Order Sets

Order sets go by several names but essentially they encompass all the pertinent diagnostic and treatment options indicated for any given disease process. Any EHR worth its price will come hardwired with datasets and will also allow you to customize your own. Datasets should ideally come from evidence based medicine and your society's best practice guidelines.
Does your EHR have them?

The IU.

Patient Satisfaction Surveys

Collecting data on how your practice performs in customer service is important. But there is a right way to get the data and many wring ways.
Wrong way: leave surveys in the office and hope people complete them

Wrong way: embed survey in website and hope people complete them

Wrong way: mail patients surveys and hope they complete them

Right way: ?

The problem with all surveys is wether or not the information is useful and accurate and unbiased. Doing surveys the wrong way will get you inaccurate biased and useless data.

Do it right or not at all.

Richard A Schoor MD FACS
www.schoorurology.com

EHR Slow Down

Do EHRs slow down physicians? Yes and no. EHRs force docs to be more complete, more thorough. If that slows you down then perhaps you needed to slow down. Ultimately though, as the doctor masters the templates and the flow of the EHR, he or she can actually speed up yet remain thorough.
A win win.

Richard A Schoor MD FACS
www.schoorurology.com

Live close to work. Work close to life.

One day you may be tempted to get a job or take call at a hospital greater than 30 minutes from your house. If at all possible, don't do it.

You may make some more money but you'll miss life.

Richard A Schoor MD FACS
www.schoorurology.com

Remember this when things are slow

When the phone keeps ringing
When patients keep showing up
When you have to see yet another
When you have to return another call
When you have to sign off another lab
When. . .

Richard A Schoor MD FACS
www.schoorurology.com

What is your plan?

Now is the time to start planning for next year. How are you going to:

Increase revenue
Decrease overhead
Get more new patients
Decrease risk
Decrease staff turnover

Now is time to plan.

Richard A Schoor MD FACS
www.schoorurology.com

Adding labs

An in office lab runs at razor thin margins. Here is what you need to consider before adding a test.

Number if tests ordered
Cost per test
Reimbursement per test
Cost of controls per testing day
Cost of proficiency testing
Cost of interface with EHR
Staff Time required to run each test
Ease of use of instrument
Space requirement of instrument
Calibration costs
Aggravation factor

Add them all up then decide. Simple math. No emotion.

Richard A Schoor MD FACS
www.schoorurology.com

Consumer vs Pro

The temptation is to spend less money. Resist it. If you are deciding between the consumer vs the professional model for you practice, definitely go pro. Ultimately that decision will save you big-time.

Printers
Computers
Scanners
Software
Telephones

Consumer models just don't work in a business.

Good luck.

Richard A Schoor MD FACS
www.schoorurology.com

Meaningful Use: BS or Not?

To achieve meaningful use, EHR users must jump through a lot of hoops, at least 23 to be exact. Are the hoops just busy work or are they worthy in creating a safer medical environment for our patients? I have been an EHR user for several years, long before MU came to be. I have been a meaningful user, ie I do all 23 hoops, for the past few months. What do I think? I think some of the objectives are worthy and others are busy work. On the balance I think MU is good and worthy. Dr Schoor www.schoorurology.com

Stressed Out

I was talking to a colleague of mine today. She told ms she was stressed about all the non-medical stuff that goes along with being a doctor. What kinds of things I wonder?

Documentation
Coding
Billing
Risk management
Practice management

Yeh, lots of stuff. But why get stressed. The challenge is the fun part. Rise above it and enjoy the journey.

Richard A Schoor MD FACS
www.schoorurology.com