Self Funders / Shortfalls – Learning to write did come in useful after all
Many months back a medical secretary friend of mine suggested the MHM approach of writing the address on an envelope to a self-funder or for an excess/shortfall looked unprofessional. The address...
A life of their own
Have you ever considered how long a pre-authorisation reference is live? Or how many didn’t realise some private medical insurance companies deem pre-auths do have a life span? For example: I was...
Back up a little before you have an accident
The potential for an accident It’s amazing how many people don’t back their IT systems up. When they have an accident, they have a serious accident. One guy kept all his correspondence and notes on...
Don’t be afraid to ask for the money
Why are you in business? Many times, consultant surgeons have approached MHM because they, as consultant surgeons, don’t like asking patients for the money. And from a certain point of view, this is...
www.what? – I can’t be bothered with this internet stuff
Every time I give a presentation to consultants wishing to start a private practice it's pretty much guaranteed, I’ll get asked about having a website. In particular, I’ll be asked – do I need one?...
Make sure you know how deep the water is before jumping in
A consultant surgeon came up to me after a recent presentation asking for my opinion on a situation he’d found himself in. Having successfully operated within the NHS for some time he decided to...
Nice bottle of Merlot though
It’s great when a patient pays cash - on the way out he or she produces a roll of £10 notes and pays in full. It happened just before Christmas to an MHM client. Couple of items to remember,...
Change of Plan
The response to a recent question. Consider if, during the initial consultation, a patient is advised surgery is required. The patient is therefore given a CCSD code equating to the surgical episode...
Outsourcing
One of the often-asked questions is: what’s outsourced private medical practice management. That’s not an unreasonable question if you think about it. The question actually splits into two: What is...
158 and not out! Howzat!
Lovely lady. Sounded just like my late Mom too. She sounded if she was aged between 21 – 99. Called her to clarify one small point on her registration form and pretty much knew what the discrepancy...
Undercharging?
Take these examples: ENT Consultant Surgeon A is an ENT consultant surgeon. He performs an E1910 on two different patients. He bills both patient’s insurance company £1,600 each. No problem except...
Who actually pays the excess or shortfall?
A question, which was asked recently at a private practice seminar MHM were presenting at. Interestingly the question was asked by a consultant surgeon who had started his/her private practice two...