Physicians Practice - July/August 2008 - (Page 87)

CME GETTING ADVICE HOW TO HIRE A CONSULTANT BY SHIRLEY GRACE EVERY PRACTICE CAN BENEFIT FROM SOME PROFESSIONAL BUSINESS ADVICE FROM A PRACTICE MANAGEMENT PRO. HERE’S HOW TO HIRE A GOOD ONE. When pediatrician Krekamey Craig became a partner at Denville Pediatric Group in New Jersey two years ago, she soon noticed a general disarray in the business aspects of the practice. “People would have random thoughts — we’ve got to do ‘this’ better,” she says. But with no deﬁned action plan, nothing of real signiﬁcance would ever really change. Then last year, Craig attended the Goryeb Children’s Hospital 9th Annual CME Conference in Skytop, Pa., where she heard Chip Hart, pediatric solutions manager for Physician’s Computer Company (PCC) in Winooski, Vt., give a talk titled, “Problems and Pitfalls with Practices.” “We basically ﬁt every problem and pitfall,” says Craig. PCC was already familiar to Craig, as Denville Pediatric Group uses its pediatric-focused software, but not its consulting services. She asked Hart for a meeting. “He sat down with me for about an hour. It absolutely blew my mind, the numbers he presented to me. Nobody knew the answers; he did,” she says. LEARNING OBJECTIVES After completing this article, readers will be able to: • Select a reputable consultant based on a set of recommended criteria practice-management consultant can address a practice-management consultant • List the types of problems a • Determine when it is prudent to hire WWW.PHYSICIANSPRACTICE.COM Such an epiphany of understanding as to the potential value of expert advice can be hard for physicians. You’re smart. You made it through medical school, after all — no small feat. But how many of your classes focused on running your practice as a business? “It’s hard for doctors to believe they really don’t have a clue,” says Craig. “But there’s so much to understand on how a practice can run. Even as a partner, it’s not why you went into medicine. But if you want to continue getting paid every month you’ve got to pay attention to it.” However, wise leaders understand that paying attention to business matters sometimes translates into delegating tasks to experts; namely, using consultants. But how do you select a qualiﬁed one that knows his business — and yours? Read on for what to look for before you sign on the dotted line. THE RIGHT STUFF Think of a practice management consultant as computer security software for your medical practice. Just as your computer must be constantly updated and patched to fend off the latest bugs, glitches, and viruses, your practice requires similar vigilance to keep it current and running smoothly. “It’s such a changing ﬁeld,” says Craig. Such watchful attention includes staying apprised of important federal, state, and local policy or regulatory changes concerning healthcare. And then there’s the constant inﬂux of modiﬁcations — often poorly publicized — from JULY/AUGUST 2008 | PHYSICIANS PRACTICE | 87 http://WWW.PHYSICIANSPRACTICE.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Physicians Practice - July/August 2008

Physicians Practice - July/August 2008 Contents The Bigger Picture: Battle Royale in the EMR Market Letters Physicians Practice Pearls: Hire Right Noteworthy Cover Story: Healthcare Reform: Voting for Change Patient Relations: Dealing with Problem Patients The tech Doctor: Is Self-Service Medicine Inevitable? Technology: Do EMRs Make You a Better Doctor? The Guide Idealab: Cash-Only Care Still Works The Administrators Desk: Who’s in Charge? Ask The Experts What Went Wrong: ‘Why Our Great Idea Didn’t Work’ Coding Start It Up: How to Launch a Practice: Operations Partnership: Don't Let Partner Conflict Destroy Your Practice Appraisals: What’s Your Practice Worth? Getting Advice: How to Hire a Consultant Classifieds Advertiser Index

Physicians Practice - July/August 2008

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