Navigating a Crisis: Telehealth & Re-opening The COVID-19 pandemic shut down everyday life for much of the country. In many states, stoppages were even ordered for healthcare deemed non-essential. Dermatology practices were left to figure out how to care for their patients and keep their…
Financial & Insurance Burdens
Insurance Hassles & Financial Pressure: The Burdens of Dermatology Physician burnout continues to be a much discussed topic in healthcare circles. Study after study confirms that 1) physicians are burned out; and 2) practice management burdens are largely to blame. Findings from a recent survey…
Physician Recruitment and Revenue Cycle Management
Collaboration, Communication, and Quality
According to a 2018 athenahealth report, professional isolation is a contributor to physician burnout. Seventy-three percent of the 1,400 physicians surveyed said they have experienced professional isolation, with 25% claiming to feel isolated at least once per week and 6% daily. Further, in the November…
Keys to Dermatologist Job Satisfaction
A recent edition of AAD’s Dermatology World magazine featured a piece highlighting the factors dermatologists say most and least contribute to their job satisfaction. The findings, which were taken from the AAD’s 2019 Life in Practice Study, are not surprising. Patient interaction, clinical autonomy, and…
Physician Autonomy
The Power of True Partnership
Quality and Expertise
Roughly a decade ago, author Malcom Gladwell declared in his best-selling book Outliers, that to become an expert, one must spend 10,000 hours dedicated to their craft. Numerous counter theories have since emerged. Simply clocking hours does not guarantee expertise…
Alleviating the Burdens
A recent study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine put a price tag of $4.6B per year on physician burnout. While this massive cost burdens the US health system, the personal toll on physicians is also significant…
Experience Matters
The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) has made a concerted effort in recent years to educate the public and payors about the importance of seeing a board-certified dermatologist for skin conditions. Quality of care, as well as efficiency, is best delivered by physicians who are…
Patient Safety: A Commitment to Continuous Improvement
The Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Annual Patient Safety Awareness Week is March 10-16. This initiative was created to promote discussions and encourage actions that will improve patient safety in all healthcare settings. Federal mandates tied to quality of care and outcomes have further increased the…
Change: The State of Dermatology
There’s no shortage of articles discussing how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is changing the world, including the practice of medicine. While some suggest that the human element may soon become obsolete, others argue that mankind won’t be so easily replaced. In fact, a recent article entitled,…
A Culture of Quality
For years, the federal government has issued mandates in an effort to improve care quality and reduce costs. While some believe these mandates are incrementally moving healthcare in the right direction, many physicians feel otherwise. In fact, only 15% of surveyed physicians agree that value-based…
Preserving Physician Autonomy: The True Partnership Model
The Physicians Foundation and Merritt Hawkins recently released their 2018 Survey of America’s Physicians. This year’s results are similar to what was found in the past few years’ surveys: More time is spent on paperwork, instances of burnout are high, and physicians are feeling pessimistic…
Rising Healthcare Benefit Costs: The Impact on Physician Practices
Employers can expect to pay almost $15,000 per employee for healthcare benefits in 2019, according to the National Business Group on Health’s Large Employers’ 2019 Health Care Strategy and Plan Design Survey. The 2019 costs are 5% higher than in 2018. The survey also revealed…