MED3OOO Clinical Newsletter - March/April 2010
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“THE HEALTH CARE BISTRO”
By Paul McLeod, M.D., MED3OOO Chief Medical Executive Health care is a tough business. I get frustrated by those who try to minimize the challenges that face providers and resort to negative sound bites in describing our profession. Occasionally, I will hear a disgruntled customer exclaim “If I ran my business like my doctor, I would be out of business.” The best rebuttal for this shortsighted declaration comes from an analogy I heard some time ago that compares health care to the restaurant business. So welcome to the “Health Care Bistro”… You are here because you are hungry, but some people have not eaten in days and we will need to serve them first. You may need to make a reservation several months in advance, especially if you are a “new customer.” If you can’t wait that long, you will need to go to the emergency restaurant. The food is very expensive and it could take 6-8 hours for you to be served, but they are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and you will not be turned away. Your dining experience at our bistro will include a host of people. Prior to eating, we will determine if your payment plan covers our restaurant. If not, you will need to leave. Next, our maitre d’ will decide what you need to eat. Don’t worry, this person trained for several years and has a reputation for choosing the right food for hungry people like you. If you need a menu item that our restaurant does not have, we will refer you to a specialty restaurant where this entire process will be repeated. Don’t go without our referral, or they will not let you in. Next, we will compare the plan of the maitre d’ to the menu that your payment plan will pay for. Sorry, Mrs. Jones, but the filet is not covered. We have a delightful hamburger instead. It may take a while, but you will eventually get to eat. Afterward, the bill is not given to you, but your payer. He will examine it to make sure that all the food you were given was necessary and was indeed covered by your payment plan. Oops, you had an appetizer – payment for that is denied. Your payer will send us the money, but it actually comes from your employer or the federal government. If everything went well, we may get paid in the next 2 or 3 weeks. At MED3OOO, we work very hard to advocate for health care providers. Our solution-based technology offerings, operational expertise, and competitive strategies will differentiate you from your peers and guide you through the health care maze.
Enjoy your meal. Is your patient volume down? Are your patients neglecting their routine and preventive care? Do you need to reconnect with patients that have not been seen in over a year? Do you need to identify those patients in your practice who should be recalled for needed services? If so, consider using our patient outreach MED3OOO/Connect technology powered by Phytel. MED3OOO/Connect can automate the process of identifying those patients in your practice who should be recalled for needed services. If you would like to proactively reach out to your patients with an automated patient recall process, please contact your account manager or Scott Madden at Scott_Madden@MED3000.com.
For a printable version of this newsletter click here: Clinical Mar2010 |
