Physicians on staff can throw their hospital into the red or the black entirely by the way they handle clinical orders, physician preference items and other issues, says Nick Sears, MD, CMO of MedAssets in Alpharetta, Ga., which provides software and consulting services that help track and analyze a hospital's revenue stream.
"Clinical practice patterns can make the difference between profitable or unprofitable service lines," he says. This is especially important in key specialty areas such as orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, cardiac services and high-volume medical admissions. "It's important to discuss the rationale of involving physicians in operating margin discussions and frame the topic for physician discussions," he says.
Here Dr. Sears, a cardio-thoracic surgeon, offers some pointers.
1. Position physician champions within the medical staff. These physician champions can lead clinical initiatives by providing clinical leadership and accountability as well as oversight and direction for initiatives.
2. Engage physicians early in the process. Identify high-cost and high-volume supplies and high-volume users. Profile physician utilization by vendor and product. Determine the best-case scenario for cost savings and physicians' willingness to change to a new vendor.
3. Know what makes physicians tick. Physicians are interested in new technical capabilities, increasing their knowledge Base and, sometimes, their own egos. Be aware of motivational factors such as cutting-edge technologies, income enhancement and peers in the community. Declining procedural reimbursements may be prompting physicians to increase their patient load or seek ancillary income.
4. Pick your physicians' brains. Learn how physicians think through individual and group surveys and focus groups. Structured focus groups not only help gain a deep understanding of physicians' attitudes but also begin to educate them about what is possible.
5. Use standardized assessments. The Medical Management Survey is a detailed questionnaire about knowledge, attitudes and behaviors about medical management and resource utilization. A "Readiness for Change Assessment Tool" can assess physician's readiness for engaging in computerized order entry.
6. Keep a hospital/medical staff relationship scorecard. The summary assessment grid will help evaluate the overall state of relationships between medical staff and a hospital or a system and its leadership.
7. Engage physicians in clinical resource utilization initiatives. Present physicians with data on quality and cost per case and allow them to make their own interpretations. In that way, they will own the conclusions. Then let them help determine key areas of focus for deciding appropriate clinical resource utilization.
8. Follow up with physicians. Hold one-on-one meetings to discuss results and options for change. Communicate quality and financial improvements to the medical staff and recognize physicians' contributions and accomplishments.
Learn more about MedAssets.
"Clinical practice patterns can make the difference between profitable or unprofitable service lines," he says. This is especially important in key specialty areas such as orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, cardiac services and high-volume medical admissions. "It's important to discuss the rationale of involving physicians in operating margin discussions and frame the topic for physician discussions," he says.
Here Dr. Sears, a cardio-thoracic surgeon, offers some pointers.
1. Position physician champions within the medical staff. These physician champions can lead clinical initiatives by providing clinical leadership and accountability as well as oversight and direction for initiatives.
2. Engage physicians early in the process. Identify high-cost and high-volume supplies and high-volume users. Profile physician utilization by vendor and product. Determine the best-case scenario for cost savings and physicians' willingness to change to a new vendor.
3. Know what makes physicians tick. Physicians are interested in new technical capabilities, increasing their knowledge Base and, sometimes, their own egos. Be aware of motivational factors such as cutting-edge technologies, income enhancement and peers in the community. Declining procedural reimbursements may be prompting physicians to increase their patient load or seek ancillary income.
4. Pick your physicians' brains. Learn how physicians think through individual and group surveys and focus groups. Structured focus groups not only help gain a deep understanding of physicians' attitudes but also begin to educate them about what is possible.
5. Use standardized assessments. The Medical Management Survey is a detailed questionnaire about knowledge, attitudes and behaviors about medical management and resource utilization. A "Readiness for Change Assessment Tool" can assess physician's readiness for engaging in computerized order entry.
6. Keep a hospital/medical staff relationship scorecard. The summary assessment grid will help evaluate the overall state of relationships between medical staff and a hospital or a system and its leadership.
7. Engage physicians in clinical resource utilization initiatives. Present physicians with data on quality and cost per case and allow them to make their own interpretations. In that way, they will own the conclusions. Then let them help determine key areas of focus for deciding appropriate clinical resource utilization.
8. Follow up with physicians. Hold one-on-one meetings to discuss results and options for change. Communicate quality and financial improvements to the medical staff and recognize physicians' contributions and accomplishments.
Learn more about MedAssets.