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Practice E-Tips on Human Resources - 08/30/2023

E-Tips on Human Resources

PAs and APRNs: How Do These Midlevels Differ? - 08/30/2023

Physicians interested in hiring a midlevel practitioner for their practice sometimes wonder whether they should hire a physician assistant or an advanced practice registered nurse. Here’s the basic difference between the two.

Beware of Phony TMB, DEA Agents and Other Scams - 11/15/2022

The Texas Medical Board (TMB) is warning physicians and pharmacies of a scam involving criminals who sometimes pose as TMB officials. TMB passed along a report from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) that says physicians registered with the DEA are receiving calls and emails from criminals who identify themselves as DEA personnel or other law enforcement agents.

Top Three Reasons Embezzlement Occurs - 10/11/2022

Medical practices suffer from one of the highest embezzlement rates of all service industries.Several factors can contribute to embezzlement. The top three are opportunity, pressure, and rationalization.

Difficult to Keep Front Office Staff? - 10/11/2022

Difficult to keep front office staff?

Did That Employee Quit, or Did You Fire Her? - 10/11/2022

The question of whether an employee quit or was fired is very important if the ex-employee files for unemployment benefits. It determines who has the burden of proof in the case. These tips from the Texas Workforce Commission can help you keep the onus of proof off you.

Can I Refuse to Hire a Smoker to Work in My Practice? - 10/11/2022

The Texas Workforce Commission recommends addressing your concerns through policy.

Training Under OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogens Standard - 10/07/2022

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration says you have to train all employees with occupational exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials. Here is clarification about how that regulation translates into practice in a medical office.

Stark Self-Referral Laws and Regulations - 10/07/2022

Stark generally prohibits a physician (or an immediate family member of such physician) who has a direct or indirect financial relationship with an entity that provides a designated health service from making a referral for that service for which Medicare or Medicaid would otherwise pay. This very broad prohibition is mitigated by a large number of exceptions. These exceptions must be met exactly. Failure to meet a Stark exception will result in a violation.

Notice to Patients on the Departure of a Physician - 10/07/2022

When a physician departs a group, the practice should consider the issue of continuity of care for patients. The Texas Medical Board (TMB), in an attempt to address this, adopted regulations that must be followed whenever a physician leaves a group. This applies to physicians who are partners, members, or employees of the group.

Four Bill-Collecting Tips for New (or Any) Practices - 02/01/2022

Starting a practice can be daunting, and one challenge often overlooked is making sure you get paid. Although only a small number of patients will not pay you, or will pay slowly, they can hurt your bottom line. Writing off thousands of dollars in charges should not be an option.

Beware Third Party Scams - 12/21/2021

As technological capabilities have evolved, some individuals and organizations are using these capabilities to try to scam others out of their private personal or payment information.

Stop Embezzlement Before It Starts - 10/28/2021

Embezzlement occurs in medical practices more often than you might think. Follow these tips to reduce the potential for cash embezzlement in your practice.

Sixteen Ways to Save Money in Your Practice - 09/23/2021

Looking for ways to trim practice expenses? Here are some easy suggestions for saving a little here and a little there. It can add up.

Why You Should Conduct Background Checks - 09/17/2021

Starbucks does it. The company routinely conducts a background check when it makes a tentative job offer to any candidate for employment. Medical practices should do so, too.

Eight Reasons Your New Employee Didn’t Work Out - 09/17/2021

Hiring the right employee isn’t an easy job, nor a particularly fun one. You don’t want to do it all over again in a couple of months because your recent new hire didn’t work out. If that happened to you, here are some things you may have done wrong.

Interview Candidates the Smart Way - 09/08/2021

When interviewing candidates for your practice staff, it’s a good idea to work from prepared questions. Here’s why.

Try These Budget-Friendly Ways to Motivate Your Staff - 09/08/2021

Employees value many things as much as — maybe even more than — the amount of money you pay them. Respect, recognition, and pride in what they do are basic but powerful motivators. Here are some no-cost, low-cost ways to help your staff bloom.

Paying Employees for Lunch Break - 09/08/2021

Does your practice have clear policies regarding rest and meal breaks for hourly (nonexempt) employees?

What Hinders a Medical Office Staff’s Productivity? - 09/07/2021

When making staffing decisions, evaluate how productive staff members are. Examine support staffers, especially clinical support staff, to see what factors might impede their ability to get patients ready for you to see.

Hiring the Right Person for Your Practice - 09/07/2021

Hiring right is not a matter of chance. Follow these nine steps for hiring success.

Data Driven: Medicaid’s Inspector General Focuses on Fraud Prevention, Not Just Prosecution - 09/06/2021

Since her appointment in 2018, Texas Health and Human Services Inspector General Sylvia Hernandez Kauffman has homed in on using data analytics not only to prosecute fraud, waste, and abuse within the Medicaid program, but also to prevent it from happening in the first place. Texas Medicine spoke to Ms. Kauffman about what appears to be a shift in tone from this department as it also focuses on using the data it collects to educate physicians and other health care professionals on common billing mistakes.

What Triggers a Coding Audit? - 08/20/2021

What Triggers a Coding Audit?

Hiring a Nonphysician Practitioner? First Step: Set Parameters - 08/20/2021

Establishing general practice parameters for NPPs in your practice makes the employment arrangement a smoother one.

Can I Convert an Hourly Employee to a Salary? - 07/22/2021

I have an hourly billing clerk who often ends up working overtime. I can cut costs by giving her a raise and putting her on salary. Do labor laws allow this?