Coding Audit Process Improvement and Customization
As a valued member of your organization’s compliance team, the compliance auditors view process improvement as an integral part of developing an...
3 min read
Julie Hardy : Jun 19, 2023 1:47:10 PM
While opening a new practice is certainly possible, it can feel like it requires superhuman effort. Therefore, opening a new practice doesn’t happen overnight. It can take years. This blog outlines some of the high-level, but often overlooked steps of opening a new medical group.
These steps are applicable whether you’re expanding a currently established practice or starting from scratch. The timeline is fluid and may be adjusted based on independent situations. Practices that are expanding don’t need as much lead time as a practice that’s starting from scratch. Use the steps below as a guide and adjust as needed for your practice.
12-24 Months Pre-Opening
In this planning phase, be sure not to lose sight of recruitment, especially if this is a PE-backed initiative. When selecting a location, you’ll want to take into consideration the demographics of the region, potential referral sources in the area, and local hospitals in addition to the competition in your specialty.
9-12 Months Pre-Opening
Now is the time to kick the administrative legwork into high gear. In addition to the necessary paperwork, research should be conducted related to the services that will be provided at your practice. Depending on your specialty, it’s important to consider patient-pay services that align with your practice such as Botox and specialized physical therapy.
6-9 Months Pre-Opening
In addition to hospital privileges, consider if you’ll need a hospitalist group to round on patients from your practice who are admitted. When purchasing equipment, including lab equipment, ultrasounds and other clinical necessities, also consider computers, tablets, phones, etc.
3-6 Months Pre-Opening
This is the point at which you’ll start hiring key staff that you need on board in advance to help the practice prepare for opening. Your practice manager should not start the same day your practice opens! Those who need to establish EMR and clinical workflows should also be hired at this point.
1-3 Months Pre-Opening
As your systems are getting setup and associated processes are established, be sure you’re establishing internal controls (i.e., division of responsibilities) to protect your practice from fraud and abuse. The most time-consuming step in this phase is to setup the EMR, and critical staff should be involved with establishing these workflows.
30 Days Pre-Opening
As opening day gets closer, most staff should be hired, and training should take place. This will include training related to general policies, safety, the compliance plan and the EMR. This is also when you’ll start scheduling appointments for the first days and weeks the practice is open.
7 Days Pre-Opening
In addition to ensuring the providers know how to document within the EMR, they also need to have a solid understanding of the documentation and coding guidelines. Any superbills or encounter forms should be approved by both the providers and the coding/billing staff. Keep in mind that at this time, you’ll also be troubleshooting anything that goes wrong, and a lot will probably not work as expected!
Day One
Depending on marketing and scheduling, the first day may actually be surprisingly quiet! A well-prepared practice will have a fairly quiet first day. Start looking for what’s not working in your practice, whether it’s related to scheduling, a process or even the physical placement of equipment.
30 Days After Opening
Bad habits happen fast, so be sure you’re combatting bad habits, such as unnecessary workarounds, as quickly as possible to keep your practice running efficiently in the future. Put the onus on staff to identify opportunities to improve. Focus on eliminating paper and manual processes as much as possible.
Remember, opening a new practice can be tough and time-consuming. While this isn’t an exhaustive to-do list, it’ll help you get started on the right foot.
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