Practice Performance Group

Management Consulting and Continuing Education for Physicians

UnCommon Sense® Back Issues

Back Issues Available:

2006

2/06
Characteristics of Good Managers
Let's Be Fair with Managing Partners
Peter Drucker: 1909-2005
Don't Take it Lying Down
What? Why? Huh?
Shameless Commerce Part II
1/06
Compensation Reviews: An Ugly Business
Striving for Middling
Shameless Commerce Part I--Medicare Patients Need Help
Tending the Garden
The Buy-In Myth
Working Harder for Less?

2005

12/05
Make Your Schedule Work
Have a Black-Belt Shopper?
Stay Focused During Interviews
Who's Your Sales Rep?
How Do Your Partners Mesaure Up?
2006 Practice Wish List
11/05
Walking on Eggs? Don't Hop
Employee Policies: Time to Refurbish
Tried and True Telephone Tips
Don't 'Spin' Yourself
Employees Acting Weird?
Please, No More Calls
10/05
Denial and Cut-back Posting Codes
Track Payer Abuses
Get Serious with Payers
Measure Physician 'Activity' Fairly, Too
Evenhanded Expense Sharing
Give New Colleagues Some Feedback
09/05
Throw It Away!
If You Don't Ask "Why?" You Can Believe Anything
Having Reception Desk Problems?
Reasonable Collection Technique
Cruise Missles, Maybe?
08/05
Faulty Personnel Management Thinking
Tame the Telephone
Dealing With the Disabled
Checking a Reference: Be Thorough
Work Hard, Get Paid
Ready for the Next Big Thing?
07/05
Some Rules of Thumb
Why Don't CPAs "Get It"?
Stay in Control
"My Employees Act Like Children!"
Checklist for CPA Practice Review
Life is a Lease
Characteristics of Good Negotiators
06/05
Get Your Team Fired Up!
2005: Mid-Year Course Correction?
Get Ready: Review Season's Coming
Seven Adjectives to Describe Your Team
Building and Keeping Patient Loyalty
Is Retail Medicine In Your Future?
05/05
"Do You Have Mr. Denning's Chart?"
Phone Message Blues
Small Groups: "Taste Great, Less Filling"
Capitation: Fool's Errand?
04/05
Appointments: Schedule or List?
How's Your 'Happy' Factor?
Office Evangelism
Go Look at Your Employee Files Now
Okay, Just a Minute There . . .
Spring Cleaning Time
03/05
Coding: Keep a Balanced Perspective
Adding Physicians: Avoid Second-Year-Turnover Syndrome
Let Me Be Blunt . . .
Persuasion and Politics in Practice
New Employee: Celebrate!
02/05
Overhead: Cut (Only) the Fat
Great Workers Hard to Find? Get Flexible.
Budgets? Yes, for Some Practices
Insurance Payment Fraud?
Performance Reviews: How To
01/05
How is Your Manager Doing?
Managed Care: Get (and Stay) in Charge
Year-end Benefits Statement
Don't 'Forget' Hospital Charges
"Need a Raise? Earn One.

2004

11/04
Here's What's Not Working in Marketing
Collection Benchmarks
Learning Retail Software
Plan for Group Member Disability
Make Your Meetings Work Better
Trends to Watch in 2005
"Just What Does She Do, Anyway?"
11/04
Wisdom from the Genera
Regulatory Fever? Take a Chill Pill
Busy? Don't Waste Time Being Original
Time to Multiply by 1.2
Payroll Relative Values: 2004 Update
Time for the Annual Payroll Cost Review
10/04
Physicians as Contractors
Touchy Issue: Managing Partner Compensation
Capitation: It's a Primary Care Game Now
Avoid this Potential Tax Trap
Winds Blowing You Off Course? Trim Your Sails.
Hiring a Doctor: Get Selective
Stay in Control of your Largest Practice Asset
9/04
Lawyers: Spend Wisely
Contingency Plan: Loss of a Partner
Celebrated any Victories Lately?
Run the Blitz When Recruiting
9/04
Lawyers: Spend Wisely
Contingency Plan: Loss of a Partner
Celebrated any Victories Lately?
Run the Blitz When Recruiting
8/04
Let's Keep Managed Care in Perspective
Phone Technology 2004
The Ultimate Perishable Commodity
Remember Community Outreach?
This Progress Note Does Triple Duty
8/04

Summer Time: the Livin' is Easy
What Midlevel Providers are Earning
Get a Handle on the Right Moniker
It Just Ain't So
Manager Showing These Symptoms?
Paying on Productivity: "Won't This Make Us Competitors?"
7/04
No Means No
Listen Carefully to Patient Gripes
Aged Accounts Receivable: Know What You're Examining
Bigtime Thievery
Keep Your Eye On the Ball
Coping with the 'Transformation' of Medicine?
6/04
Spring File Cleaning? Bring Inactive Patients Back
Summer Time: the Livin' is Easy
What Midlevel Providers are Earning
Get a Handle on the Right Moniker
It Just Ain't So
Manager Showing These Symptoms?
Paying on Productivity: "Won't This Make Us Competitors?"
5/04
Control Your E-Motions
Another Way to Pressure Payers
Don't Create Bureaucrats
Sharing Captiation Revenue and Workload
Abandonment? Excise the Irritants!
Partner Beefs About Overhead?
4/04
How Consultants Work
Are You Typical?
When Should You Call a Consultant?
Need a Practice Management Consultant?
The Red Sneaker Effect
Take This Efficiency Test
Put Flags on Her Jeep
3/04
Just How Good is 'Good Enough?'
Try Playing 'Hard to Get'
Avoid These Classified Ad Mistakes
Misbehaving Colleague?
Values Statement
Sacred Cows
Standards of Conduct
2/04
Check Your Billing Follow-up. Now.
Practice Mergers: The Path Can Be Trecherous
Getting Down and Dirty
How Are You Doing So Far?
Hiring Family? Can You Fire Them, Too?
New Year, New Ideas
Department of Corrections
1/04
Mining Gold from the Uninsured
Overstaffed?
Practice Manager: Get a Good One
"B" is for "Barter"--and also "Barbarian"
Reducing Expenses? Don't Forget the Biggest One!

2003

12/03
Words for the Wise
2004-2006: Everything you need to know for the years ahead.
New Year's Resolution
Watch Out: You Could Be a Co-Dependent Enabler of your IPA
Need Another Doctor?
Pinto's Ten Commandments
Don't Make These Payday Errors
11/03
Benchmarks Update 2003
Walking on Eggs? Don't Hop!
Change the Doctor Numbers
Just What Are You Trying to Accomplish, Anyway?
Let's Vacuum the Trunk!
Still Writing Tickets?
10/03
Does Money Buy Happiness?
Don't Forget Customer Service
Hold a (Practical) Compliance Plan Meeting Now
Deep Thoughts from Antiquity
Mature Practice? Keep Your Guard Up.
Wisdom On Winning
9/03
Why So Many 'New Doctor' Deals Fail: Tradition
There's a Chart Here Someplace!
Negotiating a Purchase? Ask for a Discount.
Bargain Hunting? Don't Outsmart Yourself.
Partnerships: Risky Business
8/03
Missed Charges = Insurer Subsidy
Promotion, Si. Advertising, Not So Much
Why Aren't These People Working?
So, Who Does Your Collection Follow-up?
7/03
Whistleblower Heartburn
In a Hole? Quit Digging.
How Some Medical Directors Think
Out-of-Plan Patients: Gotta Love 'em
Another Compliance Reminder: Don't Forget OSHA
Salaried or Hourly: It Matters
6/03
Get Candid Employment References
Another New Thing?! Please, Not That!
New Associate in July?
Idiosyncracy, Quirk, or Unacceptable Behavior?
Watch Out for Boilerplate
"I Care About the Money--All of It."
5/03
LLC v. S-Corportation: Does it Matter?
Romance in the Office: Do We Learn Nothing?
Acquire the Competition
Fire-Up New Employees
Another Way to Commit Health Care Fraud
Watch Your Step with Employment References
4/03
Beat the Receptionist Problem
Here's How to Cope with Change
Patient Satisfaction: Work on the #1 Problem
Non-competition Agreements in 2003
Employees and Prunes
3/03
Tax Season: Let's Evaluate the CPAs
For a Cash Infusion, Go Where the Money Is
Wonder if Mission Statements Help?
Don't Take Technology for Granted
Get a Transcript
2/03
Taking it to the Street
A Cure for Stalled Practices
Get Organized, Accomplish More
Selling a Solo Practice: Don't Wait Too Long
1/03
Billing Office Problem Symptoms
Quick and Dirty Intelligence
"Let's Call a Consultant!"
Computer Vendor a Weasel?
Running with the Big Dogs: What Hooey!
Buy This Book!
2003: Where We Are Now
Waiting: Don't Mistake Good Manners for Approval

2002

12/02
When is a Patient 'New'?
'Blended' Practice Families
Be a Better Competitor
Year-end Benefits Statement
Compensation Reviews: Proceed with Caution
Dependent on the Kindness of Strangers?
11/02
Plan For a Better 2003
Benchmarks Update 2002
Why Does Rent Go Up?
The New Associate Expectations Gap
10/02
Feeling Stressed? Some of it's Controllable
You're A/R in Good Health?
Getting Ready for Compensation Reviews
Efficiency Test: MD Pay per RVU
Don't let Capitation Income Create Group Discord
Plan for 2003: Improve Productivity and Quality
9/02
How Big is Ideal?
"This Changes Everything!"
Medical Necessity Denials: Don't Give Clerks the Last Word
Send This Letter Now!
Set your Fees for 2003 Now
HIPPA Advice for 2002
It's That Time of Year: Performance Reviews
8/02
"Insurance-Only" These Days?
"Um, You Wouldn't Want to Resign, Would You?"
Physicians Are Too Busy
Buying a Practice: Be Sure You Get It!
Merger Checklist Explains a Lot
7/02
Business Chivalry
To Increase Visibility, Get Quoted
Going on Vacation? Leave Staff a List!
Managed Care? Take it of Leave it But Don't Blow It.
Trendy Talk Muddles Thinking
Cure for Patient Newsletter Writer's Block
6/02
Overhead? Think Allocation.
Inoculate Against the Gossip Virus
Are Meetings Worth the Bother?
Paying Professional Employees
Track Your Value Index
5/02
'Unacceptable' Physician Conduct
Eight Steps for Selling a Practice
Business Law 101
My IPA's In Trouble!
Collecting Old Receivables: Good Money after Bad?
Use Staff to Boost Productivity
4/02
Recognize a Good Manager when you See One
Messages from the Vortex
Accounting: History, not Management
A Lesson in Discrimination from . . .the Airlines?
Five A/R 'Pulse Points'
3/02
'Working' Your Referral Base
Price Cutting Suicide
Can You Salvage a Failed Promotion?
Closing a Practice? Consider your Options First
2/02
Is It Good Advice?
Thinking of Capitation? No Risk, No Reward
The Trouble with Bankers
Don't Let 'Facts' Confuse You
Truth is Shorter than Fiction
Can You Win the Dress Code War?
1/02
Does Quality Care Matter?
Refresh Your Group's Agreements
Choose Your Battles
Deserve a Raise in 2002? Raise Your Fees!

2001

12/01
Nuances of Business Etiquette
Collection Management by Malentendu
Is Patient Education Billable? Ask a Psychologist.
Market Share: Meaningful Measure?
"He Yelled at Me!"
11/01
Economizing? Here's a Way to Save Bigtime
Health Insurance for All!
Payroll Frequency
How Are You Doing?
Stay Alert to These PPO Scams
Bungling Your Way to Success
10/01
What are Receivables Really Worth?
There's No Goodwill Anymore, Right?
'Buy-In' or 'Earn-In' for the New Guy
Bonus Season: Proceed with Caution
Open Clear Communication Channels
Avoid These Common Supervising Traps
Who's Watching your Manager?
HIPAA: The Y2K Boondoggle of 2002
Measure Patient Satisfaction?
09/01
Jettison Your Junk
Merging? Weigh Your CPA's Advice Carefully
What About Physician Morale?
Celebrate? How?
Give Staff Morale a Boost
Coping with No-Shows
08/01
Frugal? Foolish?
Is Your IPA Going South?
Adding a Physician, Think Strategically
Fischer and Ury on Negotiations
Ten Year Retrospective: Don't be Intimidated by Big Groups
07/01
Management by Slogan
Can't Afford More Space?
One Fee Schedule, Please
Teflon-Line Your Insurance Pipeline
"But You Never Told Me..."
06/01
Your Silent Partner
Employment Interview: Ask Hard Questions
The Tao of Staffing
Think Clearly About Capitation
Hiring a Headmaster
05/01
Management New York Style -- Part II
Telephones Log-Jammed?
Too Much Optimism?
Feeling Envious of Big Group Colleagues?
04/01
Afraid to Fire a Loser?
Eight More Ways to Delight Patients
Managing New York Style
Everything Will Be All Right. No, Really.
Seven Deadly Delegation Sins
Gratitude With a Twist
03/01
Conduct Your Own Wage Survey
Recheck Your Discounting Strategy
The New New Thing (Again)
The Best Managing Doctors
Are You Getting a CEO for $1 Per Year?
I Heard You the First Time
02/01
Benchmarks: In Pursuit of Ordinary?
Professor Hersey's Big Idea
"Give Me Your Practice, Please"
Consider Practicing Baltimore-Style
01/01
Don't Get Distracted in Interviews
Use Your Schedule to Say, 'Welcome'
What Makes a Good Partner?
Save on Supplies
Need Referrals?
Don't Cry for Me, Argentina

2000

12/00
Unfair Medicare Payment? Ask for More!
2001 Practice Wish List
Make Employee Incidents Less Touchy
Why Do They Do That?
11/00
Four More Phone Management Tactics
How to Split Variable Expenses
Taming the Telephone
Splitting the Pie Fairly
Rethinking Staff Compensation Reviews
What's Wrong with your Receptionist
10/00
Denial and Cut-back Posting Codes
Self-Improvement Bookshelf
Getting the Goods on Payers
Keeping Track of the New Kid
Check Your Personnel Policy for These Landmines
How Are You Doing?
09/00
Some Weapons for Your Follow-Up Arsenal
Give Reference Checks Their Due
Bogus Personnel Truisms
Punch-Up Your Collection Effort
08/00
More Rules of Thumb
CPA: Help or Hindrance?
Negotiating and the Krebs Cycle
Save or Toss--How to Decide?
07/00
Dealing with the Disabled
Taming the Telephone
Health Insurance Isn't Everything
'Big changes' in Medicine?
"We're All Adults Here"
06/00
Enthuse Your Staff!
Seven 'Heavenly' C's
Thinly-Disguised Contempt
Dear Prospective Partner
Performance Reviews: Work from a Calendar
05/00
Insurance Coding: It's not a game
Let Me Be Blunt...
Adopt This New Employee Approach
Persuasion and Politics in Practice
Evangelizing in the Office
Appointments: Schedule or List?
Get Happier
04/00
Don't Get Me Started...
Production and Overhead Goals for 2000
Recruiting Physicians: Avoid second-year-turnover syndrome
Specialty Capitation: Don't fall for this sucker ploy
Supervising Telecommuters?
03/00
Put Your Overhead on a Diet
Teach New Patients How Managed Care Works
Performance Reviews Part Deux: How To
Should Patients Sue HMOs?
Ten Ideas for Better Meetings
02/00
Performance Review--for Managers
Where's the !@&%# Chart!
Time to Clean House!
Go Look at Your Employee Files Now
Charge Control Outside the Office
01/00
Y2K Fears Unfounded
Twenty-first Century: Time for a Budget
Catch the Cheaters -- Audit Your Managed Care Payments
For Quality Workers, Dip Into the Part Time Pool
Proactive Managed Care Thinking for the New Year
How to Earn a Raise in 2000

1999

12/99
Wasting Ad Dollars?
Year-End Raises?
Just Do It
Time to Examine Your Receivables
Key Trends for 2000
Groups: Check Your Disability Clause
11/99
To Motivate, Have Some Fun!
Payroll Relative Values: 1999 Update
Compliance Mania -- Get a Grip!
Capitation: Where are we now?
Job Descriptions: Worth the Effort?
How Are You Doing?
10/99
Contingency Plan: Loss of a Partner
No Time for Research? Copy!
Discounts Killing You? Carpe Diem.
IRS Trap: Independent Contractors
Choosing and Using Lawyers
9/99
Is Your Manager in Control?
Recruiting a Physician Deserves Special Care
What Physicians are Earning These Days
PC Applications?
Staff Training 2000
Paying Your Managing Partner?
8/99
Time for a Change?
Thinking Straight About Managed Care
Get better Telephone Messages
Recruiting? Work Fast!
Sometimes, It's 'No'
7/99
It's Summer: Review Your Time Off Policies
New Phones for the New Century
Be Glad for Complaints
Two Aging Boogers
Robert Townsend on Growth
Flashes From Our AMA Bureau
Bright Idea? Take a Focus Quiz to be Sure
6/99
How to Pay Midlevels How Are You Doing?
Fee Discounting: Proceed with Caution
This Progress Note Does Triple Duty
Don't Sign Checks Autonomically
Failed, Flawed Fads
5/99
"Won't Paying on Productivity Make My Partner a Jerk?"
Reactivate the Inactives
Employees a Disappointment? Avoid Creating Drones
Another Way to Pressure Payors
Treat Yourself to a Smile
How to Split Expenses in Groups
4/99
Delegating Authority
Group Practice Citizenship
Perils of Perfectionism
Everything Counts
Advice by the Hour
3/99
Dumb Ads
Ration Your 'Routines'
How to Grow a Manager
Five Fallacies About Managers
Collect These Facts to Value a Practice
Is Your Eye on the Ball or the Competition?
2/99
Names in the Office
Sacred Cows
What do IPAs do?
Passive v. Active Marketing
Legislative Agenda 2000
Forming a Group by Merger: Be Careful
1/99
Eight Efficiency Principles for the New Year
Stopping the HMO Leak
What Health Care Crisis?
January: Time for New Ideas
Resolution 1999: Keep on Track This Easy Way

1998

12/98
PPM Cash is Not Better than Stock
Set Your 1999 Holiday Schedule Now
HillaryCare Deconstructed
Thinking Nepotism?
Capitation Update
Fin de Siecle
How Healthy Are Your Receivables?
11/98
'Focused Factories' Will Provide Care
Annual Practice Statistics Update
Measure Your Staff's Productivity
Annual Payroll Cost Review
10/98
Let's Get Blunt
Mining Gold from the Uninsured
Office Manager Danger Signals
Want to Cut Costs? Start at the Top!
Emperor's Pee Pee on Display
Unhealthy
9/98
Glacial Speed Ahead!
Your IPA Sick? Let It Die!
When to Add an Associate
4 Common 'Salary' Mistakes
Stopping the HMO Leak
Review Your Collection Procedures
8/98
Mind Your Tongue
Predatory Competition in Group Practices
"Oh No, Another New Thing?"
Patient Service Audit
Sensitive Issue? Stay Away!
How Much Should You Earn?
7/98
Black Belt Shopping
Make Patients Job #1
Buck Rogers Practice
Open Book Management
Change the Doctor Numbers
Let's End the Productivity Bonus
Winning
6/98
Employees Not Working? Here's Why
Mission Impossible?
Mid-Year Update: Big Organizations in Trouble
Alert: Year 2000 Scam
Bill All Your Work, Every Time
5/98
It's Time for Annual Practice Detailing
Penny Wise Management
Practice Compliance Plan Meeting
Solve the 'Lost' Chart Problem
4/98
When Patients Can't (or Won't) Pay
Kicking the HMO's Tires
Show Me the Money!
Need New Patients? Quit Preaching to the Choir
Merging? Beware the CBO
Qui Tam: Employer's Nightmare
3/98
Promotion ABCs
Dump All Your 'Partners'
Your Employees: Salaried or Hourly?
Go Slow, Do it Later, Stand Still
Time for an OSHA Review?
Hard Questions
2/98
Stupid Cupid
What Does a Desirable Target Practice Look Like?
Growth by Acquisition
Non-Compete Covenants: Vulgar & Necessary
Good News: New E&M Guidelines!
Here's How to Cope with Change
1/98
1998: Meltdown Year for PPMCs
Mainstream HMO Bashing
Resolved 1998: Cut Front Desk Burnout
Employment References: Proceed With Caution
Year-end Benefits Statement

1997

12/97
"Doctor Will Be With You Shortly"
S-Corp or LLC: Does it Matter?
Computer Disasters and How to Avoid Them
Receivables Too High? Collect from Insurers First
11/97
Fraud Alert for ICs
Measure Your Staff's Productivity
Annual Practice Statistics Update
More Management Wisdom
Your CPA's FEE: Value or Waste?
10/97
Some Contracting Myths
Checklist for Hiring a Consultant
PPMCs: Two More Reasons to Say 'No, Thanks'
Waiting Room or Holding Tank?
Get Patients 'In' Faster
Getting Your Share of the HMO Business
9/97
Pre-Selling the Solo Practice
Want a Raise? Get More Productive.
When is a Patient 'New'?
Staffing Merged Practices
Pare Your Overhead: Skin the Landlord
8/97
August 1997: Where We Are Now
Trends to Watch
How to Evaluate MCOs
Getting Paid in 1998 and Beyond
Mainstream Medical Practice: Bigger is Bunk
7/97
Contract Provisions Checklist
Nine Tips to Reduce Practice Stress
Specialists: Survey Your Referral Sources
Want Quality? Reduce Errors.
The Associate Expectations Gap
Traps in Managed Care Contracts
6/97
Check These A/R 'Pulse Points'
Performance Review Pointers
How'm I Doin' Boss?
How Many Employees?
What's Retail Now?
5/97
Courtesy Discounts? These Days?
How to Fire Employees
Start Honing Your Effectiveness
Right-Sizing Your Practice
Send This Letter Now!
4/97
Merging's Not Easy -- Here's Why
Use a Swat Team to Collect Old Receivables
The View From the CFO's Seat
Dividing the Cap Check
3/97
Walking the Managed Care Walk
Talk the Talk
The Synergy of Meetings
Winning Medical Necessity Denials
2/97
Motivating Hired Professionals
Principles and Honor
Overhead? Think Allocation
This Year's Buzzword
Selling a Practice? Prepare an Offering Document
Heard This Great Dirt?
1/97
the News: Develop a PR Plan
Cure for Newsletter Writer's Block
A Tale of Two PPMCs
Five Minute CPT Update
Cure for Patient Newsletter Writer's Block
Riddle: What Spits, Bites and is Mainly Disagreeable?

1996

12/96
Beat 1996!
Ten Ways to Develop Your Staff & Productivity
Creative Writing 102: Interpreting Resumes
Year-End Benefits Statement
Check Your Medicare Carrier's Fees Now
Build Patients' Confidence in Your Staff
11/96
Payroll Relative Values: 1997 Update
Apply the Smell Test
Getting Ready for Compensation Reviews
Beware the Insolvent IPA
Seeking Advice?
New-think About Managed Care and Capitation
10/96
Annual Practice Statistics Update
Here's How to Get More Valuable
Accounts Receivable 'Normals' by Specialty
Errors? Theft? Check These A/R Pulse Points
Gossip: The Morale Virus
Get Your Competitors' Patients this Ethical Way
9/96
What is it with Bankers?
Good Advice from 'Life's Little Instruction Book'
Dress Codes for Doctors
Sample Grooming Policy Language
Risk Sharing
How to Combat Competition
Do Your Employees Look Right?
8/96
Dog Bites Man
Get Messages Reliably
Specialists: Get More Referrals
Demoting a Worker? Think Again.
Practical Rationing
Is High Productivity Good or Bad?
7/96
Cash Basis Accounting: Hazardous to Decisions?
Enhance Your Competitive Advantage
These 'Facts' About Workers Could Lead You Astray
Evaluating 'Expert' Advisors
Managed Care Savings: It's Not About Your Fees
Some Rational Thoughts About MIS
Risk Contracting? Check These Issues First
This Just in from the Playboy Advisor
6/96
Permission to Say 'No'
Beware the Irreversible Decision
Payroll Frequency
Market 'Clout'
Caution: Bonus Problems Ahead?
Analysis Paralysis? Implementation Stagnation?
Mergor or Mergee?
Characteristics of Superior Managers
5/96
Fight It or Flow With It?
Mistakenly Successful
PMCs: A Contrarian's View
When is it Illegal Harassment?
Phone Etiquette Fine Points
Get Paid for Patient Education
4/96
Quality Indicators
Honesty Best Policy with Employees
Musings
Define and Measure Your Quality
High Quality v. Commodity Health Care
3/96
'Earn-In' as De-Motivator
Get Paid for Managing the Care
Time to Remodel Your Superbill?
Over-Staffed?
Keep Third Parties Honest
Give Waiting Patients a Wild Ride
2/96
Wisdom From PhyCor
When Should You Sell?
Collections Myths
Managers Need Supervision, Too
Group Practice Contracts
1/96
Dealing With Dis-Appointments
A Big DON'T for Merger Projects
Patient Surveys? Well. . .
Keep Your Wages Fair
CPT Refresher for 1996

1995

12/95
Is Your IPA Going South?
Physician Recruiting Protocol
MSOs as Agents
Trouble With MSOs
Recruiting: Think Strategically
Year End Quiz for 1995
Beating the Staff Blues
11/95
Update 1995: What's the Deal on HMOs?
2000: A Minor Nit
Capitation Rates These Days
Profession or Business?
Tell Your Staff the No-Nos
Record Retention Guidelines
Chuck It Out!
10/95
Characteristics of Good Negotiators
Five Ways to Speed Insurance Payment
Innovation in Oregon
Preparing for Murphy
Stop Lobbing Interview Softballs
9/95
How Am I Doing? Part II
Management Fads
Your Silent Partner
Feeling Envious of Big Group Colleagues?
One Fee Schedule, Please
8/95
Beat the Holiday Rush: Thank Referrings Now
Big Groups Make Sense? Don't Bet Your Pension!
How Am I Doing?
Finding the Perfect Manager
Annual Practice Statistics
7/95
How Much Office Can You Afford?
Listen to This . . .
Friendly Enough? Patients Love It.
Evaluating Capitation Risk
Office Too Small?
Calling Mr. Rockefeller
6/95
Why Capitation?
Some Basic Capitation Definitions
Give Your Staff This Quiz
Paying Your Managing Partner?
Telephone Bottlenecks
Health Care Inflation's Down
Qualities of Good CEOs
5/95
Delegation Mistakes
Specialists: Let Your Manager Harvest Referrals
Why We're Optimistic for Physicians
Unfair Termination: Lawsuit Lotto
What's Your Practice Worth?
4/95
Interviewing? Get Relevant!
Appointment Scheduling Hospitality
Save on Supplies
What Makes a Good Partner?
Divining Motives: Prescription for Frustration
3/95
Competition Getting Ugly? Tell 'em to Quit!
Keep Your Ear on the Rail
Computer Recommendation
'Silent' Discounts? Use This Tool to Catch 'em
Since When is 'Average' Good Enough?
2/95
Controlling the Phones
Are You a Nomad or an Agrarian?
Phone Traffic Tactics
Bucking the Contracting Trend
Variable Expense Controversy? Ask Your Staff
Splitting Expenses Fairly
1/95
Rethinking Staff Compensation
Conduct Your Own Wage Survey
New Year's Resolution: Quit Listening to 'Experts'
The RFP: Put Your Questions in Writing
Active Voice Management
1995 Practice Wish List
How to Watch a Computer Demo

1994

12/94
The Last Resort
Top 10 Collection Tips
10 Personnel Myths
Medicare Announces Good News for Surgeons
How to Check References
Medicare Appeals Protocol
11/94
Opening Up 'Closed' Panels
Sample 'Lobbying' Letters
Choosing and Using Lawyers
Insurance Tactics from the Underground
Keeping Track of the New Kid
10/94
How Much Should You Earn?
Negotiating for Fun and Profit
New Associates: No More Double Dipping?
Memo From the Publisher
Make Employee Incidents Less Touchy
9/94
The Rules of Thumb
Why Are CPAs Such a Disappointment?
Time to Update Your Employee Handbook
When Your Partner Says 'I Quit'
Rethinking Sick Leave
Should This Document Be Saved?
8/94
A Valuable Resource
Year-End Deadline for Stark II Compliance
Managed Care Contract Hazards
Changing Your Contract
Time for Waste Watchers?
Contract Termination
7/94
Find 'Em Fast
Examples of Unlawful ADA Employment Discrimination
Dealing with the Disabled
MSO? Just Say No
Use a Job Description to Set Performance Standards
Evaluate Your Manager
6/94
Spend Five Minutes with your Receivables
Time for a Billing Service? Maybe Not
Keep Patients with Better Exam Communications
Put it in Writing
Save Money on Legal Fees
5/94
Start Merger Projects Right
Fire Up Your Staff
Say You're Sorry
Phone Phinesse
Patient Pleasers
4/94
Cash in the Office
Perspective: Where We Stand Now
Thinking of Merging? Read This List
Characteristics of Good Patient Relations
Shopping List for Office Managers
Patient Communication & Employee Attitudes
3/94
How Many Could You Handle?
Make Performance Reviews a Habit
Difficult Recruit? Sell the Vision
Teach Patients the Managed Care Rules
Minimize Your Risk
Self Improvement Bookshelf
Specialty Capitation? Not!
2/94
Production Goals for '94
Six Managed Care Strategies
Managed Care Strategic Errors
Stay Rational About Raises
1/94
Meetings? In Solo Practices?
Manager Problems? Do it Yourself?
Make Decisions and Write Them Down
Can You Earn a Raise in 1994?
Need a (New) Manager?

1993

12/93
What Case Management Really Means
Employee Files: A Lot Like Patient Charts
Ready for a Budget?
Personnel Records Retention Requirements
Football is Fun, Coding Isn't
11/93
What's New in Progress Notes?
Patient Take-Home Progress Note
Payment Denied
Let's Celebrate!
Preparing the Payroll: Too Much Work?
Asking the Obnoxious
Contracting for Managed Care? Ask 20 Questions
Success Me, Please
10/93
Design Your Own Message Form
Double Trouble When Recruiting a Doctor
The Clinton Plan: No health care reform yet
Telephone Messages: Get the right answers
Recruiting: Shotgun or Rifle
Ten Simple Ways to Solve Patient Complaints
Review Your Time Off Policies
9/93
Self-Referrals are Winding Down
Write a Winning Appeal Letter
Centrex Phones: Save Money and Enhance Service
Just Do It!
Stealing with the Checkbook
8/93
Growing Your Practice? Be Realistic
Let's Stop Wasteful Meetings
Time to get PC Literate
Look Before You Leap
Predictions for 1994
7/93
Get Ready for the Coming Boom
What's Your Value?
Medicare Takes a Lesson from the IRS
Dividing Expenses: Keep It Simple
Full Time Advantages of Part Time Workers
Getting Rid of Problem Patients
6/93
Prediction Scorecard
Actions to Take Now
Employment Reference Precautions
CLIA and Shared Labs
An Ominous Case Study
Too Many Employees?
Employment Laws
5/93
Too Busy? Time to Reorganize
You're Fired!
Success is in the Details
Life at the Margin: Avoiding Incremental Cost
How Big Should Your Practice Get?
4/93
Political Action Primer
When They Can't (or Won't) Pay
Watch What You Say About Former Employees
Keep New Patients Coming
Computerizing Your Appointment Book? Think Twice!
Review Your Fees Today!
3/93
Setting a Reasonable Collection Policy
Management Consultants: When & How to Use Them
HMO Pearls
Make the First Day Count
The Non-Exempt Manager
Managers in Trouble
2/93
Employee or Not?
Top-Down Cost Containment
Bill All the Hospital Work
What's at Reasonable Collection Standard These Days
Who Hired These Bureaucrats?
Four Critical Questions for Every Manager
1/93
Consider Buying Up the Competition
The Source of Wealth
Collect the Valuation Facts
Skating on Legal / Ethical Thin Ice
Charge Controls

1992

12/92
Cutting Waste? Start with your Payroll
Take this OSHA Quiz
Too 'Busy' for Hospitality?
Names in the Office
Optimizing Time for Your Personal Life
Is Your CPA Doing a Good Job?
No Health Insurance? C'mon Down!
11/92
Getting HMO Contracts
Treat Patients Right
Why all the Secrecy?
Staying Rational About Discounts
Tightening Collections? Go Where the Money Is
Employee Bonuses that Work
10/92
Myths About Managers
Speed the Intake Function
Beware the Unplanned Practice Sale
What Landlords Don't Want You to Know
Hospitals are After Your Patients
Never Say . . .
FAX the President
9/92
When is it Good Enough?
Independent Contractor Trap
Groups Without Walls
Proactive v. Reactive Marketing
Computers Gone Sour
Considering A Computer Change?
8/92
Trends In Insurance
Seven Tips to Increase Productivity
Is This a Good Idea?
Practice in the Corporate Form?
When Patients Have to Wait
Five Reasons Employees Don't Work
7/92
Too Many Doctors?
Get New Employees Off on the Right Foot
Everything Counts
Stopping the HMO Leak
Trends in Medicine
What's Your Mission?
Measure Your Staff's Productivity
Poles Apart: Negotiating Fair Associate Contracts

© 1999-2007 Practice Performance Group
UnCommon Sense® is a registered trademark of Practice Performance Publishing, Inc.
Do not duplicate or redistribute the contents of this web site.