Pediatric Practice Management Media Cast

Hello listeners! We've put this podcast on permanent hiatus, but Chip has begun a new podcast, which you can find on his blog, www.chipsblog.com, or on iTunes (search for Confessions of a Pediatric Practice Management Consultant). We hope you follow us over there!

Brandon and I have been busy, OK? :-)  I pulled in Dr. Nelson Branco to discuss what pediatricians need to know about social media.  How do you set up a Fb page?  What is snapchat and instagram and why do you need to know?  What four or five Internet concepts does a pediatrician need to know? Dr. Branco's practice is located in the greater Bay Area in CA, effectively forcing him to be on the forefront of social media and Internet awareness for pediatricians.  Listen to him, learn a lot! We'll be back with an episode with Brandon after the PCC Users' Conference. Don't forget to visit the PPMMC Google+ page, Pediatric Inc., Confessions of a Pediatric Practice Management Consultant, and PCC.

First, we are going to ignore the episode numbering for a little while.  Brandon and I recorded a series of episodes in advance and am not releasing them in the order they were recorded.  Forgive us. A while back, Brandon wrote a piece on Pediatric Inc entitled "7 Reasons Why Becoming a Partner at a Medical Practice is Overrated" and got a lot of feedback from it.  We decided to expand on that topic for today's discussion. Don't forget to visit the PPMMC Google+ page, Pediatric Inc., Confessions of a Pediatric Practice Management Consultant, and PCC.

A few weeks ago, there was a great discussion on SOAPM about the marketing challenge that pediatricians face when confronted by Retail Based Clinics.  Brandon and I feel strongly about the power of even the smallest pediatric practice to tell a better story than the RBCs and their friends.  We review some of Brandon's practice data about his most popular visit reasons - you can see the spreadsheet he shared with everyone here.

Brandon has spoken many times about his collection of patient credit card information to work personal balances and he continues to get questions about it.  If you haven't read his blog, listen in today for details. Don't forget to visit the PPMMC Google+ page, Pediatric Inc., Confessions of a Pediatric Practice Management Consultant, and PCC. Oh, and we reference Manage My Practice quite a bit in this episode.

Wow, what an exciting episode.  We interview Robin Warner of Union Pediatrics a few days before she begins her gameification project - her patients will collect, using a smart phone app, "stamps" for various positive clinical behaviors (getting their shots, staying up to date with well visits, calling before going to the minute clinic, etc.).  She describes how she expects it to work and we'll check back in a few weeks from now to see how it's going. Don't forget to visit the PPMMC Google+ page, Pediatric Inc., Confessions of a Pediatric Practice Management Consultant, and PCC.

Today's special guest is SOAPM troublemaker, Dr. George Rogu of RBK Pediatrics in Long Island, NY.  He takes time out of his day to tell us about the success of his practice and all of the many projects he has worked on while surrounded on all sides by large groups and hospitals.  What are his secrets? Don't forget to visit the PPMMC Google+ page, Pediatric Inc., Confessions of a Pediatric Practice Management Consultant, and PCC.

We open the new year with a focus on one of the resolutions from 2014: checking our pricing.  Chip actually shares the 2014 RVU calculator available on his blog  and walks through how it works. Note that doing an RVU analysis like this is important for more than just setting your pricing - it's also important when analyzing both existing and potential payer contracts! Don't forget to visit the PPMMC Google+ page, Pediatric Inc., Confessions of a Pediatric Practice Management Consultant, and PCC.

We discuss, in a suprisingly meangful and practical fashion, the things for which we are grateful and our list of New Year Resolutions. Don't forget to visit the PPMMC Google+ page, Pediatric Inc., Confessions of a Pediatric Practice Management Consultant, and PCC.

We cover a lot of ground today, but the primary topics are our review of the NCE in October (what parts we liked best and why) and Brandon's review of the pre-meeting Disney event which many people covered.  I heard a lot of dissatisfaction from folks who attended by Brandon got a lot out of it - what made his experience different? Don't forget to visit the PPMMC Google+ page, Pediatric Inc., Confessions of a Pediatric Practice Management Consultant, and PCC.

Chip takes a well earned vacation - mostly so you don't have to hear him interrupt throughout this entire discussion between Brandon and Paul about key performance indicators for pediatricians. If you like this, or anything similar, race to the Pediatric Management Institute, where Paul is offering a series of seminars across the country. Don't forget to visit the PPMMC Google+ page, Pediatric Inc., and PCC.

Today, Brandon and I talk about the NCE, SOAPM, The Independent Pediatrician, and a lot more.  Get to the end where we talk about his piece about collection letters in the SOAPM newsletter.  Well, don't SKIP to the end, listen to the entire thing. Don't forget to visit the PPMMC Google+ page, Pediatric Inc., and PCC. See you in Florida!

Boy, this is a topic Brandon and I could cover all day.  What is an independent pediatrician?  Why are they important?  Who are they and how do they operate? This is also a teaser for an upcoming publication about this very topic. Don't forget to visit the PPMMC Google+ page, Pediatric Inc., and PCC.

Today, we interview Alan Houser, the owner of Squareflair.  Brandon and Alan work together to maintain Brandon's fancy WWW site.  We discuss the many options for managing a decent practice WWW page and some of the pitfalls that seem to trap most practices (and how to avoid them). Don't forget to visit the PPMMC Google+ page, Pediatric Inc., and PCC.

2013 is the year where practices changing EHRs becomes as much of the norm as practices moving from paper.  Today, our special guest is Dr. Seth Kaplan, who transitioned from his original EHR and tells us about the lessons he learned.  This is particularly important because Brandon is going through the same process right now!  Chip relates a few of his experiences helping practices move to and from a variety of EHRs over the years. Exactly one year ago, Pediatric Inc., ran two stories about this very subject which viewers and listeners may want to read (Part 2). Don't forget to visit the PPMMC Google+ page, Pediatric Inc., and PCC.

As practice management consultants, we visit pediatric practice after pediatric practice suffering from top-down disorganization.  Pick your direction oriented analogy: running in circles, working against each other, or, as Brandon put it best, hopping in the car and driving with no idea of where you're going or how to get there. In this weeks episode, we discuss the important of having a Practice Charter, how to create one, and what to do with it.  Our special guest is Susanne Madden (of The Verden Group), who knows more about this than both of us combined.  And is more charming as well. Don't forget to visit the PPMMC Google+ page, Pediatric Inc., and PCC.

Wow, we scored big this week and somehow convinced Natasha Burgert - queen of pediatric  social media - to speak to us.  Her real-life stories are great.  Don't believe us?  Watch/listen and see her Twitter effort or check out her blog.  A special shout out to an awesome vaccine-related charity that Dr. Burgert supports: Shot @ Life! Don't forget to visit the PPMMC Google+ page, Pediatric Inc., and PCC.

Brandon and Chip discuss a series of little items that have piled up over the last few weeks.  We discuss pediatric practice management seminars, the avoidance of autoposting and eligibility checking, the compensation model survey, and some important considerations for those expecting the ACA-Medicaid-Payment-Adjustment boost this year.  In fact, the 'gold' of this episode is probably in the middle, so make sure you listen or watch all the way through! Don't forget to visit the PPMMC Google+ page, Pediatric Inc., and PCC.

In this episode, we address questions raised on the SOAPM mailing list relating to a busy practice considering hiring a new doctor. "I recently interviewed a potential MD candidate. She looks fine on paper and was nice enough in the interview. But how do you know if someone is going to be right for your practice? My practice is small so bringing in a bad apple would cause a huge problem. Plus, she is the only person I have interviewed. I would love to have more choices from which to select. How does everyone else go about recruiting? I can't exactly run a want ad in the local paper... ...since I have never done this before nor have I ever been solicited by a practice for employment, how do I structure a new MD package? Salary vs production? Salary for a while and then production? At what point? And how much? What benefits? How specific do I outline work hours, call duties, etc? What happens if I can't stand the person I hire after 3 months? Finally, how do I even know if my practice is ready to bring in another MD? What numbers do you look at? Perhaps I should just get a scribe and bust my butt for the next 6-12 months to see if I can absorb the patient load myself without adding someone else right away?" Whew, that was a lot to cover! Don't forget to visit the PPMMC Google+ page.

In this episode, we are visited by Mary Pat Whaley from ManageMyPractice.com, one of the premiere practice management WWW sites.  We have a fairly wide-ranging discussion, but there is some focus on a popular issue, the "credit-card-on-file" topic.  We also touch on practice independence, insurance contract negotiation, and more.  There is some real gold here! Make sure you visit ManageMyPractice.com while you are at it!

In an amazing feat of timely dicussion, Brandon and Chip cover the topic of compensation models in pediatric practices.  It's not just about the pay, it's about the management duties, performance measures, and dissatisfaction that many practices feel with their present methods of paying themselves.  We reference many real-life examples and data from a survey of 100s of pediatricians. Chip will be covering this topic at the PCC 2013 UC and it has been submitted as a topic for presentation at the 2014 NCE with co-host Susanne Madden of The Verden Group. During the discussion, Brandon references a book entitled, "Physician Compensation Plans" distributed by the MGMA.

Brandon and Chip give some strategic and tactical advice about marketing your pediatric practice.  What works?  What doesn't?  Do you need a WWW page? How about a yellow pages ad?  We share some real life, practical examples about how to do the smart thing. Links mentioned in this episode include: Goryeb Pediatric Gurus at Skytop PCC's 2013 Users' Conference Don't forget to visit the PPMMC Google+ page.

In the second of a short series of episodes focused on pediatric practice management benchmarks, we discuss the classic E&M distribution and Sick:Well Visit ratio. How are these figures useful, what important aspects of your practice can they illuminate...and how do you even calculate them? Don't forget to visit the PPMMC Google+ page.

In the first of a short series of episodes focused on pediatric practice management benchmarks, we discuss "Revenue Per Visit" or the simple concept of how much you get paid every time a patient walks in the door.  How is this figure useful, what important aspects of your practice can it illuminate...and how do you even calculate it?  A sample PDF report is attached. Don't forget to visit the PPMMC Google+ page.

We cover a sometimes delicate subject: the financial planning that should occur in your pediatric practice.  We welcome a special guest, Paul Vanchiere, who gives us some special insight and invites us to attend the Pediatric Management Institute seminars being held in different parts of the country!http://www.pediatricmanagementinstitute.com/http://www.eventbrite.com/org/2833593272?s=11329625http://www.eventbrite.com/event/4919575583 And don't forget our Google+ Community page, where we host the video blog and you can ask us questions? https://plus.google.com/u/1/communities/105346004636695669726

How important is your pediatric practice culture?  What can you do to improve it, what and how can you make changes in your practice?  Brandon and Chip discuss this subject in detail with examples from practices around the country.  You can watch all the Pediatric Practice Management Media Casts on the Google Communities Page. Links for contented mentioned during this episode: DISC Assessments Zappos and "Deliver Happiness" The Netflix Employee Guide Management By Baseball by Jeff Angus The Advantage by Patrick Lencioni

Pediatric practice front desk performance - how to measure it, what to measure...and what you can't measure, but know you need to understand?  We cover it all, in typical ADD-driven format.  We touch on a few key benchmarks as well as the "subjective" understanding of the important features of a front desk employee.  You can watch all the Pediatric Practice Management Media Casts on the Google Communities Page.

Brandon and Chip discuss their unique experiences with billing services and include a 7-point list of what every pediatric practice should look for in a billing service...if they can find a good one!

Our intrepid hosts, Brandon Betancourt and Chip Hart, discuss the process for preparing for a new computer vendor - whether EHR or PM.  Learn the secrets and lessons from real pediatric practices around the country.

The first episode of the Pediatric Practice Management Media Cast, featuring Brandon Betancourt of Pediatric Inc. and Chip Hart of PCC discussing patient recall in a pediatric practice setting.