{"title":"What to do about merger mania.","authors":"D L Schryver","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":79686,"journal":{"name":"Medical group management journal","volume":"47 3","pages":"12, 14"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2000-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"21892488","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Referrals, far and away the most burdensome administrative problem created by managed care, can be automated using secure, private intranets. Hundreds of primary care physicians and their offices in the Northwest have begun using this approach to reduce the approval time to get patients to specialists and to cut administrative costs. Combined with intranet delivery of laboratory and imaging test results, the service allows primary care physicians to fulfill their responsibility as overseers of the health care delivery process.
{"title":"Painless referrals.","authors":"W Bysinger, T Carli, J O'Connor","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Referrals, far and away the most burdensome administrative problem created by managed care, can be automated using secure, private intranets. Hundreds of primary care physicians and their offices in the Northwest have begun using this approach to reduce the approval time to get patients to specialists and to cut administrative costs. Combined with intranet delivery of laboratory and imaging test results, the service allows primary care physicians to fulfill their responsibility as overseers of the health care delivery process.</p>","PeriodicalId":79686,"journal":{"name":"Medical group management journal","volume":"47 3","pages":"32-4, 36, 38-9"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2000-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"21892492","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
A physician compact is the unwritten understanding of what an organization and its employees owe one another. When expectations clash about job security, salary, hours and the like, the practice--and its patients--suffer. Outdated expectations of the physician compact can hamper an organization from functioning smoothly and delivering optimal care. Rewriting a compact should involve all of a group's physicians, and should be endorsed and promoted by practice leadership. A satisfactory compact develops a shared sense of strategic imperatives and helps a practice reach its potential.
{"title":"Creating a physician compact that drives group success.","authors":"J Silversin, M J Kornacki","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A physician compact is the unwritten understanding of what an organization and its employees owe one another. When expectations clash about job security, salary, hours and the like, the practice--and its patients--suffer. Outdated expectations of the physician compact can hamper an organization from functioning smoothly and delivering optimal care. Rewriting a compact should involve all of a group's physicians, and should be endorsed and promoted by practice leadership. A satisfactory compact develops a shared sense of strategic imperatives and helps a practice reach its potential.</p>","PeriodicalId":79686,"journal":{"name":"Medical group management journal","volume":"47 3","pages":"54-8, 60, 62"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2000-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"21892495","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Developing a strategy and turnaround plan for a struggling medical group practice requires a combination of art and science. Orchestrating an effective about-face calls for decisive action on several fronts at once. Too many groups are slow to recognize the need to rescue a perilous situation. And rather than taking immediate action on multiple fronts, they try taking incremental steps over time. Implementing a successful turnaround requires both the diligence of follow-through and the vision to make necessary adjustments throughout the process.
{"title":"The art and science of medical group turnarounds. Acting in several directions at once, acting at several points in time.","authors":"K Moore, K Ackerman, L Wareham, D Stephens","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Developing a strategy and turnaround plan for a struggling medical group practice requires a combination of art and science. Orchestrating an effective about-face calls for decisive action on several fronts at once. Too many groups are slow to recognize the need to rescue a perilous situation. And rather than taking immediate action on multiple fronts, they try taking incremental steps over time. Implementing a successful turnaround requires both the diligence of follow-through and the vision to make necessary adjustments throughout the process.</p>","PeriodicalId":79686,"journal":{"name":"Medical group management journal","volume":"47 3","pages":"48-52"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2000-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"21892494","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"\"Back to the future\".","authors":"R L Goldstein","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":79686,"journal":{"name":"Medical group management journal","volume":"47 3","pages":"8, 10"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2000-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"21892498","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The anticipation of economies of scale in physician billing has led many medical practices to consolidate their billing operations. This article analyzes these economies of scale, comparing performance indicators from centralized and decentralized operations. While consolidation provides compliance, control and information, diseconomies of scale can exist in the centralized receivables management process. The authors conclude that physician practices should consider a hybrid approach to billing, thus reaping the benefits of both centralization and decentralization.
{"title":"The economics of central billing offices.","authors":"E Woodcock, L Nguyen","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The anticipation of economies of scale in physician billing has led many medical practices to consolidate their billing operations. This article analyzes these economies of scale, comparing performance indicators from centralized and decentralized operations. While consolidation provides compliance, control and information, diseconomies of scale can exist in the centralized receivables management process. The authors conclude that physician practices should consider a hybrid approach to billing, thus reaping the benefits of both centralization and decentralization.</p>","PeriodicalId":79686,"journal":{"name":"Medical group management journal","volume":"47 3","pages":"20-5"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2000-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"21892489","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Organized practice 2000 (and beyond): chaos or opportunity?","authors":"R C Bohlmann","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":79686,"journal":{"name":"Medical group management journal","volume":"47 3","pages":"40-2, 44-6"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2000-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"21892490","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Health care converges: a new era in patient care emerges.","authors":"S M Cigich","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":79686,"journal":{"name":"Medical group management journal","volume":"47 2","pages":"10-1"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2000-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"21635485","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Usually dreaded, annual meetings can provide a crucial, powerful, but often neglected context for reviewing the "vital signs" of a group practice: mission, membership, marketplace strategy and infrastructure. We propose that regular and thoughtful attention to essential issues of cohesion and effectiveness significantly increases the likelihood of group vitality and group member satisfaction. We suggest a methodology for embedding these essential conversations into the ritual of the annual meeting.
{"title":"The annual meeting: regulatory obligation or lifeline to the future?","authors":"E D Lister, S Pirrotta","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Usually dreaded, annual meetings can provide a crucial, powerful, but often neglected context for reviewing the \"vital signs\" of a group practice: mission, membership, marketplace strategy and infrastructure. We propose that regular and thoughtful attention to essential issues of cohesion and effectiveness significantly increases the likelihood of group vitality and group member satisfaction. We suggest a methodology for embedding these essential conversations into the ritual of the annual meeting.</p>","PeriodicalId":79686,"journal":{"name":"Medical group management journal","volume":"47 2","pages":"42-5"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2000-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"21635492","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"How to use teams effectively--and realistically.","authors":"C R Fernandez","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":79686,"journal":{"name":"Medical group management journal","volume":"47 2","pages":"12-3"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2000-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"21635486","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}