1. Add rehabilitation services. Orthopedic practices should include rehabilitative services in their practice by hiring trained specialists. “Rehab in our practice is a very integral part of the service we deliver,” says Rich Battista, MD, president and physician with OAA Orthopaedic Specialists in Allentown, Pa. “It gives us the competitive advantage in the market place to provide exceptional care in terms of the comprehensive non-operative as well as operative and postoperative care. All the rehabilitation specialists are our employees, which gives them ownership over success in the organization.” Offering ancillary services can also increase practice revenue, says Dr. Battista.
2. Build satellite offices for better accessibility. If a large portion of the patients at the practice are traveling long distances or from another state to receive care, the practice should consider constructing another location to accommodate those patients, says Faris Ghani, COO of the Center for Advanced Spine Technologies. While patients will travel across the state and into new states for treatment, it becomes difficult for them to return for check-ups and receive additional guidance from the practice surgeons and staff. Building a new location closer to that group of patients makes it more convenient for the patients to make several trips to the practice for check-ups, surgery and rehabilitation.
3. Strategically recruit new physicians. Recruiting new physician partners from channels you know will provide you with the best quality physicians. If you participate in a fellowship program, recruit those physicians after they complete their training. You can also look outward for physicians with great reputations, such as those who already have busy practices in the community, or other academically oriented physicians from around the country. Search for physicians who trained in great programs, says Todd Albert, MD, spine surgeon and president of Rothman Institute in Philadelphia, and make sure they will fit with the practice’s goals and values.
4. Implement electronic medical records. An increasing number of orthopedic practices are investing in electronic medical records, and if used to its maximum potential, this costly investment can improve overall efficiency. Ken Austin, MD, an orthopedic surgeon with Rockland Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine in Airmont, N.Y., says his practice has coordinated its EMR with its scheduling and billing components. By capturing patient data at the beginning of the process, the practice has been able to increase efficiencies by reducing the number of staffing hours spent entering information into a separate system. “Instead of spending extra time filling out forms, we are about to get in to the office and manage care better by making efficient use of the staff’s, physician’s and patient’s time,” he says.
5. Hire athletic trainers physician extenders. Orthopedic and sports medicine practices are increasingly hiring athletic trainers as physician extenders to take on several roles within the practice. Athletic trainers are routinely employed in this setting to improve overall office productivity, patient outcomes and satisfaction as well as help move patients more effectively and efficiently through the appointment, evaluation and treatment process. Those who are appropriately qualified can serve as operating room assistants during surgery. Finally, athletic trainers can design rehabilitation plans for the patients. By providing services to more patients in the same period of time, physicians are able to increase patient throughput and revenues.
