2. HISTORY
• This decade has been one in which the healthcare
industry has gone through a mammoth
transformation, and the metamorphosis shows no
signs of slowing down.
• However, with more and more of the 317 million
Americans gaining health insurance, and this
coinciding with the retirement of the highly
productive baby boomers.
3. Veterans Affairs (VA)
• The highly publicized Veterans Affairs (VA) Scandal
earlier this year in which more than 30 veterans died
while waiting for healthcare was a harsh reality check
of the gravity of the situation.
• Even more alarming is the widely prevalent belief
that the situation, particularly with respect to the
shortage of primary care physicians, looks to
deteriorate further in the coming years despite the
government’s efforts via Obamacare.
4. Veterans Affairs (VA)
• Having said this, history has shown us that necessity
is the mother of invention. There are always
obstacles, but there are always multiple ways to
overcome each of them as well.
• Providers have used technology to endorse various
techniques to enhance the way they work and care
for patients, despite limited resources.
• Using these simple techniques you can reform the
daily operations of your practice and ensure that you
cater to more patients each day, and do so more
effectively.
5. Virtual care
• Virtual care – Many in-person appointments are
unnecessary and can be avoided. Telephone and
email are two mediums through which such
appointments can be catered to.
• For example, you can use patient portals to send a
patient post-examination email on his condition, etc.
You can also tell you front desk to convey
information to patients via telephone which will
reduce their need for in-person appointments and
subsequently save time for you to cater to more
patients.
6. Virtual care
• Furthermore, iPhone apps such as those which
monitor heart rates will work for the benefit of both
parties concerned as apps, sensory devices and other
portable developments allow for patients to
communicate their status to their doctor from almost
anywhere.
7. Electronic Medical Records
• Electronic Medical records (EMR) Software –
Additionally, automated medical records have
become a necessity for physicians. By switching to
these, you’ll realize that a lot of time spent on
unnecessary communication with patients can be
saved as the mechanisms in these systems allow
patients to access their clinical visit summaries, lab
results, and other information online.
8. Delegating data collection
• Delegating data collection – Numerous providers are
already using such solutions to transform the clinical
operations of their practices, however data entry and
collection remains a problem for several of them. If
you’re a physician with a similar problem, train your
nurses, assistants and other staff to help you in this
process.
9. Delegating data collection
• Imagine that a patient walks in to your practice.
Wouldn’t it be great if the receptionist took his basic
information and sent him to the nurse who entered
all information about his vitals and other
demographics? When the patient would finally walk
into the exam room, you’d have that information on
your computer screen beforehand, and could get
straight to the diagnosis. Life would be a lot simpler,
no?
10. Hiring vs. salaries
• Hiring vs. salaries – While you probably agree that
delegating makes sense, you’re probably wondering
if the added costs in the form of salaries would be
worth the effort.
• Even if your practice is small, if the added staff
members are utilized well and according to their
strengths, they will translate into growth for your
practice.
• The apt performance of tasks by these “extra”
workers will translate into more care provided every
day, and if you multiply that by 365 you’ll see that
the benefits are only a fraction of the costs.
11. Hiring vs. salaries
• The patient load might seem overwhelming, but the
rapid rate of advancements in technology mean that
you are more than capable of meeting this challenge,
and of boosting your practice to new highs in the
process.
12. Read more on blog.curemd.com
• To read more on this topic, visit:
• http://blog.curemd.com/how-to-find-more-
physicians-for-your-practice/
