PROVIDER ARTICLES
So, You’re Thinking About Becoming a Cash Practice…
I hear it every weekend from new graduates to veteran chiropractors who have been working in the trenches for over 20 years. They are tired of all the red tape and regulations that make them feel like they must choose between quality patient care and hours of...
What Should I Charge?
One of the most common questions that my team and I receive is “What should I charge?” While this decision in practice shouldn’t be so complicated, it really is. It is impossible to give any provider an answer for many reasons. The Sherman Anti-Trust Act is one, which...
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
Over the past decade, we have seen health care costs rising faster than the average annual income in the U.S. Many of our patients are feeling the pain from higher premiums, deductibles, and copays. As a patient, I understand the pain. As a provider, I feel the...
Patient Payment Solutions That Help Your Patients and Your Practice
Insurance premiums have increased, the number of covered services has diminished, and deductibles have never been higher. Some of our patients are forced to make decisions about their health based on what they can afford, not what they need. The new Kaiser Family...
Are You Ready to Hire an Associate?
There are some definite pros and cons to solo practice. I spent the first 20 years in practice on my own. My dad joined the practice part-time, but I didn’t really consider taking on a full-time associate until after a conversation with my practice coach. We were...
The ONE Thing that Changed the Way I Do Business
Between flights, I often find myself perusing the books in Hudson News at airports across the country. For several weeks in a row, one book stood out among the rest; The ONE Thing, by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan. The title itself is intriguing… “The ONE Thing: The...
Establishing a Compliance Plan Is Easier Than You Think
Implementing a compliance plan in your office can feel overwhelming. I know providers who have purchased multiple compliance manuals from different consultants. These sat in the corner of their offices collecting dust waiting on their owners to rustle up enough energy...
Audit Risks Growing for Out-of-Network Providers
With audits on the rise, more and more providers tell me they plan to go out-of-network with insurance companies to reduce their risk. If only it were that easy. The rules for billing, coding, and documentation are the same whether you are in-network or...
Another Layer of Protection Against Audits, Fines, and Penalties
Despite every effort that we make to be compliant when it comes to billing, coding, documentation, and discounts in our practice, we are still human, and mistakes will happen. We know that audits are on the rise and that fines and penalties are enough to break a...
Flip the Script with Shopper Calls to Improve New Patient Volume
The biggest pain for many patients comes from the cost of care and not their…well, bodies. As deductibles and co-pays get higher, patients begin to weigh the cost of going to the doctor. In a recent article about the rising number of patients postponing care, I read...
Trust, but Verify
As far back as 2004, a bulletin for providers published by the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission stated that “…much of the regulatory framework arose haphazardly, with little consideration of how the pieces fit together.” The misalignment of state...
Don’t Let High Deductibles and Co-Pays Create Chaos in Your Practice
More and more providers are feeling the effects of high deductible health plans when it comes to reimbursement and patient collections. Although the Affordable Care Act has lowered uninsured rates in the U.S. from 15.7% in 2009 to 9.1% in 2015, the number of patients...