Give cash-paying patients some cash back

I have a lot of cash-paying patients, and I reward them for taking good care of themselves by charging them less when appropriate. If I can see them for a five- or 10-minute visit to manage their refills instead of a 20-minute visit to explain that they should exercise and diet to better manage their blood sugar and blood pressure levels, it saves me time, and I pass the savings on to them.

I usually discount these patients' visits by 20 percent to 25 percent. I also have a generic pharmacy in-house, so sometimes I give them three months of their medications for free, which can be worth about the same amount as the visit discount. I tell cash-paying patients about the incentive at their initial visit. They seem to appreciate it, and it is amazing how money works as a motivator.

Dress up your ceiling lights

Our office installed decorative fluorescent light diffusers over our ceiling fixtures. The screens have images of blue skies with billowy clouds, colorful butterflies and hot air balloons that help create a more relaxing atmosphere in our exam rooms. We purchased ours online at http://www.skyscapes.biz; they are available from other companies as well. Patients give us positive feedback on them almost daily, and they look so much more professional than pictures tacked to the ceiling!

Calculating average work RVUs for family physicians

Think like an athlete when assessing injuries

When seeing an athlete for an injury, it is important to find out what stage of the season he or she is in (e.g., preseason conditioning, in season, or postseason playoffs). Acknowledging the patient's performance concerns provides comfort, makes it easier to take an accurate history and fosters confidence in and compliance with the treatment plan. For example, if I see a high school football player in the summer for a wrist injury, I identify how this will impact his off-season conditioning and weight training, and we talk about the prognosis relative to the schedule for fall contact practices. If I see a female cross-country runner for a mid-season ankle injury, I begin by recognizing where she is in her season and discussing her injury recovery and participation goals.

This approach also generates new visits by these patients' teammates, which adds to our bottom line.