Medications, both prescribed and over-the-counter (OTC) play an enormous role in American healthcare. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 71.9% of ambulatory office visits involve the prescription of a medication, and about 8% of all healthcare spending involves a prescription medication.

Patient financial responsibility plays a significant role in revenue management. As out-of-pocket expenditure continues to rise, healthcare providers face challenges in collecting payments, leading to increased accounts receivable (A/R) and uncollectible revenue. Understanding the impact of patient responsibility and implementing effective strategies are essential for maintaining financial stability and delivering quality care.

As Season 2 of BoPC’s podcast keeps reminding us, relationship is a key component to high value health care. Certainly, frequency of visits aids in building a trusting relationship. But we sometimes forget that helping a patient feel cared for plays an even greater role. Proximity, touch, compassion, and empathy all facilitate this feeling. Sitting at eye level, within a few feet of a person shows them you’re engaged and, in turn, engages them.

First impressions have always gotten a lot of attention, but I’m going to push back a bit and suggest that what happens after that first impression (aka unconscious bias) might need more focus. This MA, I’ll call them “Bleu,” was able to create a safe space for the patient and family member that overcame their initial judgment. Let’s explore how they did that, and how you and your team can focus on this too.

CMS issues an updated Advance Notice document each year, officially titled for 2024 “Advance Notice of Methodological Changes for Calendar Year (CY) 2024 for Medicare Advantage (MA) Capitation Rates and Part C and Part D Payment Policies”.

The Dictionary defines leadership as “the action of leading a group of people or an organization”. There are a variety of interpretations of what it means to be a leader but I would like to expand on this and create a definition of the word specific to the primary care setting. Leadership in primary care is “the action of inspiring, encouraging, and empowering a team of people to work together to provide high quality care to their patients resulting in positive outcomes and strong interpersonal relationships”.

It’s the beginning of a new year, so you’ll be hearing a lot about Medicare risk coding and the importance of risk coding. You’ll most likely hear the same story from many different sources - beginning January 1, those patients with amputations suddenly have limbs grow back and patients with certain conditions no longer have those conditions. You as practice leaders and physicians are told by multiple sources about how important capturing appropriate condition coding for your patients is.

Staffing, access, and burnout are like four-letter words in most healthcare settings these days. There aren’t enough people to perform the tasks needed to keep patients flowing through the system or enough providers entering the industry to keep up with the demand resulting in limited access for patients in need of care.

Over the past 40 years, we've seen a large shift in primary care and the United States healthcare system. Unfortunately, the changes have resulted in a very broken system, and we now more than ever see the need to correct the flaws.