July 28, 2023
Making the Most of Your Initial Practice Management Consultation
- by Lauren King, Director of Healthcare Business Solutions
Meeting with a healthcare consultant can be a valuable step towards achieving your medical office strategic goals. Whether you’re seeking advice on starting an independent practice, practice management operations, growing your private practice, valuation or transitioning physician ownership, proper preparation can ensure a productive and beneficial assessment.
The first step in this process is an initial consultation call with one of our experienced Solution’s team members. To maximize the value of this call, it’s important to be well-prepared and make the most of the time you have. In this blog post, we’ll provide you with easy ways to ensure a productive and insightful initial practice management consulting inquiry with DoctorsManagement Solutions.
1. Right Place… Right Time
Scheduling your consultation call is a critical first step. It’s essential to find a place where you can have an uninterrupted conversation and allocate enough time to discuss your questions thoroughly.
DoctorsManagement Solutions recommends setting aside 30 to 45 minutes for the initial conversation. We understand that it can be difficult to schedule a call during medical office hours and that is why we will do our best to accommodate your schedule without interrupting your workflow.
Finding a quiet space where you can concentrate on the call, you’ll create an environment conducive to productive discussion without disrupting patient care.
2. Who Should Be on the First Call?
To make the most of your initial consultation, it’s important to involve the key decision-makers in your healthcare practice.
Ensure that individuals responsible for business operations and financial decisions are present on the call. Their input and understanding will be invaluable in assessing your needs accurately and making informed decisions moving forward. Having the right people on the call ensures that everyone is aligned and can streamline the process.
3. Define Your Inquiry
When reaching out to a consulting firm like DoctorsManagement, it’s crucial to clearly define your inquiry.
Take some time to identify the specific reasons why you sought their assistance in the first place. By articulating your needs and expectations honestly, you allow the solutions team member to tailor the conversation to your specific requirements for practice management consulting. This clear communication helps them understand the challenges your healthcare practice face and determine how to address them. Honesty and openness are key here, as they pave the way for a productive and fruitful discussion.
4. Do You Have All the Pieces?
During your initial call, the solutions team member will gather background information about your medical practice to gain a better understanding of your needs.
To ensure a seamless process, it’s helpful to have necessary information readily available. This could include details about your practice’s current operations, profitability, accounts receivable metrics, EMR, number of healthcare providers and staff members, challenges you’re facing, and a few specific goals you have in mind for your physician practice. Giving the consultant a real-time overview enables them to provide accurate advice based on your specific circumstances. Our Solutions team member will then be able to provide more insights and recommendations for practice management services tailored to your unique situation.
5. Setting Goals for the Initial Call
Before the consultation, it’s essential to set take some time to reflect on your goals and priorities for this call. Make certain to consider what you hope to achieve in the short term as well as the long term.
Some potential goals for the initial call could include gathering information about practice management services and pricing, assessing whether your expectations align with the solutions capabilities, and evaluating your readiness to engage a healthcare consulting firm. Having specific objectives in mind enables you to guide the conversation and ensure that you come away from the call feeling that your time was well spent and your goals were accomplished.
Common topic discussions for the initial call typically include discussions such as financials and timing, but also can cover basic understanding of medical practice management including office management, full practice management, office staff, medical billing or electronic health records, even reimbursement or overall revenue cycle management.
By following these guidelines, you can make the most of your initial consultation call with your DoctorsManagement Solutions Team. Finding the right time and place, involving key decision-makers, clearly defining your needs, having the necessary information at hand, and setting goals for the call will help ensure a productive and valuable discussion.
Take advantage of this opportunity to simplify the business of healthcare with the assistance of the experienced team at DoctorsManagement. And remember, the more prepared you are, the more productive and beneficial your physician practice management consultation is likely to be.
If you would like guidance on these areas or other matters related to the healthcare industry, our executive contacts are available to assist. Contact Lauren King via email at [email protected], call 800-635-4040, or visit our website at www.doctorsmanagement.com to learn more.
Lauren King, CMPM
Director of Healthcare Business Solutions
DoctorsManagement, LLC
About DoctorsManagement
Founded in 1956, DoctorsManagement, a full-service healthcare consulting firm, helps physician practices of all sizes reduce compliance risks, increase practice profits, improve patient satisfaction and employee morale as well as reduce stress for physicians, managers, and staff. The firm uses strategies that have been proven over five decades of experience and gives clients access to a team of nationally recognized industry experts in practically every area of medical practice management, including regulatory compliance, healthcare analytics, coding, auditing, financial services, patient retention, human resources, and more.
