physical therapy marketing Archives | Page 8 of 9

Automated Vs. Manual Patient Follow Up

by Nitin Chhoda PT, DPT | Jun 7, 2014 | Physical Therapy Management

Clinicians put a lot of effort into patient reminders, but they still don’t know if clients are going to show up even after they’re reminded. That uncertainty points out the advantages of automated patient follow up. There’s no need to set aside blocks of time for patient reminder calls.

Manual follow up and patient reminders consume a significant amount of staff members’ time that could be better spent on dealing with patients in the office and conducting marketing activities. An automated system is more efficient and offers increased access to healthcare for those who really want it.

24 Hour Notice

Twenty-four hours before the patient has an appointment, an automated system sends the patient a text or voice message to confirm or reschedule. In Touch EMR™ provides practitioners with multiple means of contacting clients that allows them to confirm or reschedule appointments automatically with the touch of a button.

Depending upon the client’s choice, they can confirm their appointment on the spot or be transferred automatically to the appropriate staff to reschedule. In Touch EMR™ slashes patient no-shows. It also provides staff with opportunities to fill those empty appointments to maintain patient flow. Messages can be customized according to the clinician’s preferences.

It’s All About The Numbers

Some clinics are experiencing record no-show rates. The Affordable Health Care Act, changes in insurance and higher co-pays has led many clients to delay or suspend their care due to monetary considerations. Any practice that has more than an eight percent cancellation rate definitely needs an automated system to cut down the work and increase the number of patients that actually show up.

Breaking Down Barriers

While many practitioners have made the transition to an EMR, they continue to avoid contacting patients via email, text or voice message. The fear of violating HIPPA regulations is often cited. No confidential information is exchanged during a patient reminder.

Caring Attitudes

Patients want to feel that their clinician cares about them as more than a paycheck. One of the best ways to foster that perception is through automated contact. It takes little time with an automated system, it’s a good marketing strategy and wins patient loyalty.

Leveraging technology to stay in contact with patients has never been more important. It’s essential to gather all forms of contact information from patients, obtain their permission for that type of communication, and their preferences for messaging. Text and voice mails are typically answered within five minutes of their receipt, making them an ideal way to reduce no-shows.

How to Automate Patient Follow Up

by Nitin Chhoda PT, DPT | Jun 5, 2014 | ICD 10, Physical Therapy Documentation, Physical Therapy Management, Physical Therapy Marketing, Physical Therapy Software

One of the most important things a clinician can do is to keep his/her name in front of patients. That can be done with automated patient follow up. When patients provide their information, the practice should obtain the client’s mail, email, home phone and cellphone number, along with their permission to communicate with them in those ways.

An automated system should be able to contact patients by all four of those mechanisms. The In Touch EMR™ has the ability to accommodate those who utilize mobile devices and older patients who may not be comfortable with modern technology. Patient follow up encompasses more than appointment reminders.

Traditional Mail

In Touch EMR™ has the ability to generate personalized greeting cards with a variety of user defined messages. The feature is an effective means of connecting with new and established patients. Cards are computer generated, but have the look and feel of a personal note.

Cards are effective in welcoming new patients after their first visit or thank established patients for their continuing patronage. Cards can be sent on client birthday or on their anniversary with the practice. Cards tend to make a more lasting impression and are perceived as requiring more effort on the part of the practitioner.

Email

An email message can be generated for the same purposes as a card and many individuals prefer being contacted by email rather than other means of communication. Messages can be used to notify clients about special deals, coupons and referral programs. When applicable and appropriate, congratulatory messages can be sent for an upcoming marriage, birth of a baby or workplace promotion.

Every practice should produce a newsletter and email is a convenient means of delivering it. In Touch EMR™ has the ability to generate newsletters with new, educational and engaging content that requires little effort on the part of the clinician.

Cellphones

In Touch EMR™ can send personalized voice messages to a variety of mobile devices. Studies have shown that individuals typically respond to a text or voice mail within five minutes of its receipt, making it ideal for patient communication. Clinicians can connect with a variety of messages, from appointment reminders to extending holiday greetings.

Home Phones

There are still some individuals who resist the use of smartphones and computers. These are typically older patients. They may not have a computer or mobile device, but they will most likely have an answering machine. In Touch EMR™ can generate any type of message desired to keep in touch with patients that may be resistant to newer types of technology.

Automated patient follow up is an essential part of operating a successful clinic. Automation simplifies the process for staff, while building goodwill with patients who are then more likely to refer the practice to others. It’s customer service at its best, facilitated through the automatic abilities of the In Touch EMR™.

Time Management for Private Practice Owners

by Nitin Chhoda PT, DPT | Mar 13, 2014 | Healthcare Practice Management, Physical Therapy Documentation, Physical Therapy Management, Physical Therapy Marketing

Time management is essential for practices, yet many clinicians and practice owners find themselves wondering why their business isn’t more profitable. They’re seeing more patients but being less profitable, and there never seems to be enough hours in the day to accomplish everything. The problem could easily be that the clinician is spending too much time involved in negative-dollar or no-dollar tasks.

Many jobs can and should be handled by integrated EMR software. The In Touch EMR™ system provides clinicians with automated functions to save time and money, increase productivity and accelerate profitability.

Negative-Dollar Value

A negative-dollar task actually hurts the practice, whether it’s the clinician or staff engaging in the activity. These actions steal time from the practice and severely hinder productivity. Negative-value activities include checking Facebook, email and texts. Making or taking phone calls via landline or cellphone reduce the time spent with patients and directly affect the bottom line. Clinicians need to ensure that negative-dollar activities within the practice are kept to a bare minimum.

No-Dollar Value

A no-dollar value task is one that can be done by someone other than the clinician. Responding to email, calling patients and physician offices, and ordering supplies are all tasks that should be delegated to someone within the practice that is efficient and capable.

Other no-dollar value jobs that clinicians shouldn’t be doing include answering the phone, paying the bills and scheduling appointments. These are tasks that fall within the $10-$15 an hour range. It doesn’t mean they aren’t important, it just means they can be done by someone other than the clinician.

High-Dollar Value

Clinicians should strive to only perform high-dollar value tasks. These are things that only the therapist can do. All facets of patient treatment fall within the high-dollar value range, from examinations to documentation.

Lifetime-Value

A medical practice is a business and there are some things that require the personal attention of the owner. These are tasks that provide lifetime value for the viability of the clinic. Owners should concentrate their time on conferences, business development, and managing and motivating staff. These are all jobs that will provide long-term dividends. Other jobs reserved for the practice owner include conferring with the accountant, working with a business coach and speaking with other professionals to learn what works for others in the profession.

Looking at reports is an essential part of business operations and among the lifetime-value tasks. They provide the clinic owner with information about the financial wellbeing of the practice. In Touch EMR™ provides business owners with a wide variety of sophisticated, in-depth reports to determine where referrals are originating, the most productive staff members, and which payers provide the best reimbursements.

Clinicians/business owners must manage efficiently to spend as much time as possible on lifetime value tasks. In Touch EMR™ helps practitioners staff with better people and choose better office systems to facilitate the clinic’s efficiency, productivity and overall earning power.

Should Your EMR Do Marketing?

by Nitin Chhoda PT, DPT | Feb 16, 2014 | Electronic Medical Records, Physical Therapy Documentation, Physical Therapy Marketing, Physical Therapy Software

Should an EMR do marketing – the simple answer to that question is yes if it’s the In Touch EMR™. Marketing is an essential part of running a business and a clinician’s office software should have the functionality to do that without taking time from the practice’s normal processes.

The Information Is There

Clinicians are already using their EMR to document patient visits and it has all the information needed to perform marketing tasks.

It has a patient’s phone number and address, and it should also contain their email address and cell phone number.

That data allows practitioners to contact patients in multiple ways phone for appointment reminders and account balances, and it also offers marketing opportunities.

It’s just as easy to use that information to stay in touch with patients to inform them of special offers, to ask for referrals or send a simple holiday greeting.

It’s critical that clinicians keep their name in front of clients for when they require services and the In Touch EMR™ provides the tools to do that.

Ways To Stay In Touch

In Touch EMR™ allows clinicians to contact patients via phone, email, regular mail and text message.

It’s fully integrated with billing software and allows practitioners to communicate with patients automatically, freeing staff to do other tasks.

It also allows therapists to communicate with patients through newsletters and has built-in greeting card software.

Patients expect to be contacted about account balances and receive appointment reminders.

It’s a pleasant surprise when they receive a card or text message on their anniversary date with the practice, to check on their health, or receive a greeting on their birthday.

Clients can opt out at any time from receiving any of those communication methods.

An EMR that doesn’t market isn’t serving its full potential.

In Touch EMR™ is the only one that offers marketing capabilities and it performs those tasks automatically with information that’s already available.

The built-in automatic capabilities of In Touch EMR™ allow clinicians and staff to spend more time on the business of treating patients. Greater office efficiency is achieved and therapists can rest easy knowing that their EMR is working in the background to market their practice.

Medical Team – Your Typical Healthcare Team and How it Works

by Nitin Chhoda PT, DPT | Nov 3, 2013 | Healthcare Practice Management, Physical Therapy Documentation, Physical Therapy Management

A practice that runs smoothly requires a variety of trained and experienced professionals. Medical insurance billers (MIBs) are an important part of any medical team and in this article, Chhoda familiarizes billers with the individuals they will encounter and how the typical practice functions.

MIBs are individuals of the medical team that are responsible for preparing and transmitting reimbursement claims that enables funds to flow into the practice.

There are many individuals that MIBs will work with to assemble the crucial information needed to file claims, all of whom contribute to the process.

Billers may also be asked to wear multiple hats, depending on the size of the practice.

The following are the common and yet very important members of the medical team:

Physicians
Physician assistant and nurse practitioners
Nurse
Technicians
Medical assistants

Physicians

The managing practitioner in a multi-physician practice is responsible for hiring staff, purchasing equipment and setting salaries, along with awarding promotions, approving vacations and a wealth of other details. They are always the first part in the medical team.

These practitioners diagnose and treat patients for illnesses, injuries and a host of medically related conditions. They refer patients to specialists when needed, prescribe medication and identify any tests that need to be done.

Physician Assistants and Nurse Practitioners

A physician assistant (PA) and nurse practitioner has advanced medical training, a four-year degree, and work under the direct supervision of a physician. Inside the medical team, they perform many of the same services as a licensed physician, from writing prescriptions and ordering tests to conducting examinations and requesting referrals.

Depending on the patient’s complaint, a physician may provide a perfunctory assessment or choose to approve the PA or nurse practitioner’s diagnosis and recommended treatment.

Nurse

The backbone of any private practice or medical team is the nurses. These licensed professionals assess, observe and record patient symptoms and complaints. They’re qualified to assist in medical procedures, provide guidance about a doctor’s diagnosis and dispense medication.

In addition to nurse practitioners, there are licensed practical nurses (LPN) and registered nurses (RN).

Technicians

There are many specialties within the profession of medical technicians. They perform advanced diagnostics, lab tests and treatment procedures that most of the time, are part of the medical team procedures. They’re the individuals that take x-rays, draw blood and operate medical equipment for procedures that include ultrasounds and dialysis.

MIBs may also work with registered health information technicians who are in charge of patient records. They’re charged with maintaining patient medical charts to ensure all information is current and accurate.

They may be responsible for entering the appropriate codes for a patient’s treatment that will be used to reimburse practitioners.

Medical Assistants

The duties of a medical team assistant are many and varied. They may be called upon to schedule appointments and act as a receptionist to greet patients.

Other responsibilities can include gathering insurance information, escorting patients to the examination room and transcribing doctor’s notes.

An efficiently operated medical practice requires the knowledge and skills of many individuals working together toward the same outcome.

The medical team is comprised of professionals in a variety of specialties to maintain patient records, ensure that clients receive the best care available and act as liaisons between patients and other medical staff.

Billers of healthcare practice management are an integral element of the medical team, maintaining the flow of revenues for the benefit and profitability of all concerned.

Every member of the medical team are important. Each of them must always take their responsibilities seriously so that the practice is more effective — giving the best services to clients.

Physical Therapy Documentation: The Importance of Operational Analysis For Your Practice

by Nitin Chhoda PT, DPT | Dec 29, 2012 | Physical Therapy

Sometimes, more patients is not the answer, especially if the clinic is not sound from an operational and financial standpoint. To succeed as a practice, it’s important to work ‘smart’ and not just work ‘hard’, and enlisting your staff in your vision is a key component of the process.

In this article, Nitin Chhoda will teach how to improve your practice, operationally and financially by enlisting the help of your most valuable asset – your human capital.

Before you can step into the fray with staff and ask for a change of pace or even different physical therapy documentation procedures, a lot of operational analysis should be completed.

This involves reviewing reception staff efficiency as well as reception area capacity.

The physical therapists may be able to handle higher productivity, but without operational and financial analysis, you may be adding to the workload of other staff and decreasing productivity and efficiency in those realms.

Improving your bottom line should never get in the way of common sense when it comes to managing staff needs and expectations. Billing staff must also be evaluated and consulted about potential changes.

Managing Staff Correctly

If you want physical therapy documentation and billing staff to be able to bill more frequently, maximize claim acceptance, minimize errors, and collect payment more often and at a faster rate, overwhelming them with additional work will not get the job done. What will an increase in weighted procedures mean for coding and billing?

Every physical therapy documentation and management professional who is considering implementing a physical therapy documentation software solution has plenty to think about.

From the cost of the EMR to the implementation of policies and procedures that will actually make the practice more efficient, the job of transitioning a physical therapy practice over to electronic medical records is not simple.

The Staff Can Help

The truth is that physical therapy documentation and management is often quick to take on too much when the staff really can be helpful.

In terms of operational analysis, it will be the staff that bears the burden of operational changes. So it follows that the staff should be part of the process to make those changes logical, effective, and realistic.

Before implementing a new physical therapy documentation solution, the staff should be prepared sufficiently for their new responsibilities. Every staff member will need training to be able to use any new software.

But they will also need to know that the software is meant to make their jobs easier in the long run. The only way you can ensure that the EMR works in this way is to find out what the staff thinks will make their jobs easier.

Communicate Well With Your Staff

It may take a one-by-one approach to determine where your operations are sufficiently prepared and where changes need to be made.

The conversation you have with physical therapy documentation and billing staff will be very different from the way the reception staff feel about changing work modes.

Will the reception staff feel good about handing patients an iPad rather than a clipboard? If the task of filing and pulling files is taken out of the job, will they appreciate and use that extra time sufficiently? How many tablet computers do they need?

Even simple questions about the number of clipboards they have now and how often they use them all can give physical therapy documentation and management insights into how the day-to-day tasks in the practice can be better managed using physical therapy documentation software.

Operational analysis is the process of identifying just what you have and what you will need to make things work well with your new system.