Welcome to September’s edition of Stay Connected.
This month we are looking at patient experience and the pivitol role it takes within a private practice.
Every practice owner understands the significance of the patient’s journey and how providing a high quality service can enhance a patient’s experience and well being. However, have you ever taken the time to thoroughly assess your patient’s journey and critically analyse whether each interaction point is optimised to its fullest potential?
Read our article below, which details strategies for delivering an exceptionally superior patient experience.
In addition, we speak to one of our clients, Nick Panay, Founder of Hormone Health. He outlines why Designated Medical has been so instrumental in guiding the practice in its patient focussed marketing strategy and how the relationship has continued to develop.
Let’s hear from Designated Medical’s Finance Director, Vicky Garbett as she answers our questions.
Q: What sets Designated Medical’s billing service apart from others?
- Our billing services are unique to Designated Medical in several ways. Our clients are only charged for paid invoices, providing cost-effectiveness and incentive for us to raise and settle invoices promptly. Payments are directly deposited into the consultant’s bank account, eliminating any delays in accessing funds. My billing team focuses on delivering a high-quality patient experience, combining expertise in medical billing with a patient-centred approach. All our billing processes are designed and managed by chartered and licensed accountants, ensuring efficiency and transparency.
Q: What support does Designated Medical’s medical billing service offer for private practices?
- Our medical billing service aims to support private practices by allowing consultants to focus on patient care while ensuring an exceptional patient experience. My team delivers prompt and accurate invoicing with effective credit control to ensure timely payment for services rendered.
Q: How does Designated Medical’s medical billing team ensure efficient billing and patient care?
- With my experience working with medical finance clients, I have developed efficient systems and processes to ensure timely and accurate billing while maintaining a high level of patient care. My team works closely with both consultants and Medical PAs to raise invoices promptly for each patient, sending them to the appropriate insurance company or directly to the patient. We send weekly update reports to keep consultants informed of progress, allowing for financial control and peace of mind.
Q: How does Designated Medical provide transparency and financial control for private practices?
- We provide weekly summary reports to our clients, offering details of all invoices raised, monies received, and the aged debt position. This allows our consultants to have complete financial control over their practice and enables them to address any problematic situations. By keeping clients informed and involving them in decision-making, we ensure transparency and collaboration in managing the financial aspects of the practice.
Q: What approach does Designated Medical take in establishing billing processes?
- We focus on establishing solid processes that ensure accurate, fast, and transparent billing for private practices. We work closely with consultants to agree on these processes, which are then handled by my team. We utilise the best available systems, such as Practice Management Systems (PMS), to manage billing processes. Integration with PMS and financial systems like Xero provides visibility and reduces the need for manual communication. We also use Healthcode for insurance company billing, automating the process for efficiency.
Q: How does Designated Medical address aged debt and reconciliations?
- My team focuses on clearing aged debt as quickly as possible, ensuring that consultants get paid for the work they have done. They also address any backlog of payments that have not been reconciled, updating patient records accurately. Our focus on processes prevents aged debt and backlogs from reoccurring, providing financial stability for your practice.
Q: What qualifications and certifications does Designated Medical’s medical billing team possess?
- I am a qualified and licensed Accountant accredited by AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians), as are the other team leaders. We design processes that simplify year-end accounting responsibilities and work with integrated financial systems like Xero. The team has expertise in GDPR compliance and security, and Designated Medical has achieved the Cyber Essentials certificate of assurance, demonstrating adherence to cyber security.
Vicky Garbett
Finance Director of Designated Medical
If you need any advice, please contact the team at Designated Medical.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) Private Healthcare Market Investigation Order 2014 sets out the actions that the sector is required to take to ensure that it works competitively.
One area that the Order addresses is the requirement to provide potential users with access to independent information about the performance of those providing services, and the charges made for those services. Hospitals which admit private patients must submit information about each episode of private care to the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN). This information allows PHIN to publish performance measures for these hospitals in line with the CMA’s requirements. To fulfil their legal obligation, consultants must submit the professional fees that they charge to patients for consultations and procedures for each site where they practice privately. Fees need to be submitted via PHIN’s Consultant Portal.
Consultants are also invited to review and verify the data submitted by hospitals/facilities about their practice and to review patient feedback data.
What’s in it for me?
As well as fulfilling the legal duties, PHIN strongly encourages consultants to complete a profile which will be published on its website. Patients have informed PHIN that they want to see information about consultants who may possibly be able to help them with treatment or care in relation to their condition. 76% of consultants who create a complete profile (including a photograph and information about their practice) are usually viewed by PHIN’s website users. Some consultants receive many hundreds of views. There is a direct link between site views and clicks through to contact information (telephone/email) provided by consultants. The number of patients using PHIN’s website is increasing, so these numbers will only rise.
The dedicated Consultant team at PHIN offers virtual sessions to consultants to cover the following topics:
· Logging onto the portal
· Viewing your practice report
· Verifying your data for publication
· Submitting and approving fees
· Reviewing patient feedback
· Creating a profile about you
The Team is always happy to help with any queries and the booking of virtual sessions and can be contacted via email: consultants@phin.org.uk or by calling 020 3143 3177.
Welcome to March’s edition of Stay Connected.
Here at Designated Medical, we are delighted to announce the launch of our new website with a new community hub section.
The brand new community hub we have developed, along with a whole host of content rich blogs and articles that we hope, will be of so much benefit to you and your practice.
Please register for our Designated Community Library, it is free and easy. Once registered you will be able to access our community content which is essential reading for any private practice. With more content like the blog below we have so much information ready and waiting for you, and more and more content added each month.
This month we hear from one of our clients about the accountancy service we provide for him and how this helps his practice. We are also highlighting exactly why marketing for your private practice is so important.
We are also looking at the thorny subject of call answering and how that can impact your practice. Our Managing Director, Jane Braithwaite looks deeper into this issue and highlights some important factors to consider.
Originally published in Independent Practitioner Today in March 2023, our Managing Director Jane Braithwaite summarises the ten main considerations to ensure your group has maximum potential for success.
What makes a successful group? The guidelines for creating and maintaining a successful group reflect similar ones that would be set for any team of people working together.
Undoubtedly, a successful group is one motivated by the shared core values of its members. When your group shares the same sense of purpose, they celebrate and champion each other, creating a culture of excellence within the business.
1) Agreed goals and objective
When the group was formed, the group members agreed on the group’s goals and objectives. Each group member documented this agreement in writing and signed to signify their understanding and commitment. This important document is referred to as their contract and they took advice from their accountant and lawyer to ensure all eventualities were catered for. This activity gives the group clear direction and a common aim to work towards collectively. When any change is made to the group – for example, a member leaving or a new member joining – the contract is updated to reflect this. Clearly defined goals enable everyone within the group to maintain a clear vision of what the group is aiming to achieve.
2) Leadership
A group is usually a partnership where all members are of equal standing. But a successful one will have nominated one individual to act as the group leader or managing partner. This is often the group founder, the person who originally created the concept of the group, or it may have been a joint decision, choosing the individual with the greatest leadership skills. The leader is trusted and respected by the group members and encourages everyone to work collaboratively. The leader also encourages a positive work environment and work ethic. Ultimately, the leader is required to ensure good decisions are made in a timely manner. This is especially important when consensus cannot be reached promptly.
3) Communication
Every month, the group members meet to discuss the performance of the group. They communicate openly with each other, sharing their thoughts, opinions and ideas and they take time to consider what others have to say. On a daily basis, the group members are open and honest in their communications, highlighting concerns or issues and enabling them to be addressed before they become bigger problems. Everyone trusts one another and feels able to speak up. This continuing open dialogue helps ensure that conflict is mostly avoided, but when conflict does occur, it is handled professionally.
4) Clear responsibilities
Everyone recognises that running the group is equivalent to running a business, which brings additional responsibilities. The group has identified the relevant management roles and responsibilities and has allocated these fairly across the group members. Everyone contributes their fair share towards the workload of running the group and each individual understands their responsibilities and where they fit in with the overall running of the business. This helps to prevent overlap, miscommunication and misunderstanding. They take ownership of their area, are committed to their work and they care about the success of the group overall.
5) Clearly defined financial model
When the group was formed, its financial model was clearly defined and described in the contract that each group member signed. Each individual has clarity on how their financial rewards will be calculated and, therefore, clearly understands how their work contributes to their financial success. Rewards are fair and unbiased and represent the hard work and contribution made by each individual. The agreed financial model is motivating and increases job satisfaction. The agreements made were realistic and expectations were met. It was understood that, like any business, the group would take time to establish itself and the financial rewards may take time to build. The group regularly discusses and reviews financial performance throughout the year to ensure a clear understanding of progress made and how this impacts each individual to avoid any surprises at year end.
6) Decision-making
When important decisions need to be made, the group members can openly discuss their views and contribute to making the best decision for the group overall. When there is disagreement, the group members actively listen to each opinion and aim to compromise to reach an agreement. When needed, the nominated leader of the group can make the decision, and the group members respect and support the decision. A lack of decision-making can be damaging. It is critical that people communicate their concerns, have a clear vision of where they are headed and make decisions. Not everyone may agree on the decision, the tactics or how to work together, but still the team must make a decision and move forward.
7) Consistent standards of patient care
The group members share a common view on the level of care that their patients should receive and aim to deliver a similar patient experience. When the group was formed, the clinicians discussed their views on patient experience and agreed on standards of care that the group would commit to delivering and they adhere to these expectations daily. This enables them to feel comfortable referring their patients to their colleagues within the group for additional treatments and to care for each other’s patients during periods of absence and holidays. When a patient complaint is made, the group reviews the complaint together and investigates the causes openly and honestly. There is no blame, so the discussion focuses on how to manage the situation to achieve the best outcome for this particular patient and how to learn from this event and improve processes to prevent a recurrence. All group members commit to continual learning to ensure their knowledge is up to date. They share their expertise widely within the team and aim to enhance everyone’s skill sets.
8) Organised, disciplined and well-managed
Each clinician professionally manages their own practice. The administration is well managed and patient communication is exceptional. The business itself is also run in an organised and disciplined manner. Each group member manages their responsibilities diligently and delivers their work to the agreed deadlines. Each group member is respectful of others by attending meetings on time and submitting their contributions on time. Regular meetings are held to ensure everyone is on the same page and deadlines are being met,
9) Supportive
The doctors perform well as a team and the group exhibits a collaborative work environment. Each group member has a positive attitude and work ethic, and the group is efficient and productive. No single individual dominates discussions and each person has an equal opportunity to be heard. The culture of the group is supportive, with each group member actively supporting others when needed; for example, when one individual is under pressure with their workload or facing a difficult clinical decision. Each clinician has different expertise and experience, utilised across the group through collaboration. This diversity is respected and embraced to offer patients the best possible care.
10) Enjoyment
Within a truly successful group, the doctors enjoy their work and they enjoy working together, having a sense of achievement and of fun. They enjoy the company of their colleagues and value their discussions, both clinical and business related. Positive relationships built across the group help create a relaxed environment and reduce conflict. The group members have constructive chats about work-life balance and they encourage one another to maintain a healthy balance, recognising this helps prevent burn-out and ensures they are all able to perform to the best of their abilities.
Jane Braithwaite
MD of Designated Medical
If you need any advice, please contact the team at Designated Medical.
Originally published in Independent Practitioner Today in February 2023, our Managing Director Jane Braithwaite gives her advice on how to attract the right partner to join your practice.
Our group is working very successfully, and we would like to attract a new partner to join us. How do we find the right person and ensure the group continues to thrive?
Firstly congratulations on founding a thriving group where the partners are working well together and the practice is growing. The decision to recruit a new partner is usually driven by an increased patient workload that needs to be shared by a greater number of doctors and this is a great position to reach. Another reason might be that one partner wishes to reduce their workload, which will need to be picked up by a new partner.
Whatever the reason, recruiting a new partner often comes with some anxiety. When a tightly bonded group works successfully together, there is an understandable concern about introducing a new person to the group and potentially changing the group dynamics.
An ideal group is formed when all the partners have aligned goals. When the original group was created, discussions were likely held to identify common goals and objectives. These goals may relate to the practice’s growth and utilising complementary skillsets to offer patients a wider range of services. There may also have been a goal to create economies of scale and reduce the costs of running individual practices by sharing the overheads.
Running a group is effectively managing a business, and the current partners will have agreed responsibilities for the various business functions, including finance, marketing and medico-legal responsibilities.
One of the most challenging aspects of running a group is ensuring all partners are satisfied with the financial arrangement. While most doctors do not enter the profession purely for monetary rewards, they expect to be rewarded fairly for the work done and the expertise provided to patients. On day one, the group agreed on how finances will be managed, which will be important when recruiting a new partner.
In most cases, the group will have created a contractual agreement to state the objectives and goals of the group, clarify responsibilities and expectations and describe the financial model. If this is not the case, it would be wise to do this before embarking on the recruitment of a new partner, forming the basis of a new partnership agreement to reflect the expanded group. The partners themselves can produce this, or you may prefer to engage professional support via your accountant or a legal advisor.
Describe your ideal partner
A new partner can expand the group in more ways than pure size. Rather than just co-opting the first consultant that has the right experience and shows an interest, it is wise to consider what skills and knowledge would complement your own. Is there special training or background that may help the group expand revenues and offer new services to patients in the future?
There is a job description for most jobs, defining the role itself and objectives, and also clarifying terms and conditions. When looking for a new partner, a good starting point is to build a job specification based on your ideal worldview of the right person for your team. The specification will include the expertise and skills required, possibly similar to the current partners or possibly with a different and complementary set of skills. Also state the group’s objectives, goals and aspirations so that you can assess if your new partner is a good fit in terms of their own ambitions. For example, if your goal is to continue the group for the next 10 to 15 years and a prospective partner plans to retire in 2 years, there may be a better fit.
What administrative and management responsibilities would you expect your new partner to take? This might be an excellent opportunity to review the administrative workload of the current partners and share the burden more fairly. You may also have new initiatives you wish to explore, and your new partner could take the lead.
If some of the workload could be managed without the direct input of a consultant, you could employ staff, for example, a nurse or HCA, to undertake tasks on your behalf. This can help ensure that your limited time is spent on activities only you can perform. If you do not currently employ clinical staff, advice is needed to ensure that you are providing a service that is safe and well-supervised including the provision of training and professional development.
You may also explore outsourcing more of the administration and management tasks to an appropriate specialist company. For example, your bookkeeping could be managed by an expert in this field with the added benefits of bringing their skills and experience into your business.
Finally, and very importantly, you must clarify the financial model offered to your new partner. Be clear and transparent. Refrain from the temptation to oversell the arrangements. It is far better to attract the right person with an honest and realistic plan than deal with disappointment later in the process.
Once complete, your job specification will provide you with a valuable tool to share with potential partners and also for you to use when shortlisting and interviewing.
How to find your new partner?
You are effectively undertaking a recruitment exercise; therefore, drawing from recruitment consultants’ and headhunting firms’ processes and models makes sense. Not all of the standard procedures will be appropriate and you will need to adapt them to your circumstances, particularly how publicly you want to share your plans.
Your first task is to attract potential candidates for your role. A recruitment consultant would advertise the role on various recruitment sites and invite interested parties to apply. This general approach may not sit well with you if you wish to proceed slightly under the radar, but there may be some associations that you are a member of that would be able to share your role in a professional manner.
A headhunter takes a more proactive, but discreet, approach than a recruitment consultant and would research potential candidates and contact them directly. This may align more closely with your preferred style, but it will require an investment of your time. The starting point is identifying the individual candidates who might be a good fit for the role and contacting each one to explore the opportunity.
As with most things in life, word-of-mouth recommendations are usually best, and so it would be sensible to discuss your plans with colleagues who might know of a consultant who would be interested. Make the most of your own personal networks and utilise professional networks that you are a member of.
Once you have a number of potential candidates, you must make a shortlist of two or three individuals with whom to explore the opportunity in greater detail. Creating the shortlist is an activity in which all the current partners should ideally be involved. Reflect on the job specification you created initially and take both a logical and an emotional approach to your decision making. Consider how well each individual matches the job specification, ranking each person, but also consider your instinct regarding who is the best fit in terms of aspirations, style and character. Your new partner needs to be a good fit in terms of skills, expertise, and personality.
The next stage is the interview stage which should be a face-to-face discussion, with one or more of the current partners. This meeting should be relaxed and open to allow both sides to determine if there is a good fit. This is a big decision for everyone involved so allow time after the meeting for everyone to reflect before agreeing on the next steps. You may need a second meeting before a decision can be reached.
Thinking back to our specialist recruitment companies, they would request references. Whilst doing this might be considered unseemly, it would be perfectly acceptable to talk to colleagues who know the person well to gain as much background information as possible.
Finally, you have identified the right partner for your group and wish to offer the role to your chosen partner formally. Congratulations. The role can be offered verbally but also confirmed in writing, subject to the agreement of the Partnership Agreement. Be prepared for some negotiation and agree between the current partners on what aspects of your offer you are prepared to move, if needed.
Revised Partnership Agreement
Once your new partner has accepted the role, a contract must be signed by both parties in the form of a revised partnership agreement. As mentioned earlier, the partners can produce this or you may prefer to ask a specialist such as your accountant or a lawyer to draft the agreement for you.
Good communication is key to the success of any group. Diarise regular partner meetings on a monthly or quarterly basis and ideally face to face, at least for the first few months You may also choose one partner, in particular, to act as a mentor to your new partner, at least for the first six months. This could include monthly one-to-one review meetings, which provide an opportunity to review progress and for both sides to raise any concerns and address any issues.
Remember it is normal for a new group to experience some challenges in the early months as described very helpfully in Tuckman’s stages of group development. Bruce Tuckman first published his model in 1965 and described the forming-storming-norming- performing model. His opinion is that it is necessary for all teams to work through every stage of the model, so prepare your group for the storming stage and embrace it positively.
Jane Braithwaite
MD of Designated Medical
If you need any advice, please contact the team at Designated Medical.
Welcome to December’s edition of Stay Connected. With Christmas upon us, we would like to wish all our clients a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Thank you all for your loyalty this year and we look forward to working with you in 2023.
In this month’s newsletter, we are looking at Accountancy and self-assessment, breaking down how to fill in your self-assessment tax return.
Following on from that, if your tax forms are something you would rather outsource, we are looking at our top tips for choosing a new accountant.
And finally, we are delving into the world of new patients and the best practice on how to attract new patients.
Best wishes,
Designated Medical Team.
When you are establishing your new private practice, how do you ensure you set yourself up for success? It is hard to step back from your day-to-day activities and invest time in your new practice. Making sure your prospective patients receive the experience and environment you want to deliver, and they expect, requires careful thought and a solid strategy.
Your passion, values and vision are at the heart of why you are making this leap into private practice. So, how do you ensure these are understood and communicated to all your stakeholders, including potential referrers, and patients? Practically, have you covered all the elements to ensure your practice is ready to be launched to the public and your referrers?
The overarching desire is to attract new patients and referrers to your practice, but competition is fierce and with the increase in self-pay patients due to the post pandemic NHS waiting lists, your practice needs to be better than your peers to make sure you are forefront of mind and delivering an exceptional patient experience.
This is where Designated can help. Our team of experts can support you with your business strategy and plan for your practice. Utilising our experience in the industry along with our own service background, the team can help you to identify the strengths in your plans, and pinpoint the weaknesses, creating an opportunity to highlight and rectify any problems before they become ingrained.
Understanding you and your private practice
To really understand your clinic and aspirations, and for Designated to provide a comprehensive report of recommendations that identifies your ideal patients and referrers and ensures your brand messaging and values are communicated to all of your audiences and stakeholders – we recommend starting with our Designated Business Strategy Project.
This is based on a set of strategic questions which will identify your aspirations for your clinic across our private practice/clinic areas of expertise – Marketing, Accountancy, Patient/Referrer Experience, and Practice Management and processes.
From this process we can provide you with our observations and recommendations/guidance to help build your business plan and establish your new private practice.
Areas we cover:
- Business objectives
- Vision, Mission and Values
- Service offering
- Key target audience – patients and referrers
- Reputation – Marketplace perception – how do you want to be identified?
- Competitors
- Patient experience
- Practice Management
Tough read
We will be honest in our views, but these will come from experience and the will for you and your new private practice to succeed. Some of our observations may be a difficult read as it will enable you to uncover gaps that you were completely unaware of. The process and findings can feel quite personal as your new practice is your passion and vision. The key is to thoroughly evaluate the results and make changes to your plans where necessary.
The process will broaden your view of your plans for your practice, who your new patients and referrers are and how to find them and steer you away from assumptions.
If you would like to find out more about our Designated Business Review, please do get in touch:
Writing down your medical practice strategy helps to formalise your thoughts into a structured approach, setting out your goals and objectives for setting up a private practice with a realistic timeline for launch and beyond.
An essential factor is how much time you can commit to setting up your new private practice. Establishing any new business demands the investment of a considerable chunk of time and energy in the earliest stages to launch it successfully. It is also good advice to set clear parameters about how much private work you want to do in the short and long term. If you plan to balance your NHS commitments with your new private practice, without clear boundaries, it is very easy to be overwhelmed.
The first part of your medical practice strategy will describe your ambitions for your practice, including your Vision and Mission statements. Articulating your objectives very clearly and setting timescales for each one is essential. You may choose to set out your five-year plan or feel this is too long-term, but we recommend at least a three-year plan including a financial plan.
Once you set your three-year objectives, you can work back to your one-year objectives and, finally, your three-month implementation plan, which will need to be very detailed, describing the tasks and activities that need to be undertaken. You may have set an unrealistic launch date for your practice once you articulate how much needs to be achieved before then.
The planning stage of your medical practice strategy
The planning stage of your medical practice strategy also provides an opportunity to identify the expertise and support that you will need. There may be areas where you need professional expertise, for example, from an accountant.
Other tasks may need to be delegated as you do not have the time to complete them. Starting to build a support team at this early stage will enable you to increase your business knowledge and help you to avoid problems down the line.
Your medical practice strategy must also detail the costs associated with setting up your private practice including the costs to launch successfully and the ongoing operational costs. Most consultants we meet plan to launch their new practice with minimal expenditure, but some real costs need to be understood and a budget assigned.
Many aspects of marketing, including the production of business cards and your website, will require a real financial investment. You may also need to commit a budget to clinic rooms that are not 100% utilised in the first few months as your practice builds up. Predicting these costs at the earliest stage will ensure you have the budget set aside and avoid unexpected invoices.
Attention to detail
Detailing your offering to patients is the most critical part of your medical practice strategy, as it will describe precisely who your patients are and what treatments you will offer them. Many doctors attempt to appeal to a vast audience of patients, offering a range of treatments.
Still, experience has taught us that identifying and focusing on a niche is often more successful, especially in the short and medium term. Your marketing advisors will wisely talk about your Unique Selling Point (USP), and this is much easier to define when targeting a niche group of patients with a specific set of treatments.
Once you have described your offering, developing your marketing plan will be much easier, but more on that to follow in later chapters.
There are numerous systems, tools, and templates available on the internet, to help you formulate your business strategy and plan, and it is important to choose a structure that you feel comfortable with.
If you want more information about how Designated Medical helps our clients develop their medical practice strategy and guides them in setting up their private practice contact us
info@designatedmedical.com 020 7952 1008
Read the next chapter >
Chapter Two – How to set up your new medical practice as a company
Your greatest concern when choosing a clinic location will be to ensure that it delivers a five-star experience for your patients. Patients will need to feel that your clinic location is safe and clean and that the supporting services are of the highest quality. The location should be easily accessible by car or public transport and parking should be readily available.
From a practical perspective, a good clinic location should also be convenient for you, ideally easy to reach from your home and your NHS practice so that you can avoid spending too greater a proportion of your valuable time travelling.
Most consultants are clear about where they want to treat their private patients from the outset. This might be a private unit at their NHS hospital or a private hospital that they know well. The model of working that is most commonly used nowadays is to gain practising privileges at the chosen facility and to use consulting rooms on a sessional basis. This is cost-effective, and more clinic sessions can be included as patient demand increases.
If your objective is to create your own facility, then location will be a more complex decision. You will need to allow plenty of time for assessing the ideal location and then considering specific buildings in the proximity of the chosen location, ensuring they have the necessary consent for medical use.
For more guidance on obtaining practising privileges at your chosen location
How to gain practising privileges for your private medical practice
How to gain Insurance Company Recognition for your private practice
In private practice, you are likely to treat patients who are self-pay, insured and those sponsored by an embassy or another similar organisation. You can choose to treat only self-pay if that is your preference and in doing so you have more flexibility with your fee schedule as you can set your fees at a level you are comfortable with, of course ensuring that the fees are acceptable to your patients.
If you plan to treat insured patients, you will need to register with the insurance companies and follow the fee schedule you agree with them. Fortunately, a system for doing this centrally saves you from dealing with each insurance company separately. Healthcode provides a service called The Private Practice Register (PPR) which enables you to upload your documentation and apply for registration with most of the major insurance companies. Once your registration is approved you can also benefit from electronic billing via the Healthcode service.
Many doctors are concerned about working with embassies and it is fair to say that receiving payment promptly can be challenging with some embassies but not all. Generally speaking, it is possible to work well with embassies if you keep very tight control over approvals and payments. Before seeing a patient, you must get a Letter of Guarantee (LOG) in which the embassy gives you a guarantee that they will make payment for the services you provide. Once you submit your invoice to the embassy you may need to chase regularly to ensure payment is made. In our experience embassies will generally take longer to settle invoices than insurance companies so you need to be prepared for a delay.
How to invoice patients for your private practice
How to manage the administration of your private medical practice
Business operations is a term used to describe all the activities an organisation does each day, to keep running successfully. In healthcare, we tend to refer to operations as administration which possibly understates the importance and value of the activities involved. In your private practice, your operations will largely be centred around caring for your patients and delivering a high-quality patient experience. To achieve this you will need systems, processes, and a strong team.
Creating a solid plan for the administration of your practice from day one will ensure that you create strong foundations for the future as your practice grows. There are some key activities to consider: –
Telephones and call answering – Your patients need to be able to reach your practice. One of the biggest frustrations for patients is not being able to get through to speak to someone on the phone. You will need someone to reliably answer your calls for you and this is typically done by your Medical PA, whom you may wish to employ, or you may choose to use a Medical PA service. An important piece of advice is to ensure that you have a telephone number that belongs to you. Technically it should be possible to “port” your number to be answered wherever you choose but you must make sure that the number is registered to you from day one. Changing your telephone number part-way through your private practice career is painful and costly.
How to employ a Medical PA for your private practice
Practice Management System (PMS) – Many consultants start their practice without a PMS, usually to reduce costs, but if you are serious about your private practice then this is an investment that you should make. A good PMS will pay dividends in the efficiencies it brings to your practice and will help to ensure your patient records remain secure and that you are GDPR compliant. There are several PMS systems available and each one has pros and cons. For a deeper look at how to choose a PMS system please read the following article.
How to choose a Practice Management System for your private practice
How to work with a Medical PA in your private practice
In most private practices, a Medical PA is responsible for the day-to-day operations/ administration of the practice, and we would strongly argue that your Medical PA will have an enormous impact on the success of your practice. Your Medical PA will be the first point of contact for your new patients and will talk to your patients more often than you do. The relationship that a good Medical PA develops with your patients will make a big impact on your patient’s views of how good your practice is and will affect your reputation.
The role of your Medical PA is to manage the administration of your practice, including answering patients’ telephone calls and emails, and booking appointments and surgeries if relevant. Doing this well require great attention to detail and good communication skills with patients, hospitals, and other colleagues with whom you work.
For more detail on the role of the Medical PA read here
The role of a Medical PA in your private practice
At launch, the prospect of employing a Medical PA to support you may seem too costly. You may prefer to consider a Medical PA service where a company such as Designated Medical, provides you with an experienced Medical PA to support you and your patients. Our service provides you with a specific PA to work with you on an ongoing basis and is based on a virtual model of working. You choose a “package” of hours that meets your needs on day one with the ability to increase over time as your practice gets busier. For more details on our Medical PA service ….
A guide to the Medical PA service from Designated Medical
If you do decide to employ a Medical PA directly, and the cost is justified, then you will need to start your recruitment drive. Allow plenty of time, as it can take time to find the right person, and any applicants who are currently employed will typically need to give their current employer at least one month’s notice.
How to recruit a Medical PA for your private practice
When recruiting your Medical PA, a major consideration will be offering a salary that attracts a good calibre of candidates. For guidance on salaries for Medical PAs
Salary guide for Medical PAs in private practice
Need help setting up your private medical practice…
Get in touch and start your conversation today
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Useful article
How to gain practising privileges for your private medical practice
How to invoice patients for your private practice
How to employ a Medical PA for your private practice
How to choose a Practice Management System for your private practice
The role of a Medical PA in your private practice
A guide to the Medical PA service from Designated Medical
How to recruit a Medical PA for your private practice
Salary guide for Medical PAs in private practice
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Chapter Five – How to invoice your patients in your private practice