Time is money: cancelled appointments & DNA patients
This is a topic that comes up frequently when I meet Private Consultant Surgeons. Indeed, the point was touched upon last year in a blog regarding asking self-funding patients to pay in advance....
Do you know what you can and can’t charge for?
Take, for example, a patient who requires an injection which may be performed at a consultation. Thus you raise an invoice for, as an example, £185 [£90 for the consultation and £95 for the...
Who actually is responsible for paying an excess or a shortfall amount?
A question, which was asked recently at a private practice seminar MHM were presenting at. The patient is responsible. Interestingly the question was asked by a consultant surgeon who...
Tell the patients how much you charge?
Yes? No? Flip the question on its head. WOULD YOU BUY SOMETHING WITHOUT KNOWING HOW MUCH IT COST? Would you pass over your debit card details without knowing how much is going to be charged to it?...
A piece of the jigsaw is missing – The Patient’s policy had expired
This comes up more often than you would think. The patient fully completes the registration form but when you invoice either you can't actually raise an invoice or after you have done so the invoice...
Communication is the key
One of the most fatal ways to restrict the growth and profitability of a private medical practice or indeed any business is a failure to communicate. The domino effect of poor communication can be...
Asking for help does not mean you are weak
Recently I was reading an article in a business management magazine. The article highlighted some of the challenges faced by small business owners when they start their business. But it could...
It’s important to check what is happening with excess and shortfalls!
I always check what is happening with shortfalls and excess for they are a major area of risk to a private medical consultant. Using a single private consultant surgeon as an example:...
Insurance Companies are not the enemy
It is depressing the number of times I hear potential clients rubbishing insurance companies. In my experience the reasons normally cited are incorrect. Far from it. I've lost track how often...
Where do you find a CCSD code?
Another question from a recent MHM presentation. Insurance companies use medical coding to identify and detail a medical procedure. For example: if you are an Orthopaedic surgeon you will...
How does a consultant surgeon set their fees?
The reality is, the question itself is incorrectly asked! In the case of a private medical insurance company, a consultant surgeon or other medical professional doesn’t set his/her own fees. Instead...
If their insurance company haven’t paid after three months – CHARGE THE PATIENT!!
A group of surgeons I know are having problems getting paid by insurance companies. Not just an individual insurance company but all insurance companies. More specifically or so the surgeon's...