Asoa Eyetalks Radio

Laura Baldwin, Principal and Senior Consultant of BSM Consulting, interviews Regina Boore, Senior VP and Executive Consultant of Progressive Surgical Solutions, a division of BSM Consulting, on setting and achieving quality measures for ASCs.

Pity the woodpecker. Its full-time job is banging its head against a tree just to get a single bug if it’s lucky, only to have to go to another tree and bang its head again to get another one. Many leaders and staff feel like the woodpecker when it comes to meetings—they often don’t produce much in the way of results and the process is painful.  It doesn’t have to be that way. Here is some advice that might work to help make your meetings less painful and more productive.

Critical thinking is so important to our doctors and patients, in fact, we should foster a culture that encourages it to ensure the best medical care and results. This podcast discusses key ideas related to critical thinking and raises some questions that will prompt you to start incorporating it into your technician training.

A successive development strategy for your potential managers will require dedicated time, a logical assessment of resources, a realistic action plan, and patience. Under your leadership, a rational plan for the internal development of practice managers can relieve some of your burdens, retain valuable staff, and provide optimal value for the practice.

In the evolution of customer service, the right step might be a step backward in time. Even in our eyecare practices, the basic principles of customer service remain the same as the corner ice cream shop. Understand your product and service, be able to articulate each one, and identify and meet the needs of the customer with good-natured professionalism.

The CPT definitions and descriptions of the ophthalmic codes (92002– to 92014) are confusing, to say the least. The definitions of the codes are even different than the actual descriptions themselves. Consultants and other experts on this subject like to say, “these codes are broken”. Very few Medicare Administrative Contractors (or, MACs) have published guidelines available for the eye codes. This podcast will provide some clarity to assist when documenting and billing these services.

An ASOA interview on priorities and time management with Katie Lawrence, MHA CMPE, Director of Ambulatory Optimization for Greenville Health System.

From an attorney’s viewpoint, new associate employment agreements are relatively simple, but don’t let their simplicity deceive you. The business and legal choices made in a new associate’s initial employment agreement are important to get right before they sign on the dotted line. Here’s a “Top 10 List” of mistakes to avoid.

While having the technical skills in your job is essential, it’s the soft skills that can take leaders to the next level in managing their teams. Learn or refresh your memory on the top 10 interpersonal skills that lead to more success as a manager.

When the administrator and managing partner work productively and cooperatively in tandem, it is a catalyst that ignites practice growth. This podcast provides practical tips for balancing operations and authority as a member of the administrator-managing dyad.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Office of Inspector General are more aggressive than ever about collecting any overpayments that may have been made to providers in error. Audits of Medicare dollars paid are on the rise, including OIG audits. Practices commonly assume that Medicare and other payers are always correct but they make mistakes too. Listen and learn 10 steps to streamline the appeals process to ensure you receive the dollars your practice is rightfully due.

Advice for practice managers and administrators when onboarding new employees or providers and bringing them into the practice culture.

Having a good compliance plan is becoming more essential, not only to meet legal and contractual requirements but also to help ensure efficient operations and financial security. For many managers in healthcare, compliance is still considered a headache, and for some, a source of real anxiety. Noncompliance poses the threat of fines, exclusion from healthcare plans (particularly Medicare), or lengthy audits and investigations that are costly and potentially damaging to reputations. Rather than expending negative energy on external regulations, practices should focus on the positive aspects of successful compliance.

In business, inquiry thinking is all about the power of asking questions in ways that OPEN UP rather than limit possibilities. In this podcast, based on an Administrative Eyecare magazine article written by Bonnie Navarre of Johnson & Johnson Vision, learn the kinds of questions that lead to possibility and which questions to avoid and hear an example of how inquiry thinking made a difference and even improved conversion rates in an ophthalmic practice.

Expert advice for ophthalmic practice administrators and their providers on assessing risk for an audit, including identification of some red flags that can trigger an audit by CMS and other payers. Includes discussion of specific eye codes and their appropriate use, as well as advice for mitigating your practice’s risk for an audit.

Building a star-studded team of talented, enthusiastic, patient-oriented, long-term employees is an admirable goal for all health care practices. However, accomplishing such a feat is challenging. While “perfect” employees are hard to find, administrators and human resources managers should never shy away from trying to load their team with all-star employees. This podcast is based on an Administrative Eyecare article written by Allan Walker, director of publications for BSM Consulting.  

Expert advice for ophthalmic practice administrators and their providers on MACRA and MIPS in 2018, including the key changes in the 2018 Final Rule for the Merit-based Incentive Payment System, new details on the four MIPS categories, cataract episode-based measures and more to help your ophthalmology practice thrive in 2018.    

Expert advice for practice managers and administrators on how to handle workplace conflict and employee complaints, including common mistakes managers make when conflicts arise and strategies for resolving conflicts when they occur.

When you’re the new manager of an ophthalmology practice, it’s critical to gain buy-in not only from staff, but also from the physician providers. Tips and advice for gaining support from the entire team are offered in this podcast, based on an article in Administrative Eyecare Magazine.

Expert advice for new administrators when they inherit long-term employees who either won’t or aren’t able to change to meet the needs and challenges of taking your practice from good to great.