the date the proposed LCD is published on the Medicare Coverage Database.After the proposed LCD is published, the MAC has to provide a minimum of 45 calendar days for public comment. The MAC has to establish a Contractor Advisory Committee to discuss the quality of evidence used to make a determination. You can volunteer to be part of the CAC. The MAC holds open meetings to discuss the review of the evidence and the rationale for the proposed LCD.  Once these steps are completed, the final LCD and the response to comment  is published. This marks the beginning of the required notice period of a minimum 45 calendar days before the LCD can take effect. There is an LCD reconsideration process. As a physician you can request a revision to an LCD—either in its entirety or any provision. An LCD can definitely throw a wrench into your revenue cycle management if it takes you by surprise. It’s imperative that your bilSupport the showWant to hear more tips on how to start, run and grow your practice and related medical businesses, please sign up for my newsletter at https://www.thepracticebuildingmd.com Join my FB group, The Private Medical Practice Academy.Enroll in How To Start Your Own Practice and get the step-by-step process for opening your practice.Join The Private Medical Practice Academy Membership for live group coaching, expert guest speakers and everything you need to know to start, grow and leverage your private practice. The course, How To Start Your Own Practice is included in the membership, as a bonus.Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts"I love Sandy Weitz and The Private Medical Practice Academy Podcast." <-- If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people -- just like you -- move toward the practice they want . Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

To start with, make a list of supplies that you everything you need:  drugs, syringes, gloves, paper for your exam table, cleaning supplies and more. Include how often you are using these supplies because we’ll need this info to figure out the quantities you need to order. You’ll want to develop an inventory system will help you track how often you use each item and when you need to reorder. Before I talk about where to buy supplies—buying  for your practice is no different than buying anything else. You need to comparison shop. There is tremendous variability in pricing. You can buy from individual vendors. Create an excel spreadsheet –put the item name in each row and the vendor in the column so that you can compare prices of vendors. You will also want to consider buying from a General Purchasing Organization (GPO).How do GPOs source and negotiate prices for products and services? GPOs help source and negotiate prices for drugs, medical devices, and other products and services for healthcare providers.  GPOs don’t take own or take possession of the product. They are the middlemen. If GPOs are middlemen, how do they save healthcare providers money?It is simply an economy of scale issue. It takes time and effort fr a supplier to negotiate a price for every item it sells with every healthcare provider that wants to purchase that item. GPOs can decrease costs by lowering transaction costs and prices through joint negotiation. How much can I save with a GPO?GPOs can save providers 10% to 18%.How else can a GPO benefit me?As a small private practice, you may discover that it is difficult to obtain certain products at the scale you need them. Joining a GPO can help you procure the product because they have a steady inventory and a lower per unit cost on each order. GPOs pre-screen vendors to reduce the risk of working with a problematic supplier. GPOs also has access to more member reviews. You can save time and manpower because your staff doesn’t have to screen each vendor for every purchase. How to choose a GPO? You will need to vet any GPO that you want to join. Start by asking other medical practices that you know. There are many large national, regional and local GPOs. Combine that with the ability to join multiple GPOs, easilySupport the showWant to hear more tips on how to start, run and grow your practice and related medical businesses, please sign up for my newsletter at https://www.thepracticebuildingmd.com Join my FB group, The Private Medical Practice Academy.Enroll in How To Start Your Own Practice and get the step-by-step process for opening your practice.Join The Private Medical Practice Academy Membership for live group coaching, expert guest speakers and everything you need to know to start, grow and leverage your private practice. The course, How To Start Your Own Practice is included in the membership, as a bonus.Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts"I love Sandy Weitz and The Private Medical Practice Academy Podcast." <-- If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people -- just like you -- move toward the practice they want . Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

Here are some strategies that can help keep you on schedule. Get to clinic before your first scheduled patient. Preferably you get to clinic early. If you show up at 8 am, your first patient is at 8am and then you first need put out whatever this morning’s fire is, you start the day off behind and you will be all day long.  The other advantage to getting in early is to huddle with  your MA so that you have a game plan for potential bottlenecks. Create a block schedule. Train your scheduler the rules of the block schedule.  Communicate scheduling issues with your scheduler. If you have a patient that always takes more time, schedule them in a longer slot. Don't routinely double book. If it takes you 15 min to see a follow-up and you put 2 patients in every 15 min slot you will invariably run behind. There will be times that you have to double-book. Have a code so you don't double book one of those patients that always takes longer. When you enter the room, set an agenda by greeting the patient, and asking them what they are here for today. The better you define and manage the expectations of the visit, the greater the patient satisfaction.  Set the timer on your phone. The vibrating phone is a gentle reminder that  time is up. Have a plan with your MA-instant message, a knock on the door, a "call."Do your absolute best to not answer calls in the middle of clinic. Use HIPAA compliant email and text messaging for quick questions. If you must talk on the phone, set up a time—before patients, after patients or as a scheduled appointment. Have information about diseases and procedures ready to print during the visit. Discussing the patient handout(s) and then handing it to the patient at discharge with improve patient comprehension, decrease phone calls to your office and improve patient satisfaction and outcomes. Most EMRs have instant messaging. If yours doesn’t, install a HIPAA compliant instant messaging application. We all know how questions, unplanned tests and procedures can disrupt your otherwise perfectly flowing day. With instant messaging you can be in an EMR chart and have a separate window open for instant messages to communicate with your staff without leaving the room. Create a list of supplies that every exam room should be stocked with.Support the showWant to hear more tips on how to start, run and grow your practice and related medical businesses, please sign up for my newsletter at https://www.thepracticebuildingmd.com Join my FB group, The Private Medical Practice Academy.Enroll in How To Start Your Own Practice and get the step-by-step process for opening your practice.Join The Private Medical Practice Academy Membership for live group coaching, expert guest speakers and everything you need to know to start, grow and leverage your private practice. The course, How To Start Your Own Practice is included in the membership, as a bonus.Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts"I love Sandy Weitz and The Private Medical Practice Academy Podcast." <-- If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people -- just like you -- move toward the practice they want . Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

To reduce the volume of after-hour phone calls, you need to have a policy that implements these strategies.Implement strategies that help reduce after-hour call volume without sacrificing patient care. 1. Set up your phone system's phone treeWhen a patient calls after hours, your phone system should answer and give the patient a set of instructions. The message should start with, “If this is a medical emergency, please hang up and dial 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.” 2. Automate commonly requested informationYour after-hours message should include the information that patients are routinely looking for like your address, office hours, directions to the office, your fax number and your website URL. Mention your website multiple times during the message to direct patients to that site. The person recording this message must articulate clearly and speak slowly so. this automated message can be easily understood. 3. Divert non-clinical callsNon-clinical calls, including requests to change, cancel and schedule appointments, requests for medical records, and billing questions can account for a significant percentage of your after-hours calls. Set up a phone tree prompt that sends people to a voicemail box that the staff will answer during regular office hours. 4. Automate medication refillsIdeally, refills are timed to patient follow-ups. Have all refill requests come from the pharmacy. Adopt a policy of no refills on nights, weekends and holidays. Employ a phone tree prompt that sends patients to a voicemail box for non-urgent refill requests. 5.  Indicate that you may bill for non-urgent callsAnother strategy is to inform the caller that if they chose to contact the on-call provider, there will be a charge for the service. You can decide whether you want this to apply to all calls or only ones that are not urgent. You can also decide whether or not you actually want to drop a charge. 5. Instruct callers to hang up and dial the answering service directlyIf you are going to use an answering service, I would suggest having a pre-recorded message on your phone system that directs patients who still want to speak with the on-call provider to hang up and call the answering service directly. 6. Target high utiSupport the showWant to hear more tips on how to start, run and grow your practice and related medical businesses, please sign up for my newsletter at https://www.thepracticebuildingmd.com Join my FB group, The Private Medical Practice Academy.Enroll in How To Start Your Own Practice and get the step-by-step process for opening your practice.Join The Private Medical Practice Academy Membership for live group coaching, expert guest speakers and everything you need to know to start, grow and leverage your private practice. The course, How To Start Your Own Practice is included in the membership, as a bonus.Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts"I love Sandy Weitz and The Private Medical Practice Academy Podcast." <-- If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people -- just like you -- move toward the practice they want . Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

When you run a private medical practice, you’re invariably going to need services and vendors outside of your practice.   What you need to know is that any person or organization that you hire to handle, use, distribute, or access protected health information is a Business Associate (BA) and that you need to have a Business Associate Agreement (BAA.) You need to have a Business Associate Agreement in place before you share protected health information.  The goal behind the Business Associate Agreement is to acknowledge that both parties are obligated to follow federal HIPAA regulations and to protect both parties in the event of a breach.According to HHS, the Business Associate Agreement must: Describe the permitted and required protected health information uses by the Business Associate and /or their subcontractorsState that the Business Associate and their Subcontractors will not use or further disclose protected health information beyond what is  permitted or required by the contract or as required by law;And require the Business Associate and their Subcontractors to use appropriate safeguards to prevent inappropriate protected health information use or disclosureA Business Associate Subcontractor is a person or entity to that the BA delegates to perform a function, activity or service.  Contractors and Confidentiality AgreementsYour employees, independent contractors who work exclusively for your company or a sole proprietor with other clients are not BAs. In this case your practice is solely responsible if someone breaches protected health information. One way to address this from a compliance perspective is to have your employees and independent contractors sign a confidentiality agreement.  The confidentiality agreements should:Clarify the type of information the agreement covers.Describe what type of information cannot be copied, downloaded or modified. As an aside, this is a very common source of a HIPAA breach—when some piece of protected health information is downloaded onto a desktop because its “easier” to access but it’s not secured.Address issues like not removing a laptop containing protected health information from your officeState information must be returned upon employer’s requestDisciSupport the showWant to hear more tips on how to start, run and grow your practice and related medical businesses, please sign up for my newsletter at https://www.thepracticebuildingmd.com Join my FB group, The Private Medical Practice Academy.Enroll in How To Start Your Own Practice and get the step-by-step process for opening your practice.Join The Private Medical Practice Academy Membership for live group coaching, expert guest speakers and everything you need to know to start, grow and leverage your private practice. The course, How To Start Your Own Practice is included in the membership, as a bonus.Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts"I love Sandy Weitz and The Private Medical Practice Academy Podcast." <-- If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people -- just like you -- move toward the practice they want . Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

We send and receive email every day so  it would seem natural to send emails to your patients. But what if the emails contain protected health information? How do you make email HIPAA compliant?How you will use email with protected health informationThe first questions to ask are, “Is my email network is behind a firewall?” Are you only emailing protected health information between you and your staff within the confines of the firewall? If you answer yes to both questions, then you don’t need to encrypt your emails. But, you do need access controls for email accounts so that only those individuals who are authorized have access to protected health information.On the other hand, if you intend to use email to send protected health information externally, you are responsible for protecting the protected health information—in other words, making it HIPAA compliant.  Encryption is the key to making your email HIPAA-compliant but it’s not that simple. Many email service providers that offer an encrypted email service are not HIPAA compliant because they do not incorporate all the necessary safeguards to meet the requirements of the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules.  Here are some of the things you will want to consider to make your email is HIPAA compliant Ensure you have end-to-end encryption for emailEnter into a HIPAA-compliant business associate agreement with your email providerThe most important step—Develop policies on the use of email and train your staffEmails containing PHI need to be retained for 6 yearsSecure, encrypted email archiving saves storage space and is indexed making its easier to searchObtain consent from patients before communicating with them by emailHIPAA email compliance should be included in your compliance plan. You don’t want something we all do every day—send and receive emails to get you into HIPAA trouble. If you are unsure of the requirements of HIPAA compliant speak with a healthcare attorney that specializes in HIPAA to advise you of your responsibilities and the requirements of HIPAA with respect to email.Support the showWant to hear more tips on how to start, run and grow your practice and related medical businesses, please sign up for my newsletter at https://www.thepracticebuildingmd.com Join my FB group, The Private Medical Practice Academy.Enroll in How To Start Your Own Practice and get the step-by-step process for opening your practice.Join The Private Medical Practice Academy Membership for live group coaching, expert guest speakers and everything you need to know to start, grow and leverage your private practice. The course, How To Start Your Own Practice is included in the membership, as a bonus.Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts"I love Sandy Weitz and The Private Medical Practice Academy Podcast." <-- If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people -- just like you -- move toward the practice they want . Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

Trying to figure out how the digital world fits into your private practice can seem very overwhelming. Today, I had a great conversation with Dr. Dana Corriel, a board certified internist, entrepreneur, digital stratgeist and the founder of doctorsonsocialmedia.com to get her insights. Here are some of the key points we discussed: Social Media is Media. It's a form of advertising. Don't think about it as "Social"Whatever content you put into the digital space represents you and your brandYour priority is the prime real estate you own--your websiteMake your website uniqueProvide content geared to the audience you want to read itYou can re-purpose content from your website Post it on one of the social media channels--Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, etc.Be consistentEstablish yourself as an expertPublish articles on doctorsonsocialmedia.com and other sites so that you are identified as an expert in your fieldYou never know who will see your content--patients, referral sources, others.Use social media to drive people back to your website.People may not find you on social media but your patients and referral sources will definitely check out your website before coming to see you or referring patients.Dana Corriel, MD, is a board certified internist, entrepreneur & digital stratgeist. She is the founder of DoctorsonSocialMedia.com, an online platform that functions as a mix of media outlet, marketplace, & talent agency for “medical brains”, serving both a physicians and public audience. Over the years, Dr. Corriel has learned how to create truly stand-out content online & has expanded her own career in just a few short years, using simple online tools. Her company has helped numerous physician influencers and innovative new healthcare businesses grow, thanks to its communities and networking power. Many of these experts now successfully occupy top healthcare positions, appear in influential outlets, and accomplish feats doctors never thought possible.Support the showWant to hear more tips on how to start, run and grow your practice and related medical businesses, please sign up for my newsletter at https://www.thepracticebuildingmd.com Join my FB group, The Private Medical Practice Academy.Enroll in How To Start Your Own Practice and get the step-by-step process for opening your practice.Join The Private Medical Practice Academy Membership for live group coaching, expert guest speakers and everything you need to know to start, grow and leverage your private practice. The course, How To Start Your Own Practice is included in the membership, as a bonus.Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts"I love Sandy Weitz and The Private Medical Practice Academy Podcast." <-- If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people -- just like you -- move toward the practice they want . Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

I’m sure that you’ve heard the expression:  build it and they will come.  You started your private practice because you want to see patients. But how do you build your patient volume?In this episode, you'll learn 6 steps to accelerate your ramp-up. Define your messageDifferentiate yourself from the competitionCreate your brandThe name of your businessYour taglineYour domain nameYour logoYou need printed materials. This isn't old-fashioned. Business cardsAppointment cardsStationaryBrochuresYour website is your digital business cardPromote early and oftenTell people where you areSchedule appointments before your opening dayYour open houseNot just a celebrationIt's a powerful form of advertisementYou will want to implement these 6 steps before you open your business in order to maximize the likelihood that you will be busy straight from the start.Support the showWant to hear more tips on how to start, run and grow your practice and related medical businesses, please sign up for my newsletter at https://www.thepracticebuildingmd.com Join my FB group, The Private Medical Practice Academy.Enroll in How To Start Your Own Practice and get the step-by-step process for opening your practice.Join The Private Medical Practice Academy Membership for live group coaching, expert guest speakers and everything you need to know to start, grow and leverage your private practice. The course, How To Start Your Own Practice is included in the membership, as a bonus.Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts"I love Sandy Weitz and The Private Medical Practice Academy Podcast." <-- If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people -- just like you -- move toward the practice they want . Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

In this episode, I had the pleasure of chatting with Wendy Margolin who owns Sparkr Marketing and is the founder of The Clinician’s Social Media Club. I asked Wendy to join me to discuss where social media fits into the private practice physician's business plan.  Here are some of the topics we discussed:How to choose which social media channel(s) should you chooseWhat content should you postHow to get your posts seenShould you spend money on ads (and how much)Your personal FB profile vs. your practice's business pageHow to use your practice's FB page to engage with your communityHow to monitor whether your SM posts are working for you.One of the key points we discussed was using your personal FB profile to share your business info. Unfortunately, your FB business page is much more likely to get folks that are already interested in hearing from you. So how do you connect with others? You can use your personal FB profile. But--how do you separate your posts about the info you want to share about your practice and your truly personal info?  You can divide your FB contacts into FB audiences. Here’s a link to how to divide Facebook audiences. My take-home message to you about social media: It's a top in your tool chest. Even if a new patient doesn't find you on social media, they probably checked out your website and FB page.  Click here if you'd like to know more about Wendy Margolin's  The Clinician’s Social Media Club for monthly fill-in-the-blank social media captions and customizable Canva templates. Support the showWant to hear more tips on how to start, run and grow your practice and related medical businesses, please sign up for my newsletter at https://www.thepracticebuildingmd.com Join my FB group, The Private Medical Practice Academy.Enroll in How To Start Your Own Practice and get the step-by-step process for opening your practice.Join The Private Medical Practice Academy Membership for live group coaching, expert guest speakers and everything you need to know to start, grow and leverage your private practice. The course, How To Start Your Own Practice is included in the membership, as a bonus.Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts"I love Sandy Weitz and The Private Medical Practice Academy Podcast." <-- If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people -- just like you -- move toward the practice they want . Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

The Notice of Privacy Practices is a form that many patients toss in the garbage but that can you into a lot of trouble and costs an enormous amount of money.  HIPAA guarantees a variety of patient rights--including a patient’s right to know how you’re going to use their Protected Health Information (PHI.) As part of that,  you are required to describe your office’s privacy practices in writing in an easy-to-read document called a Notice of Privacy Practices.The HIPAA guidelines state that you must “do your best” to get your patients to sign an acknowledgment that indicates that they havereceived a copy of your Notice of Privacy Practicesbeen made aware of a notice copy posted in your waiting area, orbeen informed that a copy is available on your practice’s websiteWhat should you include in your privacy notice:Rights:  Your privacy notice must clearly spell out your patients’ rights Choice: Patient privacy choices must also be clearly listedUse: You are required to tell your patients how you will use their informationDate and Sign: Although your patients are not required to sign and date your privacy notice, there must be a place for them to do so on the document Change: Your patients have the right to change the instructions on how you are authorized to utilize their information Here's a HIPAA-compliant sample Notice of Privacy Practices form.  How to use the form correctly:Timing: Every new patient packet must contain a complete copy of your privacy notice. Have patients review your privacy notice again at least every three years.Availability:   Post a copy of your Notice of Privacy Practices where your patients can easily see it. Signature: Make a “good faith” effort to document acknowledgment of your privacy notice by getting your patient to sign and date it.  Refusal to Sign: If they refuse to sign,  document the reasons.Language:  Your Notice of Privacy Practices form needs to be available in other language options as your practice represents.Who can Sign a Privacy Notice? Support the showWant to hear more tips on how to start, run and grow your practice and related medical businesses, please sign up for my newsletter at https://www.thepracticebuildingmd.com Join my FB group, The Private Medical Practice Academy.Enroll in How To Start Your Own Practice and get the step-by-step process for opening your practice.Join The Private Medical Practice Academy Membership for live group coaching, expert guest speakers and everything you need to know to start, grow and leverage your private practice. The course, How To Start Your Own Practice is included in the membership, as a bonus.Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts"I love Sandy Weitz and The Private Medical Practice Academy Podcast." <-- If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people -- just like you -- move toward the practice they want . Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

If you practice medicine, sooner or later you’ll get to the point that you want to fire a patient. Whatever the reason that you may have for terminating the physician-patient relationship, there needs to a clear and consistent policy and procedure for doing so or you're exposing yourself to hassles and unnecessary potential liability. Once you have made the difficult decision to end the doctor-patient relationship, there are a number of steps you need to take:Understand the legal standards for duty of care and for patient termination.Duty of care—this refers to the doctors responsibility to provide patients with treatment.  In order for a physician to be obligated to a patient, you must either:have a pre-existing relationship with the patienthave a commitment to the patient by proxytake affirmative action to treat the patientYou need to send out a termination letter to the patient. Notify all office staff about the termination. If you have more than one physician, you absolutely want to notify all practice physicians about the termination.  Your next step is to remove the patient from your roster of active patients. After you have fired the patient, i.e. sent the termination letter, it’s imperative that you document All Post-Firing Encounters. You need to use  a disclaimer for Emergency Care. You need to know how much notice you need to give the patient. There’s no federal standard that defines “reasonable notice"Know your state's requirements Look to your payor contracts for guidance Contact a healthcare attorney in your stateHere's a list of dos and don’ts for you, as the treating physician to keep in mind as you interact with your soon-to-be ex-patient:Never discuss the patient’s health or wellbeing if you encounter him or outside of the office. If you participate in health fairs, online medical discussions or any other situation in which there is the potential for your opinions to be interpreted as medical advice, you will want to include a disclaimer. In the end, there will be occasions where you want to and are justified in firing a patient. You just want to make sure that you do it the right way.For a full searchablSupport the showWant to hear more tips on how to start, run and grow your practice and related medical businesses, please sign up for my newsletter at https://www.thepracticebuildingmd.com Join my FB group, The Private Medical Practice Academy.Enroll in How To Start Your Own Practice and get the step-by-step process for opening your practice.Join The Private Medical Practice Academy Membership for live group coaching, expert guest speakers and everything you need to know to start, grow and leverage your private practice. The course, How To Start Your Own Practice is included in the membership, as a bonus.Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts"I love Sandy Weitz and The Private Medical Practice Academy Podcast." <-- If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people -- just like you -- move toward the practice they want . Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

New ventures require money. The question is always where does that money come from. It may come from your savings, a loan or other investors. Regardless of whether you are starting your own practice, buying into a practice or related business (ASC, Imaging Center, etc)--you will need to make a capital investment. In this episode, Dr. Brent Lacey and I discuss personal finances and financing your business ventures. Dr. Lacey is a gastroenterologist and founder of The Scope of Practice. He has coached hundreds of families to succeed in building personal wealth and stellar careers.  One of the important topics we address is money and your significant other. Money matters are often a source of strife in a relationship. And talking about money can make people uncomfortable.Join us as we have an in-depth conversation about how to address both personal and business related money issues.Dr. Lacey is hosting a free summit, Marriage and Money, M.D. on Nov 15-17, 2021. You can find out more by clicking here. You can join me in  The Private Medical Practice Academy membership to how to maximize your practice's success. Enrollment for the next cohort will open in January. Be sure to sign up for the waitlist.For a full searchable copy of the transcript, https://www.thepracticebuildingmd.com/podcastSupport the showWant to hear more tips on how to start, run and grow your practice and related medical businesses, please sign up for my newsletter at https://www.thepracticebuildingmd.com Join my FB group, The Private Medical Practice Academy.Enroll in How To Start Your Own Practice and get the step-by-step process for opening your practice.Join The Private Medical Practice Academy Membership for live group coaching, expert guest speakers and everything you need to know to start, grow and leverage your private practice. The course, How To Start Your Own Practice is included in the membership, as a bonus.Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts"I love Sandy Weitz and The Private Medical Practice Academy Podcast." <-- If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people -- just like you -- move toward the practice they want . Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

What is the difference between an office manager and a practice manager. If you hire someone to help manage your practice—regardless of how small it is—that employee is a practice manager. What are the tasks that practice managers may be responsible for? Here's just a short list:All things Human ResourcesOversee billing and  understand revenue cycle management. Medical records management One of the questions that I’m frequently asked is, “How much should I pay my practice manager?” In my experience, there are 3 general categories of practice managers. The starter—when you are first getting started and have only a few employees and the complexity of the tasks is limited. The growing manager—more staff, billing,  expenses, and providers to manage. The scaling manager- adding new providers, satellite offices and multiple additional revenue streams requires a whole new list of competencies. At this stage, you need someone who has the ability to help you grow rather than simply manage the practice. Now that I’ve told you the list of potential tasks you’re going to want your new practice manager to take on, I’m sure you’re wondering where you are going to find a person who possesses all the required characteristics you should be looking for. The answer is that it’s incredibly unlikely that you will find someone who checks off every single box. What's the  one quality that’s essential in a good practice manager? Regardless of what stage you’re at, your practice manager needs to have excellent communication skills in order effortlessly communicate with everyone in your practice including patients, physicians, and other administrative staff. Here are some of the things you’ll want to consider when hiring a practice manager: Check the candidate’s previous work experience.  Even in the beginning stages, you are going to want a practice manager with at least two to five years of prior work experience And, you want to specifically know what tasks they were previously responsible for.Look for the necessary personality characteristics: Hiring the right person is all about fit. In order for your practice manager to be successful, they must be empathetic, compassionate, and pay attention to detail.  Your practice manager is really yourSupport the showWant to hear more tips on how to start, run and grow your practice and related medical businesses, please sign up for my newsletter at https://www.thepracticebuildingmd.com Join my FB group, The Private Medical Practice Academy.Enroll in How To Start Your Own Practice and get the step-by-step process for opening your practice.Join The Private Medical Practice Academy Membership for live group coaching, expert guest speakers and everything you need to know to start, grow and leverage your private practice. The course, How To Start Your Own Practice is included in the membership, as a bonus.Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts"I love Sandy Weitz and The Private Medical Practice Academy Podcast." <-- If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people -- just like you -- move toward the practice they want . Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

In this episode, I have the great pleasure of chatting with Dr. Cheng Ruan, the founder of Texas Center for Lifestyle Medicine. Dr. Ruan started out in an internal medicine practice before starting his extremely successful and lucrative lifestyle medicine practice. Here are some of the key points we touched on:The importance of understanding every aspect of how a private practice functions before starting your ownHow to get patients BEFORE you open your doorsHow to create the right culture for your employeesHow to leverage yourself with physician extenders (and get paid)Dr. Ruan is hosting the  Physician Practice Automation Summit Oct. 17-24, 2021. He's put together 40 experts including doctors, lawyers, marketing executives and more to help teach how to grow and scale private practices and I'm thrilled to be one of the speakers.For a full searchable copy of the transcript, https://www.thepracticebuildingmd.com/podcastSupport the showWant to hear more tips on how to start, run and grow your practice and related medical businesses, please sign up for my newsletter at https://www.thepracticebuildingmd.com Join my FB group, The Private Medical Practice Academy.Enroll in How To Start Your Own Practice and get the step-by-step process for opening your practice.Join The Private Medical Practice Academy Membership for live group coaching, expert guest speakers and everything you need to know to start, grow and leverage your private practice. The course, How To Start Your Own Practice is included in the membership, as a bonus.Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts"I love Sandy Weitz and The Private Medical Practice Academy Podcast." <-- If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people -- just like you -- move toward the practice they want . Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!