Let me know when your book is published!

Best wishes,

Mary Pat

AFFAIRSRS FOR BOTH THE PATIENT AND THE DOCTOR. NOTHING WILL HAPPEN UNTIL DOCTORS UNITE AND STAND UP TO THESE INSURANCE COMPANIES.

I HAVE A FRIEND WHO IS AN ENT. HE WAS PAID SOMETHING LIKE 113.00 FOR REMOVING A BRAIN TUMOR IN THE HOSPITAL SETTING. THE HOSPITAL WAS PAID 43,0000.00 FOR HAVING THE PATIENT IN THE HOSPITAL FOR 2 DAYS. THERE IS SOMETHING SO WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE!!

I COULD GO ON FOR HOURS BUT MUST GET BACK TO WORK. Maybe when I retire in December, I will write a book, this is NOT going to get better.

I wish I had an answer to give you, but I am not aware of any program that truly prepares you to manage a practice. Managers need to know business, PM and EMR software, Human Resource laws and protocols, coding and billing and marketing. I have not reviewed any of the programs you mentioned in depth, but healthcare is changing so much in such a short time, that most programs cannot keep up with it. I have always wanted to start a school for practice managers, maybe now is the time!

Best wishes,

Mary Pat

The two areas that I think are most critical are revenue cycle management and technology.

I wrote about RCM here: http://www.managemypractice.com/what-is-revenue-cycle-management/
My favorite book about RCM is here: http://www.mgma.com/Store/ProductDetails.aspx?id=38731 and is called “The Physician Billing Process 12 Potholes to Avoid in the Road to Getting Paid”

Technology is a little trickier, but there is a fair amount of info on the web about PMs, EMRs, patient portals and payment portals. There are lots of products out there and depending on your wife’s specialty and her anticipated demographic, you could go fairly simple with technology but you could also spend lots of bucks. I think the key here is visiting lots of other practices to see what they use and exactly how they use it.

I hope this is helpful.

Best wishes,

Mary Pat

This sounds like a challenging profession that requires specialized skills and knowledge. My wife (the physician) and I (the MBA) are seriously looking into starting our own practice in a small town. Since I would likely handle a great deal of the business side of things, how would I go about beginning to educate myself on some of the specific areas relating to the management of a medical practice? Any guidance would be greatly appreciated. My prior experience is in the financial side. Sounds like there will be a steep learning curve.

Thanks,

Carlin

There are many different titles for what we do, and in my mind, it comes down to a difference of how much responsibility one has and who is the position reporting to. Many think that “office manager” is a step down from “practice manager,” but because people can use the titles interchangeably, you have to dig under the job to find out what it really entails. I have been called many things, from Office Manager to CEO, but in some ways those two titles weren’t radically different. What counts is the expectation that your boss has of you.

This may not be the black and white answer you hoped for, but in healthcare management there is not a lot of standardization.

Best wishes,

Mary Pat

I am currently working on getting my Bachelors in Medical Office Management and eventually hoping to get my MBA in Healthcare threw George Washington University in Washington DC. You said you are a Medical Practice Manager, is that the same as a Medical Office Manager? If not then how are they different? What state offers the most potential in the field?

Much Thanks
Kilynn Kramer

Thanks for the feedback and taking the time to write. I’ll contact you offline to discuss reprint guidelines.

Best wishes and Happy New Year!

Mary Pat