Today the practice of medicine is a business. Physicians are well trained in medicine but have little or no knowledge in how to run a private medical practice. With the continued increases in operational overhead costs and reduction in reimbursements, physicians have to see more patients to make ends meet. Much too often physicians have to choose between seeing patientsor managing their practice and at timesat the expense of their patients' care and their own quality of life.
Many physicians believe in taking charge of their practice without having the expertise, experience or time to do so. They too often micro manage because they can't let go or because they do not want to invest in hiring and maintaining an experienced and well trained staff. Many physicians are old school and do not want to make changes to keep up with changes in the business of running a private medical practice. Medicine is a business and should be thought of as a business with a balance sheet, goals, operating budget, marketing strategies, patients as a source of revenue and strategic planning and development of ancillary services.
Physicians need to embrace the concept of using a practice development consultant to advise and guide the physician on how to effectively manage and stremline the operations oftheir practice. As with any business, private practices need to cut overhead costsanddevelop a business modelto expand the level ofservices and efficiently manage patient throughput while maintaining high standards of quality care.
Bringing a practice out of the stone age with the introduction of electronic health records has to be one of the top priorities for any private practice to succeed and compete in todays medical environment.A practice development business consultant has the expertise and hands on knowledge to develop an appropriate infra-structure to help the private medical practitionerachieve specific goals and remain financially viable as a business.
Written by: Vincent Audinot http://www.articlesbase.com/project-management-articles/medical-practice-business-consultant-4318638.html