Framework of a Private Medical Practice - 2006 - ROJoson

1. Framework of a private medical
practice
Reynaldo O. Joson, MD
2006

2. Framework of a private medical practice
Medical graduate decided to start and establish a
private medical practice in the Philippines
Why
What
Where
How
Goal: satisfied – happy and healthy – private medical
practitioner in the Philippines

3. Framework of a private medical practice
Why establish a private medical practice in the
Philippines?
To earn a living in the Philippines.
To contribute to the health development of a
community in the Philippines.

4. Framework of a private medical practice
What should be the goal in establishing a
private medical practice in the Philippines?
The goal should be a satisfied – happy and
healthy – private medical practitioner in the
Philippines.

5. Framework of a private medical practice
What should be the goal in establishing a
private medical practice in the Philippines?
Earning enough to be a healthy person and to
enjoy and sustain a comfortable living with
frugal lifestyle in the Philippines

6. Framework of a private medical practice
What should be the goal in establishing a private
medical practice in the Philippines?
Happy in terms of the satisfaction of earning enough
and contributing to the health development in a
community in the Philippines

7. Framework of a private medical practice
What should be the goal in establishing a
private medical practice in the Philippines?
Healthy in terms of sustaining a physical,
mental, and social well-being for as long as
possible or at least up to the average lifespan
of a Filipino living in the Philippines

8. Framework of a private medical practice
What medical fields to practice?
General medicine
Selective medical field and general medicine
Selective medical field
Superselective or restricted medical field

9. Framework of a private medical practice
What are the decisions that you as a medical practitioner
have to make with regards to the medical fields to
practice?
1. Decide on the extent or scope of medical field that you
want to practice initially and in the future in consideration
of the following:
Goal of a medical practitioner (satisfied – happy and healthy)
Your acquired competency or training
Needs of the community where you will be practicing (whether there
is lack of specialists and whether to include general medicine)
Your physical limitation or personal delimitation (whether to go to
superselective or restrictive medical field or not)

10. Framework of a private medical practice
What are the decisions that you as a medical practitioner have to make
with regards to the medical fields to practice?
Some guides:
If you are a graduate from a medical school or college – general medicine
If you are a graduate from a specialty residency training program – residency
specialty (decide on whether you need to practice general medicine on
top of the specialty)
If you are a graduate from a specialty fellowship training program – fellowship
specialty (decide on whether you need to practice general medicine and
residency specialty)
When just starting, do not restrict your practice to superselective medical
field.
When you have established a practice already, that’s the time you can restrict
your practice to a superselective medical field, that is, if indicated and
allowable by the circumstance.

11. Framework of a private medical practice
What are the decisions that you as a medical practitioner have to make
with regards to the medical fields to practice?
Some guides:
Decide on whether to publicize the limit of your practice, if you decide to
limit it.
Publicize the limit of your practice if it will be to your advantage and not
be to your disadvantage in terms of achieving goal of a medical
practitioner, i.e., acceptable number of clients if not more, no
unnecessary loss of potential clients, and no undue burden from too
many clients which you will refer out anyway. Otherwise, don’t
publicize, just limit your practice by referring out clients as they
arrive and as necessary. In due time, the public will know the limit of
your practice.

12. Framework of a private medical practice
Where to establish a medical practice?
Urban or rural areas
Metro Manila or outside Metro Manila
Specific region, province, city, and towns in
the Philippines

13. Framework of a private medical practice
What are the decisions that you as a medical practitioner have to make
with regards to the place of medical practice?
1. Decide on the place of your medical practice in consideration of the
following:
1.1 Your chances of achieving the goal of a medical practitioner (satisfied
– happy and healthy)
1.2 Presence of facilities to support your intended medical field of
practice
1.3 Presence of people to support your intended medical field of practice
1.4 Number of practitioners of your chosen medical field in the
community
1.5 Degree of your missionary tendency
1.6 Your tendency for a certain lifestyle and certain type of living
environment and atmosphere

14. Framework of a private medical practice
What are the decisions that you as a medical practitioner
have to make with regards to the place of medical practice?
Some guides:
1.1 Chances of achieving the goal of a medical practitioner in
a considered place of practice are directly proportional to
1.1.1 Degree of urbanization of the community
1.1.2 Peace and order
1.1.3 Socioeconomic status of the people
1.1.4 Healthy environment and atmosphere
1.1.5 Congruent lifestyle in the community
1.1.6 Number of people who will support your intended
medical field of practice

15. Framework of a private medical practice
What are the decisions that you as a medical
practitioner have to make with regards to the place
of medical practice?
Some guides:
1.2 Chances of achieving the goal of a medical
practitioner in a considered place of practice are
inversely proportional to the number of established
practitioners of your chosen medical field.

16. Framework of a private medical practice
What are the decisions that you as a medical
practitioner have to make with regards to the place
of medical practice?
Some guides:
2. Decide on whether to let your missionary
tendency prevail over other factors.
3. Decide on whether to let your tendency towards a
certain lifestyle and certain type of living
environment and atmosphere prevail over other
factors.

17. Framework of a private medical practice
How to fulfill the legal requirements of a
medical practice

18. Framework of a private medical practice
How to manage a personal medical office or clinic
Issues:
Shared or solo medical office or clinic
Space requirement and set up

19. Framework of a private medical practice
How to manage a personal medical office or clinic
Issues:
Secretary
Competencies
Honest, effective, and efficient
Who can promote your medical practice
Computer-literate
Accounting-literate

20. Framework of a private medical practice
How to manage a personal medical office or clinic
Issues:
Medical records
Forms
Filing and retrieving
Results of ancillary diagnostic procedures

21. Framework of a private medical practice
How to manage a personal medical office or clinic
Issues:
Prescription/instruction/stationary pads
Calling cards
Equipments
Basic equipments

22. Framework of a private medical practice
How to manage a personal medical office or clinic
Issues:
How to charge professional fees
Benchmark
Be charitable
Don’t charge exorbitant professional fee

23. Framework of a private medical practice
How to establish a medical practice
There are two essential factors that will
promote and sustain a medical practice.
These are:
Availability
Marketing

24. Framework of a private medical practice
How to establish a medical practice
Availability (physical availability)
If you are not available, there is NO chance you will be able to
promote and sustain your medical practice.
If you are not readily available, there is a small chance.
If you are always available when needed, there is a big
chance.

25. Framework of a private medical practice
How to establish a medical practice
Marketing (not commercial marketing)
If you continually and progressively market yourself
as a medical practitioner who is readily available
when needed and who is competent, approachable,
charitable, and ethical, chances are, you will be able
to promote and sustain your medical practice.

26. Framework of a private medical practice
How to establish a medical practice
You attract patient-clients to your medical
practice by a reputation of being readily
available to serve and being competent,
approachable, charitable and ethical.

27. Framework of a private medical practice
How to establish a medical practice
Patient-clients go to you through two routes:
Medical colleagues’ referral
Non-medical colleagues’ referral – like your previous patients
who were satisfied with your service
Getting medical colleagues’ referral is a faster way to build a
private practice. However, patients’ referral is the more
sustainable way to establish a private practice.

28. Framework of a private medical practice
How to charge professional fees
Fees for professional services rendered:
Consultations in the clinic
Consultations for patients confined in a hospital
Hospital visits and rounds
Procedures done in the clinics
Procedures done in the hospital

29. Framework of a private medical practice
How to charge professional fees
Fees for professional services rendered:
Consultations in the clinic
Consultations for patients confined in a hospital
Hospital visits and rounds
Procedures done in the clinics
Procedures done in the hospital

30. Framework of a private medical practice
General guidelines in charging professional fees:
Determine proper professional fees to charge based
on benchmarking in your community with downward
adjustment in patients with limited financial
capability.
Do not charge exorbitant fees by community
standards, even in those patients with capability to
pay.
.

31. Framework of a private medical practice
General guidelines in charging professional fees:
Do not deny your professional services just because
the patient cannot pay you. Be charitable.
Do not lower the usual quality of your professional
services just because the patient cannot afford your
usual fee.

32. Framework of a private medical practice
General guidelines in charging professional fees:
If you are not sure how much to charge, err on
undercharging rather than on overcharging.
Remember the amount of professional fee you
charge is always a potential cause of patient
dissatisfaction.

33. Framework of a private medical practice
General guidelines in charging professional
fees:
Remember too the amount of professional fee
you charge is always a potential catalyst for a
successful and sustainable private medical
practice.