Nothing beats a friday.
Had a busy two days. Busy these days equaled 15 patients on both thursday and friday.
Stats:
3 new patients
3 renewed their wellness plan
1 established patient enrolled in a wellness plan
1 new patient enrolled in a wellness plan- this patient is presently uninsured, but his father sees the value of a primary care doc to join a monthly payment plan.
The month ended with increased revenues over January. If I take out old insurance money for Jan-Feb08, then Jan-Feb 09 shows a slight increase. Now with the larger upfront wellness plan payments, and zero copays for the rest of the year, this may decrease as the year moves forward. So I will need to continue to bring in new wellness plan patients. About 40% of my wellness plan patients are paying by ACH, autodebit from bank account, which will keep the cash flow a little more regular.
The month ends and I am encouraged. It does not take many new patient's to increase revenues, and I hope to enroll 25 wellness patient's a month. The first two months brought in 57.
The first two months of the year also breaks down as follows:
40% of patient volume is Wellness patient's
40% of patient volume is Self-pay
20% of patient volume is Medicare
I like this breakdown, and would like to increase the wellness portion to 50% by the end of the year. We'll see what happens, so keep lurking.
If anyone is reading this blog and has any comments, questions, or words of wisdom, please use the comment section. I can use all the ideas you may have!!
DoctorSH
Friday, February 27, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Tuesday February 24, 2009
Tuesday, my second favorite day of the workweek. Try to guess my favorite day??
Normal day at the office, busy in the am, slower after lunch.
11 patients today. seems slow, but as the practice grows, and it is growing, I will look back and wish I had the free time. But I like slow, controlled growth. It avoids overextending myself and avoids mistakes.
2 new patients were seen today. One was the wife of a recent new wellness patient. She was not sure if she wanted to sign up for the retainer, but she set up a followup before she left. I think she respected the fact that I had plenty of time to spend with her at her initial appointment, about 45 minutes.
The other new patient is the daughter of a wellness plan member. She came in with her mother, who I have not seen since 2007. I had sent out mailers to some of my previous patients to inform them of the change in the wellness plans to zero copay about 1 month ago. The mailers must have worked, as the mother signed up for my family retainer at $100/month. It is for a family of 5, but last year I saw the father 3 times, the mother 0, and her kids are rarely sick. The pricing point will work both for me and for the family.
One other patient came in today who I have not seen in over a year. He came in specifically because he resents the insurance system and does not trust doctors that participate. He wanted a true independent medical opinion. Although my opinion was no different than the ER docs opinion he saw 4 days prior, he was still appreciative of the time.
Today my system has worked as I hoped.
Win for the patient and Win for my office!!
DoctorSH
Normal day at the office, busy in the am, slower after lunch.
11 patients today. seems slow, but as the practice grows, and it is growing, I will look back and wish I had the free time. But I like slow, controlled growth. It avoids overextending myself and avoids mistakes.
2 new patients were seen today. One was the wife of a recent new wellness patient. She was not sure if she wanted to sign up for the retainer, but she set up a followup before she left. I think she respected the fact that I had plenty of time to spend with her at her initial appointment, about 45 minutes.
The other new patient is the daughter of a wellness plan member. She came in with her mother, who I have not seen since 2007. I had sent out mailers to some of my previous patients to inform them of the change in the wellness plans to zero copay about 1 month ago. The mailers must have worked, as the mother signed up for my family retainer at $100/month. It is for a family of 5, but last year I saw the father 3 times, the mother 0, and her kids are rarely sick. The pricing point will work both for me and for the family.
One other patient came in today who I have not seen in over a year. He came in specifically because he resents the insurance system and does not trust doctors that participate. He wanted a true independent medical opinion. Although my opinion was no different than the ER docs opinion he saw 4 days prior, he was still appreciative of the time.
Today my system has worked as I hoped.
Win for the patient and Win for my office!!
DoctorSH
Monday, February 23, 2009
Tell me why, I don't like Mondays!!
Monday February 23, 2009
Nother first day of the week. Slow morning but picked up in the afternoon-evening.
It is 910PM, and I am waiting for my wife to finish with her last patient. I have been here since 845 this morning.
On a practice note,
The office saw 15 patients, 2 newly referred from a naturopathic doctor.
9 were selfpay or Medicare, and 6 were Wellness plan patients. So the revenues seemed down, but today I use the ACH monthly autodebit for 6 patients. So far this month, we are on par with last years revenues.
I am still waiting for an ad spec for promotion and marketing. Hopefully anyday now.
DoctorSH
Nother first day of the week. Slow morning but picked up in the afternoon-evening.
It is 910PM, and I am waiting for my wife to finish with her last patient. I have been here since 845 this morning.
On a practice note,
The office saw 15 patients, 2 newly referred from a naturopathic doctor.
9 were selfpay or Medicare, and 6 were Wellness plan patients. So the revenues seemed down, but today I use the ACH monthly autodebit for 6 patients. So far this month, we are on par with last years revenues.
I am still waiting for an ad spec for promotion and marketing. Hopefully anyday now.
DoctorSH
Friday, February 20, 2009
I love Fridays!!!
I love fridays!!
The end of the week, with a two day weekend of freedom. But if it is the usual weekend, I will be at the office for at least 1-2 patients. All part of being there for the patient's when they need it, not when it is "convenient".
Spoke to an advertising rep at a local paper. I have them working on an ad campaign that stresses the differences in my style of practice from other docs in the area. For an ad campaign to work, new patient's must have a reason to go outside their insurance to pay extra for my care. The ad campaign is definitely a work in progress.
This week went well.
Saw 60 patients, as compared to to 39 the previous week and 48 the week prior.
Revenues for February are almost 50% higher to date than January. And only 20% lower than this time in 2008, but 2008 included old insurance money.
I am presently waiting for the last patient to get to the office. She called at 3:30Pm and wanted to be seen for an inflamed eye. Problem is, it would take her at leat 90 minutes to get to the office. Her and her husband joined my Wellness Plan back in March, and are due to renew next month. Makes the decision whether to stay an easy one.
Do what it takes to be succesful !!
Be available and be a good listener!!!
The end of the week, with a two day weekend of freedom. But if it is the usual weekend, I will be at the office for at least 1-2 patients. All part of being there for the patient's when they need it, not when it is "convenient".
Spoke to an advertising rep at a local paper. I have them working on an ad campaign that stresses the differences in my style of practice from other docs in the area. For an ad campaign to work, new patient's must have a reason to go outside their insurance to pay extra for my care. The ad campaign is definitely a work in progress.
This week went well.
Saw 60 patients, as compared to to 39 the previous week and 48 the week prior.
Revenues for February are almost 50% higher to date than January. And only 20% lower than this time in 2008, but 2008 included old insurance money.
I am presently waiting for the last patient to get to the office. She called at 3:30Pm and wanted to be seen for an inflamed eye. Problem is, it would take her at leat 90 minutes to get to the office. Her and her husband joined my Wellness Plan back in March, and are due to renew next month. Makes the decision whether to stay an easy one.
Do what it takes to be succesful !!
Be available and be a good listener!!!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
February 17, 2009
2-17-09
Average day at the office. Saw 11 patients. On the business side, one uninsured patient signed up for my Zero copay wellness plan, with a monthly payment of $45. She felt it was cheap for what she was getting and allowed her to budget her money accordingly. If she paid full price for the same service , it would cost her more than double, and she would probably refrain from the service. The Wellness Plan includes a full one hour physical exam, EKG, spirometry, review of labs, and review of full personal and family medical history, while creating a game plan for health, wellness and prevention. All done without any third party intervention and at a cost most can afford, if they choose.
Part of what I like about my new system is that the time constraints have been removed. Case in point where this is helpful: I have an unfortunate patient just diagnosed a few days ago with Liver Cancer with probable mets to the lung. When he called yesterday to schedule to review his recent hospital stay, my medical assistant was able to schedule him for 40 minutes. His son, also a patient in the practice, came along for the visit. I had plenty of time in my schedule to review the hospital chart with the patient and help to coordinate his future care. This would have been very difficult a few years ago, when anything over 15 minutes per patient would have caused a hardship.
One of the joys I have in Family Practice is the building of trust and relationships with patients and their families. When a patient refers their family member, it is one of the nicest compliments I can get. Unfortunately, in the case I mentioned earlier, this can also be one of the sorrows of family practice. Seeing how bad medical news affects other patients, especially family members, can be very trying.
DoctorSH
Average day at the office. Saw 11 patients. On the business side, one uninsured patient signed up for my Zero copay wellness plan, with a monthly payment of $45. She felt it was cheap for what she was getting and allowed her to budget her money accordingly. If she paid full price for the same service , it would cost her more than double, and she would probably refrain from the service. The Wellness Plan includes a full one hour physical exam, EKG, spirometry, review of labs, and review of full personal and family medical history, while creating a game plan for health, wellness and prevention. All done without any third party intervention and at a cost most can afford, if they choose.
Part of what I like about my new system is that the time constraints have been removed. Case in point where this is helpful: I have an unfortunate patient just diagnosed a few days ago with Liver Cancer with probable mets to the lung. When he called yesterday to schedule to review his recent hospital stay, my medical assistant was able to schedule him for 40 minutes. His son, also a patient in the practice, came along for the visit. I had plenty of time in my schedule to review the hospital chart with the patient and help to coordinate his future care. This would have been very difficult a few years ago, when anything over 15 minutes per patient would have caused a hardship.
One of the joys I have in Family Practice is the building of trust and relationships with patients and their families. When a patient refers their family member, it is one of the nicest compliments I can get. Unfortunately, in the case I mentioned earlier, this can also be one of the sorrows of family practice. Seeing how bad medical news affects other patients, especially family members, can be very trying.
DoctorSH
Monday, February 16, 2009
February 16, 2009
2-16-09
Monday, the dreaded first day of the week. It starts at 9am and ends around 8PM. But today, the schedule was front loaded, with most patient's seen in the am. I actually ended seeing patient's at 6:30PM, giving me enough time to make call backs, recheck some documentation, and actually sit for 10 minutes and eat dinner. A nice change from a few years ago.
I saw 22 patients today. A busy day for now, but will probably be the average in a few years. But without the hassle of billing insurance, it was a pleasure. Two patients renewed their wellness plan agreement today without even being seen. I find that it is the trust between myself and my patient's that makes the system work. As long as I keep the patient-centered approach, without the bullsh.t, the practice should continue to grow.
While 22 patient's were seen today, tomorrows schedule has 6 so far. It will end up double that, but I still need to grow the practice with new patient's, especially in the zero copay wellness plans. I am working on an advertising plan, and hoping for more word-of-mouth and referrals from within.
While I do not participate with third parties, most of my patients still rely on these insurers for payment of testing. Today a patient with thyroiditis by laboratory studies was denied precertification for a thyroid scan. The patient has been hospitalized twice so far, once with new onset atrial fibrillation. It truly makes sense that some insurance wonk can make a decision on the worthwhileness of a test when they have never seen, spoken to, nor examined the patient. These third parties are the downfall of the medical system. They really need to be removed!!
DoctorSH
Monday, the dreaded first day of the week. It starts at 9am and ends around 8PM. But today, the schedule was front loaded, with most patient's seen in the am. I actually ended seeing patient's at 6:30PM, giving me enough time to make call backs, recheck some documentation, and actually sit for 10 minutes and eat dinner. A nice change from a few years ago.
I saw 22 patients today. A busy day for now, but will probably be the average in a few years. But without the hassle of billing insurance, it was a pleasure. Two patients renewed their wellness plan agreement today without even being seen. I find that it is the trust between myself and my patient's that makes the system work. As long as I keep the patient-centered approach, without the bullsh.t, the practice should continue to grow.
While 22 patient's were seen today, tomorrows schedule has 6 so far. It will end up double that, but I still need to grow the practice with new patient's, especially in the zero copay wellness plans. I am working on an advertising plan, and hoping for more word-of-mouth and referrals from within.
While I do not participate with third parties, most of my patients still rely on these insurers for payment of testing. Today a patient with thyroiditis by laboratory studies was denied precertification for a thyroid scan. The patient has been hospitalized twice so far, once with new onset atrial fibrillation. It truly makes sense that some insurance wonk can make a decision on the worthwhileness of a test when they have never seen, spoken to, nor examined the patient. These third parties are the downfall of the medical system. They really need to be removed!!
DoctorSH
Sunday, February 15, 2009
The Week Ahead
It is sunday. I get to sit and relax, my laptop at the ready, with a news show on in the background. Tomorrow is the start of a new week. Tomorrow is also President's day. Schools are closed. Many other businesses are also closed. My office is open!
Tomorrow being a national holiday means that it will be a busier day than normal. But that is a good thing. An empty office is not one that will remain viable in today's healthcare system. But that is not the subject of today's blog post, which is the week ahead.
As many of you already know, I transitioned my practice away from third parties in January 2008. I made some good decisions and some that were not so good. But as I own my solo private practice, I can remedy and change on a dime. One aspect of my practice that my transition has allowed is the accomodation of same day appointments. My motto is that if a patient calls in the morning, we will do our best to offer an appointment for same day. But to follow through with this pledge, I need to control my schedule. This is done by keeping my open hours appropriate for the amount of patient's in my practice. At present this allows my workdays to be Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
As of today, this coming week has 20 scheduled appointments. This bodes well for the week as a good week in my practice system is 50-60 patients per week. Now most are frontloaded with 13 patients on Monday, so the busiest day of the week will also be the first day of the week, and also the day that sets the tone for the remainder of the week.
DoctorSH
Tomorrow being a national holiday means that it will be a busier day than normal. But that is a good thing. An empty office is not one that will remain viable in today's healthcare system. But that is not the subject of today's blog post, which is the week ahead.
As many of you already know, I transitioned my practice away from third parties in January 2008. I made some good decisions and some that were not so good. But as I own my solo private practice, I can remedy and change on a dime. One aspect of my practice that my transition has allowed is the accomodation of same day appointments. My motto is that if a patient calls in the morning, we will do our best to offer an appointment for same day. But to follow through with this pledge, I need to control my schedule. This is done by keeping my open hours appropriate for the amount of patient's in my practice. At present this allows my workdays to be Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
As of today, this coming week has 20 scheduled appointments. This bodes well for the week as a good week in my practice system is 50-60 patients per week. Now most are frontloaded with 13 patients on Monday, so the busiest day of the week will also be the first day of the week, and also the day that sets the tone for the remainder of the week.
DoctorSH
Saturday, February 14, 2009
A new direction
My transition blog will now move in a new direction. I will be focusing on daily, weekly, monthly events in the continuing transition of my practice. I will not be focusing on any one area, but as changes occur in my day-to-day practice, I will post on the blog. I encourage anyone reading or lurking to post comments. As I learn more and more from my patient's every day, I hope to expand my knowledge, both professionally and academically through the insights of others.
DoctorSH
DoctorSH
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